My life right now.....

Our life recently has been pretty crazy! I'm starting to wish for the days when my most exciting activity was cleaning the house a looking for a job. Although, I guess I am still cleaning the house, but much more aggressively. We've been looking for a house for the past 3 or 4 months. We made an offer on two different houses and got them both (at different times of course). The first one was a short sale (that I have previously blogged about) and the one we eventually purchased. Our house was more expensive, but had several really nice features to it that I will talk about when I blog with the house pictures.

We signed on our house about 2 weeks ago and honestly the past 2 weeks have been a bit of a blur. We signed on Wednesday Sept 30th, had the carpets cleaned the next day, and moved in Sat Oct 3rd. The house was previously being rented to the previous owners daughter and family. She said she didn't find out we were signing on the house until the couple of days before and she thought she had another week to move and clean the house. Weird considering the date we signed the papers was the exact date that we had scheduled for over a month. Don't know if she was full of it or not, but the house was not clean! I'm still in the process of leaning out drawers an cupboards with cleanser and deep cleaning the bathrooms! Anybody know how to get stain out of a toilet bowl. Extreme non-cleaning is the only reason I can come up with for the state of some parts of the house. We've already started replacing some the things in the house. T's loving being Mr. Fix it!

The Monday after we moved into our house, we had our 5 year anniversary! Tom had told me previously my gift was the house he was getting me! I told him he's going to have a hard time doing better than that in the future! On Monday, we completely forgot about our anniversary. The only reason I remembered is I was making an appointment with my doctor and wrote it in my date book and it was marked! We spent that night and the next cleaning our old apartment! Very romantic I know, but we got almost all of our deposit back because of it!

I know some of you are waiting for pictures of our new house. I know we've been living here for 1 1/2 weeks, but we are still not fully unpacked yet. When that happens I will post pictures of our house with all our stuff in it. Of course it will not be decorated for a while. Still need to paint.

Fun in Utah

Tuesday morning we left for Utah. One of the things that made this trip kind of nice, was we listened to a book on tape for the whole trip. It was "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer. I was a huge fan of the twilight books and hope to eventually have all of them in hardback at some point. Shockingly though I have never read "The Host", although Mom did lend me her copy on the cruise in May. Have I read it yet....nope. All my new books have come out in the past 4 or so months. Now I really want to read it, because we weren't able to finish it on CD. It's going to have to wait until I finish a couple of books I have though. If I don't read them now, I go to the bottom of the hold list again and some of these books have around 30 holds. Yuck!!! Anyway regardless of what my Dad thought ,I loved it. Very entertaining (if at sometimes creepy) book.

Our first stop was Orem to see my baby brother B. He's going to school there in construction management. He seems to really be enjoying himself. He helped me buy myself new sunglasses and then we went back to his apartment and I got to meet 2 of his roommates and his friend C. It was a lot of fun, plus I got to drive in his cool car with the top down. I felt stylin'! He than gave me ride to S's new townhouse.

My friends S & T.J. both bought new townhomes a few months ago. I actually heard about it the first time while I was at one of our stops on our cruise. I've been wanting to fly down to see them since they bought the houses. I kept looking for a good deal on airlines but wasn't having much luck. Riding down with my parents gave me that opportunity because I only had to pay for a one way ticket. Both townhomes were absolutely amazing. I was also able to see the townhome of their cousin L. All 3 townhomes are in the same community and within walking distance from each other but are different floorplans. All of them had different floorplans and had definite nice things about each floorplan. I liked that L had a small living room and a small family room and her kitchen island. I liked T.J. big valted ceilings and extra windows. I liked S kitchen and huge laundry room and linen closet. Both T.J. and S had an unfinished basement as well. They are also brand new and have gas fireplaces. Nice places girls!

I was also able to visit my old job while I was there. It was really nice to see everyone. It really made me miss my job and the people I left behind. Like every job there were things that drove me crazy, but overall it was a great job! I was able to see almost everyone I wanted to there. The only person I really didn't have time to talk to very much (except in passing) was my boss. I'm very glad that I made time to go see everyone.

One day while T, S, & T.J. were all at work I was able to hang out with my mother-in-law. We also picked up my sister-in-law A, and we went to Olive Garden for lunch. It was so tasty! Soup, salad, and breadsticks. You have to love it! My mother-in-law M also bought us some delicious appetizers which I always enjoy! After lunch we did a little shopping and then were able to stop by and see my husbands grandma K and grandpa C. It was great seeing them! They are both sharp as a tack and a lot of fun to talk to. I really enjoyed the whole day!

S, T.J., & T all took Friday off so we could spend the day together before my flight that night. It was a great time. We all went and got pedicures, did a little shopping, and went to see the movie G. I. Joe. The pedicures were a lot of fun and I've really enjoyed having "pretty toes" (as the daughter of a friend recently told me). I wish I could get a pedicure more often, but the fun part of the experience was really just hanging out with my girlfriends both on Friday and for the rest of the visit. I really miss that! The movie was a lot of fun too! I'd wanted to see it. It was very exciting and fast moving. I told my husband that we definitely need to go see it. I think he'll really like it! It's kind of a guys show that girls will enjoy as well (as long as they like action flicks I guess).Thanks to everyone that gave up time to spend with me! I loved seeing all of you and hope I can repeat it again soon! I love you all!

My exciting 1 1/2 days in Idaho

I was lucky enough to see my brother and sisters recently when we went on our family cruise. However my little nieces and nephews were not part of that experience, so I hadn't seen them since I was home for my brother B's mission homecoming in November. I also hadn't seen my grandparents since I stopped through Boise on my way back to Utah after our trip to Oregan over a year ago. My grandpa H was recently put into an assisted living place and about a month ago was moved from the one in Boise to one in Idaho Falls so he could be closer to my Aunt M.

When I originally thought of hitching a ride to Utah with my parents on their way home, the plan was just to go through Boise and on the Utah. I hadn't made up my mind weather to do it or not because of some job application issues (for those of you that don't know, I've been looking for a job with no luck). However when my parents offered to drive through Boise than on through Idaho Falls so I could see all my grandparents along with both my sisters, brothers in laws, and all my nieces and nephews on the way to Salt Lake to see my girlfriends. it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

So, after the week my parents spent with us I left with my parents on early Sunday to drive to Boise. While in Boise, I had the opportunity to see my grandpa's house (everyone is in the process of cleaning it out) and see my grandma & grandpa B. It was great to see them and we had a couple of hours of great conversation! I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with them and hope to do it again soon.

Monday morning we took off for Idaho Falls. We stopped at A's new pad. She's been renting a house from a friend of her's for a nickle. This is the first time I've had the opportunity to see it. It's a beautiful house and she's very lucky to be able to stay there for the deal she's paying for it. On the way to see grandpa h's new pad we stopped for lunch and once of my favorite Pizza places, Craigos. For you unfortunate souls that have never been there, it is an awesome sourdough pizza place. The only said thing is that they don't serve their delicious breadsticks they used to have when I was in college. This by the way, is a travesty! But they do have an amazing pizze/salad/pasta bar that makes my mouth water just talking about it! It was delicious!

When we got to grandpa h's place, we had the opportunity to sit and chat with him. He seems to be doing okay, but it's still a little sad. He's changed quite a lot from the energetic man he was a few years ago. He said kind of a funny thing while we were there. We asked him why he hadn't been hanging out downstairs and plaing BINGO with the others. He said simply, "I don't like BINGO". It made me chuckle and made total sense to me. Life has changed quite a lot for him in the past 7 or so years. I can't even imagine how it feels for him to have loss my grandma and my uncle brent all within a few years. That would be so hard! My heart goes out to him and I can't really blame him really if he would rather be with them than where he is. Although I would hate it if he wasn't here anymore.

Later that afternoon Mom, Dad, and I took off for T's house. I also hadn't seen her new house she had gotten. They recently bought a piece of property that had an old house and a double wide (?) on it. The house, they are hoping to refinish and use as a possible rental property. They are living in the other house. They are pretty happy with it and they have tons more room than they had in their previous 2 houses. S loves it and they got it for an amazing deal! We had dinner that night with A and K joining us and hanging out for the rest of the night. D wasn't able to join us because he had work, but I was happy I had the opportunity to see him for luch before he left for work. Anyway, it was a delicious dinner and we loved the company. For a couple of hours, the girls and grandkids hung out in one room while S and Dad hung out in the other room watching TV. I think the girls had more fun!!!!

My Parents Visit

We just had our first anniversary here in Washington. During that time, we have blessed enough to have some visitors. My girlfriends came to see us after we had been here only a month. Tom's parents visited us last January. We were also able to she Shaun & Alicia when Tom's cousin Carolyn got married last fall. Since we moved here we've had my parents visit scheduled. Originally, they wanted to come the same weekend my friends were coming. Because of the small apartment we were moving into and the limited time we would have, we decided this was not the best idea. So, they scheduled the following the following Labor Day Weekend instead. I have been looking forward to this visit now for months!
My parents arrived on Monday afternoon, Aug 31st and stayed through Sunday morning May 6th. During that time, we had the opportunity to show my parents around our town, show them the new house we are trying to purchase, and gave my parents a couple of days to take a drive to the Olympic National Park and then to see the famous Forks, WA (which my Mom specifically loved!).

There were several things that really stand out in my mind of their visit here. First is our trip to our new house. Their visit here coincided with our inspection on the house. Tom and I both wanted to be present for this, so I invited my parents along so they could see the house before they returned to Utah. They seemed to like the house and the inspection went pretty good, with just a few things we asked to be repaired. We are suppose to close at the end of the month. We'll let you know how that goes and if it actually happens. Trying not to get too excited until it actually happens.

On Friday Tom of course was at work all day. Here in the town we live in, there is a cool set of trails that run through the entire town. Because this is Washington, we have lots of trees....so you can't even tell you are in the town. It's a beautiful walk and one that Jake loves. So Mom, Dad, and I decided to take Jake on a walk. It was a beautiful day so we all enjoyed ourselves, including the dog the got lots of sniffing done. We then headed over to one of our favorite places, "Central Market". It is a huge grocery store with lot of fun things that we love to hang out at. Most people may think that we are huge dorks for hanging out at a grocery store, but it's a lot of fun. They have a bulk food section that is amazing, a seafood and produce section that is unbelievable (they actually have live crab swimming in tanks), plus a deli section that is as big as a gym. My Mom said she was extremely jealous.

On Saturday night, Tom and I took my Dad to a local restaurant called "The Boat Shed" that we like. It's a cute little spot that sits right on the water. In good weather you can even eat on the deck and look out on the water. However, because it was a little chilly we ate inside. Like always it was delicious and we all enjoyed dinner!

My parents and I left early Sunday morning. I decided to hitch a ride with them so I could see some family and friends. I'll talk about that in my next blog! Thanks for coming to visit Mom and Dad. Come back any time!

Freakin' Short Sales

For those of you not in the know, Tom and I made an offer on a house about a month ago. It was a pretty good deal for the house. There were a few issues on the house, but things we were willing to overlook because overall the house was a good buy. Tom might have a different perspective on these things, but for me....here are my issues.

The look of the front of the house is not your normal look I would choose, plus the driveway is really short and the plot is a very strange shape. It's also built kind of on a slope, so the backyard is sloped down on part of it. The backyard is also not landscaped at all, so it will take a lot of work and sweat equity to make it into a workable space. Because the house is built on a slope, the back of the house is a long way from the yard. It has 3 different balconies, but no back entrance into the backyard. What this means is when Jake needs to go outside, at this moment, we would have to go out the front of the house and walk around to the backyard.

However, there are a lot of really good aspects to the house that I love. It is a split entry house, that is fairly new (built in 1995). The inside of the house is in really good condition. The kitchen (which has become kind of important to me) is pretty large and the kitchen, dining room, living room, and upper hall ways have wood floors. Plus there are a lot of open windows and good lighting & a gas fireplace. It has 3 bedrooms and an additional living room downstairs.

So, I like the inside of the house not so much the outside. However, with a lot of work it has potential. Here's the problem we're running into though, it's a short sale. For those of you that don't understand what I'm talking about, a short sale is a house that the owners can't pay the mortgage on and hasn't had any luck selling the house for the amount they owe the bank. So, the bank has agreed to accept less (or short) of what they owe. The problem with this for buyers is that your offer has to be approved by the owners (who get nothing from the sale so probably could care less) and any bank or banks that are owed money for the house.

When we were considering weather to make an offer we were told that the seller's agent said she had spoken to the bank and had a verbal agreement for the sale price. However, we knew from other stories we had heard that it was iffy. Turns out we were right. We put 30 days as the expected time to hear back from the bank. Our 30 days are up on Monday so we have little hope that we'll hear back on anything in that time. Last we heard it would be probably the beginning of Sept. Than another month or so to close. However, we have friends that are in the same boat and are still waiting to hear on their house that they were suppose to know about a month ago. I personally don't have a lot of faith in this process. The most annoying part is not having any idea when we'll know. It seems their process is to say we'll be getting an answer any day and then say the next thing the next day to string us along. ANNOYING!!!

So now we're thinking maybe we'll spend more money than we were originally thinking. This has been kind of difficult for us. Going from real estate prices in Utah and Idaho to here in Washington has been a bit of an eye opener. It takes some mind warping to not freak out at the higher prices. And now to go even higher than we were originally anticipated is even funner. The reason for this is the quality of the house. You go from a house you're so so about to houses that are actually in pretty good neighborhoods and are in good condition. It does bump up our monthly price by about $150 per month, but there is a part of me that thinks it might be worth it.

What do you think? Not that it will change my mind, but I'd like to know what you think!

The Weekend

This weekend was kind of fun! Although this may all be very boring for all of you folks, I have decided I should blog more. My main problem with blogging very much is I just don't see why people would possibly be interested in all my movements. However, I know that I'd rather know what my sisters are doing regardless how interesting they thought it might now be.

Friday: Just as I was getting ready to exercise Tom gave me a call to invite me to lunch. There is a little place down there that serves pancit and lumpia (this is Filipino food for those not in the know....where I served my mission). I had told Tom that I wanted to come to lunch with him so we could go back there again. It was delicious of course. I had chicken adobo with rice and pancit. Tom had Teriyaki chicken with fried rice and pancit. Teriyaki is not really Filipino but it goes well with the rest of the food and is widely liked. We both enjoyed it and had enough left over to eat it for dinner that night. That night after "dinner" we got to finally go see Harry Potter at the movie theatre. Loved it. It had been long enough since I had read the book that I didn't remember every single step of the movie, but still remembered enough to understand what was happening in the grand scheme. (As a side note, Tom had just recently started reading this book). I thought they did a really good job with the movie!

Saturday: We spent the morning cleaning our church. We only have 2 wards that share our church so we have cleaning assignments every other month. They have a pretty effective method here than I've ever seen. They have a peg board with about 10 jobs hanging from them with laminated paper. You grab a job and move it to the "done" pegs when you're done. When all the slips of paper have been moved to the done spots you are finished. It only took about an hour. That afternoon Tom's office had a picnic at a local lake & park area. We brought sugar cookies that I of course bought at the store not made by hand. Sugar cookies are impossible. Especially the frosting. If anybody has an easy frosting recipe I'd love it! I ruin it every time I attempt it. Anyway, I got a little off topic. So, we went to the picnic. Tom of course had volunteered to take pictures at the picnic. It turned out to be pretty fun. It was kind of a chilly day, but I know myself well and dressed for it so I stayed pretty warm. Tom had a few guys that he originally started at the shipyard that work in the same "department???" as him that I had met before that were there. Very nice guys. One of them brought his fiance that I had previously met as well. Overall (including the food) it was an enjoyable evening.

Sunday: Sunday evening we had the enjoyable experience of having Tom's cousin Jared and his wife Nicole over for dinner. Luckily for me Tom decided he wanted to make dutch oven for them. Than means very little prep for me...yeah!!! I had made some bannana bread earlier that week and made a green salad. Tom did most of the work by making BBQ ribs. They were very good, but a little spicy. Plus we both agreed that the next time we make these we will buy a better cut of meat. These were a little fatty and lean on meat. The dinner was very good, but the company was even better. We had a lot of fun and even got to walk around the dock area when we dropped them off. Jake was pretty good with them too, so everyone had a great night I think. Plus they brought cheesecake!!! I love cheesecake and it was delicious!

Awesome weekend!

New Challenge

Yesterday in church a young man, who recently graduated from High School, bore his testimony. In his testimony he told about how he had read the entire Book of Mormon in one month. He figured out that if he read around 18 pages a day he could do it. It was a very interesting testimony and idea. To just read the book consecutively without doing research along the way. It's something I've heard before occasionally, but never really considered doing personally.

After the talk, Tom decided this was something he wanted to try. It had been a while since either of us had read straight through the Book of Mormon. I tend of jump around a lot and go really slowly. I also usually do a lot of research as I'm reading as well. I decided this was probably a good idea for me as well. We decided not to do it together (too difficult) but we are reading approximately the same passages on the same day....just separately.

I've done it two days so far and have really enjoyed it. Of course I am very familiar with the stories I am reading, but to reading it as a story instead of looking deeply for lessons that I should learn from it has opened up new emotions. It's going to take a lot of dedication and focus to make sure I complete this goal. I hope I'm able to complete it. It helps that Tom is there to encourage me along the way!! I love you babe!