New season. New home. New quarter in school. New job for Pasquale with new hours. Its all so exciting and I am reminded that the only constant is change. Its funny, sometimes moments float in like a montage on a movie reel, especially when you are moving and all you can do is take stock of the wonderful times life has granted you in that space. I will always remember our first apartment together, under the Space Needle, living with the pulse of a beautiful city. We have spent the past few days packing up our apartment and transporting our stuff to a storage unit near our soon-to-be house. Its strange to see all your possessions packed in one space. All the items that comprise your life, that make your days comfortable.
It was a fun weekend, even though my muscles are slightly sore from moving dozens of boxes. We went to the Italian Festival in Seattle Center and attended a dear friend's birthday celebrations in between trips to the storage unit. The dogs are a little concerned with all the changes to the apartment...which remindes me of this:
Hilarious Dog Moving Cartoon
It is Fall for sure...the leaves are going yellow and the sunlight retires so much earlier now. I want to thank people for their comments on this blog, it is nice to hear from y'all and I appreciate all the kind words about the house-buying process! Your encouragement is so helpful!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Smells like Fall...
Yup, it smells like leaves falling and pumpkin spice lattes and cool, crips nights. Here comes the Fall.
I can handle the loss of summer, just so long as fall brings moving into the new house before Halloween. We have been approved for our loan! Yay! Just one....last...final...stupid...step left. Still keeping our fingers crossed. But the new date for closing is October 12th. And we found a place to stay, thank goodness! So we get to spend ten days in Capital hill instead of being homeless or camping under the interstate bridge.
On Sunday we went to Emerald Downs for the horse racing and I loved it! I actually even won $27! It was wonderful just to be around horses again, I miss them. Found out that my mom and dad went there when she was preggers with me, which is funny to think about.
I have recently totally fallen in love with Parks and Recreation and have now watched seasons one and two.
Even if you havent' seen the show, watch this clip and see if you can resist laughing. Ron Swanson's the man.
Started packing up the apartment today, since we have to be out the 30th. Funny how stuff multiplies like bunny babies.
I can handle the loss of summer, just so long as fall brings moving into the new house before Halloween. We have been approved for our loan! Yay! Just one....last...final...stupid...step left. Still keeping our fingers crossed. But the new date for closing is October 12th. And we found a place to stay, thank goodness! So we get to spend ten days in Capital hill instead of being homeless or camping under the interstate bridge.
On Sunday we went to Emerald Downs for the horse racing and I loved it! I actually even won $27! It was wonderful just to be around horses again, I miss them. Found out that my mom and dad went there when she was preggers with me, which is funny to think about.
I have recently totally fallen in love with Parks and Recreation and have now watched seasons one and two.
Even if you havent' seen the show, watch this clip and see if you can resist laughing. Ron Swanson's the man.
Started packing up the apartment today, since we have to be out the 30th. Funny how stuff multiplies like bunny babies.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
I dare you not to shake your hips to this song...
Higher Devotion, Jimmy Eat World
I love this song. Its like caffeine for my brain.
The landlord just came over. Apparently he thought we were moving out today. Thank God I put it in writing that we weren't leaving until the 30th. Ugh. Its funny, this kind of constant uncertainity never used to bother me...in fact, it excited me because I never knew what was about to happen and I loved the adventure. Now that I am a little bit older and have "things of value" (Pasquale, Raleigh, Tesla), I don't find "not knowing" as a good thing. I want to know the date we get to move in. I want to know that our loan is totally processed. I want to know that I will not be homeless in 2 weeks. My days and years as a nomad are over for me. They were fun and I truly cherish the memories of living out of a bag and collecting adventures, but now I want my home.
I saw this on someone's facebook page and it pretty much made my day; watch it and have your heart melt.
A-dorable.
I love this song. Its like caffeine for my brain.
The landlord just came over. Apparently he thought we were moving out today. Thank God I put it in writing that we weren't leaving until the 30th. Ugh. Its funny, this kind of constant uncertainity never used to bother me...in fact, it excited me because I never knew what was about to happen and I loved the adventure. Now that I am a little bit older and have "things of value" (Pasquale, Raleigh, Tesla), I don't find "not knowing" as a good thing. I want to know the date we get to move in. I want to know that our loan is totally processed. I want to know that I will not be homeless in 2 weeks. My days and years as a nomad are over for me. They were fun and I truly cherish the memories of living out of a bag and collecting adventures, but now I want my home.
I saw this on someone's facebook page and it pretty much made my day; watch it and have your heart melt.
A-dorable.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Hollywood.
The True Tear-jerker
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Man, Football
Our neighbor below us is screaming like someone cut his arm off. Must be football season. What IS it about this pigskin that reduces people to primal instincts of grunting, screaming and "OH YEAH-ing"?
That being said, I can't wait to move into our house. This apartment in the city has been lovely, but living in a little box attached to other little boxes in a big box next to other big boxes containing other small boxes means a LOT of people live together. And simply put, I am a country girl. Give me my 2 acres please, and I will be happy. Plus, I hate that I have to fight for parking. I mean it literally drives my blood pressure through the roof. Poor Pasquale is often forced to parallel park for me cause I throw a temper tantrum. Plus, I have ever-so-gently tapped two cars in my attempts to park, so I am quick to give up. Gah. I want my own driveway. Growing up in the 'View spoiled me. (that's right, props to the Fairview!)
Ten years ago was 9/11. I was in my high school psychology class, on the verge of having a panic attack. My father is a professional pilot and all that I could think of was that his plane would be next. (I had somehow forgotten that he was at home and not even scheduled to fly that day). It was a horrible act that goes against humanity. Our country was forever changed on that day and it is important to remember the loss and heroism of our fellow Americans.
This made me cry...
Our government was also forever changed, and in often silly ways. I will probably get athlete's foot at an airport soon by shuffling through "private-parts" screening barefoot. Or perhaps I may read the wrong piece of literature as my library lists are being watched. Oops, read Twilight again, you got me! In this process of buying our house, we had to sign a Patriot Act statement, claiming we aren't terrorists. Yes government, you're right, because signing a piece of paper makes it legal. We aren't terrorists. Even if Pasquale gets stopped at airports on a regular basis because of his complexion. I love America and I understand we live in scary times...finding the humor keeps me afloat. And don't worry, there is still football. (my neighbor just hollered again, so it reminded me).
I am on break from school for 3 weeks. Thank goodness, I don't think I could have written another paper based on a fake family. I was getting an eye twitch there at the end. Its been hard because the weather here has been AMAZING. When its beautiful in Seattle, its almost impossible to sit inside (cause you know the countdown to the not-so-sunny weather is ticking away)
Our house continues to teach us patience. We will be homeless for at least a week, possibly two. Our lease in the apartment is up at the end of the month and with the loan-confusion I mentioned in the last post, we won't be able to close until middle October. Time to be flexible. Time to move (twice, once out of the apartment and then later into the house). Time to see what this new chapter in life brings.
That being said, I can't wait to move into our house. This apartment in the city has been lovely, but living in a little box attached to other little boxes in a big box next to other big boxes containing other small boxes means a LOT of people live together. And simply put, I am a country girl. Give me my 2 acres please, and I will be happy. Plus, I hate that I have to fight for parking. I mean it literally drives my blood pressure through the roof. Poor Pasquale is often forced to parallel park for me cause I throw a temper tantrum. Plus, I have ever-so-gently tapped two cars in my attempts to park, so I am quick to give up. Gah. I want my own driveway. Growing up in the 'View spoiled me. (that's right, props to the Fairview!)
Ten years ago was 9/11. I was in my high school psychology class, on the verge of having a panic attack. My father is a professional pilot and all that I could think of was that his plane would be next. (I had somehow forgotten that he was at home and not even scheduled to fly that day). It was a horrible act that goes against humanity. Our country was forever changed on that day and it is important to remember the loss and heroism of our fellow Americans.
This made me cry...
Our government was also forever changed, and in often silly ways. I will probably get athlete's foot at an airport soon by shuffling through "private-parts" screening barefoot. Or perhaps I may read the wrong piece of literature as my library lists are being watched. Oops, read Twilight again, you got me! In this process of buying our house, we had to sign a Patriot Act statement, claiming we aren't terrorists. Yes government, you're right, because signing a piece of paper makes it legal. We aren't terrorists. Even if Pasquale gets stopped at airports on a regular basis because of his complexion. I love America and I understand we live in scary times...finding the humor keeps me afloat. And don't worry, there is still football. (my neighbor just hollered again, so it reminded me).
I am on break from school for 3 weeks. Thank goodness, I don't think I could have written another paper based on a fake family. I was getting an eye twitch there at the end. Its been hard because the weather here has been AMAZING. When its beautiful in Seattle, its almost impossible to sit inside (cause you know the countdown to the not-so-sunny weather is ticking away)
Our house continues to teach us patience. We will be homeless for at least a week, possibly two. Our lease in the apartment is up at the end of the month and with the loan-confusion I mentioned in the last post, we won't be able to close until middle October. Time to be flexible. Time to move (twice, once out of the apartment and then later into the house). Time to see what this new chapter in life brings.
Monday, September 5, 2011
A listing for our new home!!
And all its 1980's splendor! I can't wait to give it a facelift like Joan Rivers!
Plus a photo of the Mister Telsa!
And all its 1980's splendor! I can't wait to give it a facelift like Joan Rivers!
Plus a photo of the Mister Telsa!
Bllllah....
So, still in the process of buying this house. We survived the well inspection, the septic inspection, the house inspection, and signed all the paper work for our USDA loan. Check, check, check and check. The house had to be dewinterized since no one has lived in it for over a year, but everything worked! There are many items that need attention and fixing, but nothing popped up as a deal breaker. So excited, we were finally allowing ourselves to breathe and actually get excited about our dream home. We even went to Home Depot and spent a hour picking our paint colors for each of the rooms. Walked out with a dozen paint samples. Purple here, Mint green there, Robin's egg blue EVERYWHERE! Not really, but I wish, its such a lovely color! We got a second dog because we knew we would finally have enough room for two. (His name is Telsa and we adore him. Got him from an adoption rescue group in Eastern Washington where he was found in the middle of nowhere, abandoned. He looks like a fox with longer legs!) Raleigh has adjusted fairly well to having a larger little brother. It melts my heart to see my usually serious, sullen old dog smile and play like a puppy with Telsa.
Yup, our little family was coming together and preparing to make the move to the country. Then we get a call from our loan officer, saying the USDA loan wasn't going to go through after all because we actually ended up qualifying for a FHA loan. Sweet, okay. Let's do this. We lock the rate, waiting for it to reach as low as possible. Just two weeks to go to close on the house. Feel good. ONE LAST STEP. Pasquale goes in to the loan office to approve the loan appraiser to evaluate our house. The loan officer and he were "chitchatting" (or bullshiting as Pasquale calls it), just making small talk. The officer asks where the garage is, and Pasquale answers that there is no garage, its a double-wide with a stick-built addition. Unplug the cord, hang up the phone. Deal is done. Apparently Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac DON'T like homes that America' tornado-bait. The house is tricky because it doesn't look like a double-wide due to the addition. It looks like a "real" house. Our realtor should have told us that this was VITAL information and that getting a loan would be more difficult. We now have less than two weeks to secure a totally new loan (plus its Labor Day weekend, so no offices are open). I have one more week of school until the quarter is over and I have a little break before Fall quarter. I was planning on spending those 3 weeks off by "nesting" and painting and settling in and feeling like an accomplished adult with a real home...but now everything is totally up in the air until we can secure a new loan. Its disappointing to know that all this stress could have been prevented by one sentence of communication. "hey, mobile homes don't qualify for normal financing, so make sure your loan covers mobile homes"...see, how hard was that?
Anyway, we are staying positive and we are simply not entertaining the idea that this won't go through. We feel like buying this house has been like trying to win a war. Or that we are playing Risk. Sure, okay, we lost Asia, but still have the other continents, right? We may have lost this battle but we will win the war. This house will be ours. To be perfectly honest, I would have given up and allowed myself to be defeated if it wasn't for Pasquale's endless capacity for positive determination. Living with him inspires me to be stronger and more confident. He fights for what he wants and doesn't let things stop him. I know this because when we were dating long-distance, I didn't think we had a Snowcones-chance-in-the-Sahara of making it because lets face it, how many long distance loves last? He had complete faith and his loyalty to making "us" work totally erased my doubts. I could believe in love again because he carried me through the insecurity. We want this home and can totally picture ourselves there for the long-term, so if we have to keep jumping through hoops, bring it on.
On lighter notes, I am SO excited that Snow Patrol is coming out with a new album. Their music is dessert for my ears. I still love Dave Matthews, but Snow Patrol is far and away my favorite tune-producing machine. For Labor Day we went with friends on a sail boat to Blake Island State park. The dogs got their sea legs and are salty dogs now. We sailed for 4 hours out to the island, set up camp with 7 of our friends on a beach with Mount Rainer dead ahead. Beautiful! We could also see the Space Needle and the Seattle skyline as our nightlight out on the island. We hiked around the island and saw cute little Bambis and multiple raccoons. Nothing like a campfire with friends and new place to discover. And some Sweet tea Vodka.
Yup, our little family was coming together and preparing to make the move to the country. Then we get a call from our loan officer, saying the USDA loan wasn't going to go through after all because we actually ended up qualifying for a FHA loan. Sweet, okay. Let's do this. We lock the rate, waiting for it to reach as low as possible. Just two weeks to go to close on the house. Feel good. ONE LAST STEP. Pasquale goes in to the loan office to approve the loan appraiser to evaluate our house. The loan officer and he were "chitchatting" (or bullshiting as Pasquale calls it), just making small talk. The officer asks where the garage is, and Pasquale answers that there is no garage, its a double-wide with a stick-built addition. Unplug the cord, hang up the phone. Deal is done. Apparently Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac DON'T like homes that America' tornado-bait. The house is tricky because it doesn't look like a double-wide due to the addition. It looks like a "real" house. Our realtor should have told us that this was VITAL information and that getting a loan would be more difficult. We now have less than two weeks to secure a totally new loan (plus its Labor Day weekend, so no offices are open). I have one more week of school until the quarter is over and I have a little break before Fall quarter. I was planning on spending those 3 weeks off by "nesting" and painting and settling in and feeling like an accomplished adult with a real home...but now everything is totally up in the air until we can secure a new loan. Its disappointing to know that all this stress could have been prevented by one sentence of communication. "hey, mobile homes don't qualify for normal financing, so make sure your loan covers mobile homes"...see, how hard was that?
Anyway, we are staying positive and we are simply not entertaining the idea that this won't go through. We feel like buying this house has been like trying to win a war. Or that we are playing Risk. Sure, okay, we lost Asia, but still have the other continents, right? We may have lost this battle but we will win the war. This house will be ours. To be perfectly honest, I would have given up and allowed myself to be defeated if it wasn't for Pasquale's endless capacity for positive determination. Living with him inspires me to be stronger and more confident. He fights for what he wants and doesn't let things stop him. I know this because when we were dating long-distance, I didn't think we had a Snowcones-chance-in-the-Sahara of making it because lets face it, how many long distance loves last? He had complete faith and his loyalty to making "us" work totally erased my doubts. I could believe in love again because he carried me through the insecurity. We want this home and can totally picture ourselves there for the long-term, so if we have to keep jumping through hoops, bring it on.
On lighter notes, I am SO excited that Snow Patrol is coming out with a new album. Their music is dessert for my ears. I still love Dave Matthews, but Snow Patrol is far and away my favorite tune-producing machine. For Labor Day we went with friends on a sail boat to Blake Island State park. The dogs got their sea legs and are salty dogs now. We sailed for 4 hours out to the island, set up camp with 7 of our friends on a beach with Mount Rainer dead ahead. Beautiful! We could also see the Space Needle and the Seattle skyline as our nightlight out on the island. We hiked around the island and saw cute little Bambis and multiple raccoons. Nothing like a campfire with friends and new place to discover. And some Sweet tea Vodka.
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