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!

goodbye arizona, farewell blogger...see you next month

Yes, that's me everytime. No matter how long we're going to be gone, now matter where we're going, I'm always cramming suitcases to the max with all the clothes I try to bring. But not because I change outfits five times a day! I just like having options! That's why people buy as many clothes as they do in the first place, and I don't like feeling limited when I'm on vacation! So I always take twice as many clothes as I'll actually wear. *sigh* Oh well. It always fits in the car, and that's what counts! =]

We're leaving Friday morning for good old Ioway! Tonight's the laundry, tomorrow's the packing (and all the other five million things on my list to get done before we leave). But I wanted to take the time to post a blog really quickly this evening, because it's going to be a while until I do again...unless one day in Iowa we have absolutely nothing else to do...which, to be honest, isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility...we were just discussing the fact that everyone we'll be visiting will be in school or working during the day, so we're not quite sure what we'll do during that time!

But who knows? And we're not getting back in town until after Thanksgiving...and as soon as we get back, we'll be closing the deal on the house and moving in! So life's going to keep us pretty busy over the next few weeks.

We are so excited, though, to be going on this vacation! We need it (doesn't everyone??)! It will be so nice to see family and friends, and just be able to relax and not think about school for two weeks. This quarter has been insane...and I know the other ones will be even worse...and Travis really needs a breather. His last final is at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, and we're barreling out of here right after!


I'll leave you with my so-called pros and cons list. We'll see how the reality stands up to my expectations when it's all said and done!


I was going to start with the pros, but I changed my mind. =]



Things I'm not looking forward to:

• The cold

That's about it. Really (see why I decided to do that first now?). The next list is a bit longer, though.

Things I'm looking forward to:

• Getting our new little baby puppy Trixi (this Saturday!)
• Seeing RENT on Sunday
• Green landscape (hopefully it's not all dead already!)
• Stopping at all the Indian shops on the way there and back
• Driving (yes, despite the distance, I just really enjoy driving. That's why I do all of it)
• Spending time with the 'rents and the in-laws (obviously)
• Catching two Penn basketball games
• Watching old-school movies like Harriet the Spy with Travis while everyone's at work
• Getting to see all the people I used to see everyday
• New Moon (even if I loathe Jacob. It's still Twilight, right?) =]
• Stopping by my old 'haunts' (does that make me sound old?)
• Free food (hey, I'm poor)
• Speaking of food, Steak 'N' Shake & Panera Bread (they don't have them out here!)
• NO SCHOOL

Goodbye for now!

October's over

I've decided that each month I'm going to do a review of highlights or notable happenings in our life, big and small. We're starting with October, and we've got some doozies...

Ah, October. It was a good month for us, though it started out relatively uneventful. It's so hard for us to even believe that we're into November now, because our weather is still in the eighties. And it's heavenly (dry heat makes a world of difference). We're so happy about having nice, sunny days and cool, breezy nights. And it felt even better when we found out in the middle of October that it was snowing in Iowa. Ha! ...is that rude? Maybe a little. But I warned people that I was going to gloat about our lovely weather when it was freezing every else, and so I quite enjoyed the news of Iowa's first snow, as I looked out my open windows and gazed at the palm trees outside.

Earlier this month, Travis had his White Coat Ceremony. It was a pretty cool event. All first-year students at the university were participating, which meant it wasn't just students in the D.O. program, it was also students in the dental, pharmacy, psychology, physician's assistant, and optometry programs (there were actually even more programs than that, but I can't remember them)...

...I didn't realize until I got there how big of a deal this was...it was more like a graduation! I got there forty-five minutes early and still could barely find just one seat. Each college dean spoke, and then everyone was coated. After that, all the students stood and took an oath. It was fun to see Travis in his white coat and know that in less than four years he'll be a doctor! Wow!

We've also spent each of our Saturdays either watching or listening to the BYU Cougars play some football! Unfortunately, the October games weren't quite as satisfying as some of the September ones (aka the Oklahoma game)...but we're still Cougar fans!  *Rise and shout*

This month we decided to get another puppy too! I dedicated an entire entry to this topic not long ago, so  scroll down for that one if you want all the details about our decision. We're super excited to be getting her in a week and half! Above and below are updated pictures. Her name is Trixi, and she's super cute!

The biggest news of the month is that we decided to start looking for a house again after a long hiatus, and immediately found and secured the right one! That has been a whirlwind of an experience, and I posted a couple of blog entries about that, so check those out for stories and pictures!

Finally, it was Halloween last weekend, and we watched lots of scary movies and ate yummy Halloween-y treats. This one is soooo good. It's an oreo-jello concoction, and is super addicting. I'm warning you. So once I made that up, we settled down for a marathon of the Scream Movies, and we watched Rose Red (a Stephen King-based show). I know, long night! But it was super fun. Yay for having reasons to celebrate! Hopefully November will bring us even more of them!


Xoxo

Um...we have a house...???

No, really!

I think I'm just saying it that way because I'm still in a bit of disbelief about the whole thing. After eight months of searching, to actually have an accepted offer (and for it to happen so quickly too), just seems surreal.

But yes! It's official! We have a house!

And not just any house. A beautiful, new, updated, move-in ready house. We love it. Love love LOVE it. And it has all these features that we had previously been looking for, but were never able to find. It's got cathedral ceilings in the front room...

...tons of decorative nooks, a huge kitchen, a sunken family room, a great yard for the puppies, and of course, room for my piano!  =]

It's 1700 square feet, three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and was built in 1999. It was recently professionally painted and re-carpeted and had new fixtures put in.

We love that there's not one thing we need to do before we move in, but that there's room for us to do some upgrades later on if we so choose, like landscaping and such.

The contracts are in, I gave up the earnest money yesterday, and the home inspection is happening this morning. And we're closing by the end of the month. Meaning that, in less than four weeks, we'll be homeowners!

We can't believe the turn this has taken, but we're so excited! The house feels so comfy and just right for us, and we can't wait to move in!

Are we seriously doing this again?

Apparently.

But I really think it might work this time (they always say third time's a charm, right?).

Yes, we're house hunting again.

Yes, we tried this before. Twice. And it was not pleasant. It was stressful and confusing and hectic and it did not work. At all.

Yes, we love it here at our apartment. But when we got our paperwork about renewing our lease (which runs out next month - we signed a short-term lease to start with because we weren't expecting to stay), all of the prices were way higher than we anticipated. Which had me concerned. And who knows how high the prices will have risen a year from now when we'd have to renew again?

We talked, and we felt like, yes, there was a reason we felt so comfortable here...if we hadn't, we would've kept looking at houses that were 30 minutes from the school and way bigger than we actually needed (or even would want). Living in this apartment has taught us what we really need in a house, and given us time to 'sort out our priorities,' if you will.

So we did a little online looking over the weekend, found several houses we were interested in, and found a realtor. We went looking on Tuesday, found a house that was completely perfect for us, and decided we wanted to make an offer.

*********************************************
(This break is to inform you that there was an actual break while I was writing this entry)
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Our realtor just called. Like, JUST called. We've got the offer in and, thanks to some research into the comps, we're at an even lower price than we were expecting. And the listing agent has said that he should be able to let us know by tomorrow afternoon.

WHAT?!

This is so crazy. We started housing hunting originally way back in March. That was almost eight months ago!

When we were in Iowa over the summer we would watch all of these house hunting shows and be jealous that people would seem to get their houses so quickly...why didn't it work that way for us?? We came down to Arizona and searched in April. We did more searching online over the summer when that didn't work out. When we were still getting nowhere, we moved to Phoenix early so we could do more hunting. Half of the houses we were interested in disappeared before we could even go look at them, and then the ones we did get to see and wanted to pursue took months to, eventually, just blow us off.

And now, it looks like in less than a week's time, we're going from finding a house online to having an accepted offer.

I don't know for sure what's going to happen. But I do know this feels really good. And exciting. And if, after all this, we really do get our offer accepted tomorrow, this is without a doubt how things are really supposed to be.