Maybe It's The Beer Talking...

Or maybe it's just that it was an eff'd up day!

Today was the day to close out my parents' estate.

"Estate"...that's a funny word to describe what my parents left behind. A house that had seen it's better days...that needs more work to bring it up to code than it's worth...and nothing of monetary value = "estate".

One thing we knew for sure is that they left this world together, without a will, essentially penniless, debt-free, and a broken down house full of memories.

Imagine our surprise when the probate attorney drops a costly bomb on us in the 11th hour that there were a couple of "issues" to resolve first. "Issues" that we had been told didn't exist even up until 2 days ago! After we re-grouped and headed out to do the work of our attorney..we were able to get some major progress made towards closure. Dumb-ass attorney! Had he done his job properly, these "issues" would have been discovered and taken care of at the very beginning, instead of at the ending when time & money are critical.

Let me just say....make sure you have a will and that you have your affairs in order at all times! Even if you THINK you don't have anything that YOU think qualifies as an "estate"...have a plan!

It was a VERY stressful day! I found myself angry....angry at Mom and Dad for dying and leaving us with this mess! Angry at the attorney for doing a half-assed job. Angry that the four of us had to move into "GO" mode and get things done at the last minute. Angry that Mom and Dad had not made a legal plan or had even written out a penciled plan on a cocktail napkin somewhere! Angry that the four of us were put in the position we are in.. to try to figure things out without a clue!

All I know after 4 beers (and a tiny buzz) is that in one week it'll hopefully be all over and  I never have to go back into "The House"...and I hope to never have to deal with a probate attorney again! I truly am not near tipsy enough to think I won't dwell on the events of this afternoon for a while!

God.... I miss my husband! Dealing with all this shit for 9 months without him had just been sad and lonely! The silver-lining is that I have found a closer love and respect for my brothers and sister than I ever knew existed before. We grew up just tending to our own and not giving any notice to each other.We've actually drawn closer together and have realized that we are the only family we have left. Our family (name & spirit) is ours to carry on...to honor.

I miss my Mom and Dad! There's not enough beer or alcohol in the universe to soften that!