What Doesn't Kill You

  I have mentioned our POA  and the issues we were having with them.... But I haven't posted much about it for a few reasons...

First of all if you haven't ever had any legal issues at all, which was my story before this.. getting hit with a lawsuit is pretty traumatic. I mean here we were basically minding our own business and we keep getting letters about what our neighbor, Al Blair( also the board President for perpetuity)  who hides behind the POA Board is unhappy about. So, we would get communication from this board and we would feel, well it sounds corny but I personally felt violated.
Then I would start to find someone to blame, and of course if the "authorities" say we are wrong, well we must be, right?

So we start fighting, and I was  lashing out at my kids, my husband. I started spending my time, and I mean ALL of my time reading about court cases, codes, laws etc., days and days of this...

I  felt like I was being watched, I  didn't dare leave a rake out for fear our "neighbor" would complain about the mess. I would tell my husband  who had just worked a 14 hour day to put his mess away for the "neighbor". So this goes on for a while.. this fear, and let me tell you if you do any research at all about the power of these groups you need to have some fear, fear is appropriate in some cases.

But not always... not if you honestly have done nothing to really, honestly be facing a law suit over.
Not if you can look your reflection in the eye and say "wait a minute.. WTF is going on here?"
 and the true answer is ......something stinks...

Because you see, we were (are) being asked to:
pay almost 4000 in attorney fees
pay for a 500 survey
pay 500 a month if we fall in violation again
allow the board to walk our property
go to  a meeting and be properly dressed down by our lords and masters know as the "Board"
Resubmit previous plans ( which they already have)
Tear down any structure they did not approve
Hold no business activity on the property

This is not Belleterra... I mean really every single home out here is in violation of something... but they don't live next door to Al Blair. So we asked the universe for help...
and guess what? We got it.

Out of the blue and I mean out of the blue, an attorney called me by the name of  Bill Davis.
(Well actually I posted a question on a webpage called "HOA Reform Coalition" and the owner sent me his contact information, but hey what are the odds that he would live in Dripping Springs too?)
I can't say enough about this guy, he's brillant and he sees through the distractions to the clear truth.
Also, a very funny, likeable person... 

Oh yeah did I mention he despises HOAs?


I will be writing more and often about this adventure. That's what it has become. An adventure that
I know without any doubt we will come through victorious..

As Juliette and I like to sing to each other, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, footsteps even lighter"