are we done yet?

Argh!

That basically sums up my thoughts on this whole housing process. We really thought when our offer was accepted so quickly that it was going to be smooth sailing from there.

Wrong.

We really should've known.

Our bank has been completely ridiculous about the amount of paperwork they wanted from us (and hey, even Travis' dad, who's like the head of the division, thinks they're being totally unreasonable), which slowed us way down. We originally were going to close over the Thanksgiving break, but had to move it back. We were expecting then to close the week after we got back into town.

Sure.

The appraisal, which was done on December 2, came back low. Like, $15,000 low. Which meant we had to talk the seller down in price, come up with 15 grand, or walk away. Not cool. We thought the seller was going to flat-out walk away from us at one point, because he was not happy about the appraised value. Which is understandable, I suppose, but it doesn't change anything. Just deal with it and move on, man.

After several days, though, we were able to come to an agreement. We're buying the house for $2,500 more than the appraised value, which means we have to come up with that cash, since the bank won't cover it. But it's worth it. This house is gorgeous, and the only reason it's anywhere near that price in the first place is because we're in a recession. So we're not worried about it.

But that meant more paperwork. And more questions. And going back and forth with the seller's agent who, quite frankly, is a real pain. They are not quick to respond, which is crazy because they've been the ones pushing for a fast close from day one.

At this point, we're basically just waiting for the seller to turn on the water to the house so the final inspection can be done, and then we should (maybe? hopefully?) be able to close next week. But to be honest, I don't like the fact that we're waiting on the seller now...he's been extremely not helpful through this whole process. I'm hoping we'll hear something tomorrow.

According to our contract, we have until December 30 to close, but everyone involved wants to just get this done. If the seller will just do his one little job, we should be fine.

And hey, what a Christmas present, eh?

My parents are coming out for the holidays too, which means we have built-in moving help! Yay for that! =]

Honestly though, one of my biggest problems with this wait (besides that it's just plain annoying) is the fact that it's delaying my getting my Christmas cards out. *major pout*

I know that may not make sense, so I have to admit something. I sooo wanted to be on the ball this year with my Christmas cards, so I wrote out our little newsletter before we left for Iowa in November (and printed all like 80 copies). Knowing that the cards weren't actually going out until December, and knowing (or so I thought) that we would close on the house while we were in Iowa, I wrote the letter as if we'd already moved in.

Big mistake.

Now I've had my cards completely ready (signed, addressed, stamped) for two weeks, and I feel like I can't send them out! I was so determined to get our Christmas cards out early this year, and now I feel like I may not get them out at all. I'm seriously depressed about it.

I'm hoping that we can close on, say, Monday, and I can drop the cards in the mailbox immediately after. *sigh* That's what I get for trying to plan ahead. Word of advice: never plan ahead when buying a house is involved. Unless, you know, you're buying it with cash.

We're supposedly at the end of the road here, but you know what they say,

"It ain't over till it's over."

Wish us luck!

no more november

Ah, a return to my blog! I have missed this, really. I suppose I've been delaying my return partially because I have so much to catch up on...and I didn't know if I wanted to type that much!

So to make it simpler on me, I'm combining news of my trip with my monthly wrap up. And we'll take it from there...

I've got to rewind a little past our Iowa trip to begin with though, and revisit why we were even able to travel in the first place -- Travis finished his first quarter of medical school! Now, that obviously included an insane amount of stress (even more so than usual for med school) and lots of tests, but when it was over, we had two weeks free! It was an amazingly liberating feeling when he came home from that last test Friday morning. Ah, freedom. And yes, as soon as he did get home, we hopped in the car and started driving...

And the weird thing was, we encountered the worst weather while we were still in Arizona (and a little bit in New Mexico). We got poured on from Phoenix to Flagstaff, and then it teased us into thinking it was going to let up. But no. It continued, with serious winds, basically until we got to Albuquerque. It was crazy! I had no idea it could rain that much in the southwest! Fortunately it eased up after that, and we were able to find some ways to entertain ourselves along the drive....

I freakin' love this because it's so skeezy. This is at the old Jack Rabbit Trading Post (calling it 'old' makes it sound like it's closed down now...it's not), which used to be a major attraction along Route 66 (legendary, apparently). But to be honest, I wasn't that impressed. I was happy to show off my mad jack rabbit riding skills, though. And speaking of Route 66....

Yay. I was so adament about getting my picture taken on Route 66. I'm not sure why....

I definitely want to travel it (or what's left of it) someday when we can take our time (and do it all during the daylight hours). Fortunately though, the Route goes right by I-40 most of the time, so we hopped out and took our pics. It made me happy.

That drive to Iowa was also exciting because....

We finally got Chloe's baby sister (Trixi)! We picked her up in Oklahoma (which, by the way, really showed me the positive side of growing up in Iowa) on the second day of our journey. We took them to a little park right after we got her so that the two of them could get acquainted for a little bit. It took Chloe a little while to figure out that this tiny thing was actually a real puppy, but then they started having a grand old time.

The funny thing though was that as soon as we put them both in the car, Chloe started acting very...aloof...toward Trixi. She loved playing with her, but I think she got concerned when Trixi suddenly was in her space and using her toys. She was very hot and cold toward the little girl for most of the ride up. But don't worry, she got over it...

They completely love each other now. They play like crazy, and snuggle like two little babies would. So sweet.

Oh, and on that trip up, we also had the worst drive-through experience either of us has ever had. In our lifetimes. Seriously. We spent 20 minutes trying to order our food. And another 15 trying to actually retrieve it at the window. I know Missouri has some winners, but really, people! Never, ever, go to the Steak 'N' Shake in Joplin, MO (don't worry, the food was still amazing. At that point I was just so hungry that I ate the box it came in, too...no, not really).

Omigosh! I cannot tell you how excited I was to see RENT live at the Civic Center the day after we got into town! And not only RENT, but RENT with Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp. It was completely amazing, and I'm still kinda in awe that I actually got to see these two live. Such a fantastic opportunity. Thanks, honey, for letting me go! =]

We also got to catch a couple of Penn games while we were home, which was way fun (and also meant I got to see a few old friends). My favorite was their face-off against Grinnell. These guys play crazy basketball (or don't even play basketball at all, according to my dad). They go hard and fast, and shoot within seconds of taking the ball downcourt. And after about two minutes of play, they sub in all five players. It's insane. Want more proof? Final score: Grinnell 101, Penn 133. Seriously. Madness.

And yes, we saw the midnight premiere of New Moon. We went in Pella, which was actually fun because I ended up seeing another of my theatre camp kids, and it really was not very crowded at all. And yes, I chose an Edward poster because...that point where Bella meets him in Italy? From there onward is the only reason I can enjoy New Moon. Really.

That being said, I thought the movie was fantastically done (leaps and bounds above Twilight), which really kind of depressed me. I really wish they had had Chris Weitz direct Twilight too, because, sadly, the first is probably my favorite book, and the Twilight movie just wasn't done well. I'm really hoping for a remake.

We also helped my parents set up their Christmas tree, breaking our normal rule of not setting Christmas decorations up until after Thanksgiving. But it was very fun and, hey, I don't mind putting up two Christmas trees this year!

Oh, and we bought a big screen tv (50" to be precise)! We had been saving up for a little while, and asked for Christmas money to help, too. We ordered it on Black Friday, and got a real steal! We set it up over the weekend, and it's fabulous (but don't worry, we don't actually watch golf on it). I swear it takes up half of our living room right now, but you won't hear me complaining! =]

On the way back we also stopped at my favorite little Indian shop in New Mexico (and yes, it's a favorite because we've stopped at several), and got our Christmas presents for everybody! We love this place. It's called Indian Market, and it's about 40 miles from the Arizona border (either exit 42 or 47...there are signs). It's got some of the best stuff. We're saving up to get a couple of nice pieces of black and white pottery for our home next time we drive through.

And we managed to get home just in time to catch the Holy War, BYU vs. Utah. It was a great game, and I'm so glad our Cougars came out on top! Go Blue!

And just as the month came to a close, we started settling back into our routine. Back to school, back to work. But knowing that at the same time, things were about to be changed up all over again (holidays, house swapping, visiting family). All absolutely wonderful things, but things that keep us on our toes all the same! Bring on December!