Just in case you need something to make you smile today...
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Buying a house and breaking my foot
We started looking for a house in April, but none of the houses we looked at worked for us. Even if we liked it, we just were not fast enough in the current market. It seemed like every house we looked at already had an offer in. Our realtor (Adam's aunt) called us one day and wanted us to look at a house immediately. We would be the first potential buyers to see it, because it was for sale by owner and not being advertised on the real estate websites. We liked it, but couldn't afford the asking price. We offered $10K less, and he counter-offered. We still felt it was too high and decided to back down. Adam kept thinking about it though, and wanted to submit another offer a week later. That offer ($144K) got accepted!
We wanted to close in 30 days, but our credit union was up front that they were backed up in the loan department. We ended up closing in six weeks... but not before I broke a bone in my foot. Our loan officer was nice, but overbearing. She waited until a week before the finance deadline before going through our paperwork and needed SO much documentation for different things, one of which being an account statement for the account our down payment money was in. We sent it in two different times before mid-June. On June 17th, the day of our financing deadline and one week before closing, she needed it for a third time. I'm still not sure if she misplaced paperwork, or possibly just needed to make sure we hadn't spent the money in the week since we had submitted it last. I printed an up-to-date statement and sent it with Adam. Somewhere between him and the bank's scanner, something went wrong. Some pages were scanned twice, some not at all. I was so frustrated. The loan officer said it could wait until tomorrow, but I just wanted it done. I got Brayden ready to go and we headed outside. We had to walk to Adam's work (5-10 minute walk) to get the paperwork and the car. I fell while walking there. After taking a long break, I kept walking (mistake) and eventually got the paperwork in. I figured I would just be sore for a few days. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't put any weight on it. I called in to my work and headed to an urgent care clinic. After x-rays and a CT scan, they decided I had a lisfranc fracture. I was given crutches and a referral to an orthopedic doctor. They fit me in the next day and let me know I would be in a hard cast for a month to six weeks and a walking boot for a few weeks afterwards.
The timing couldn't have been worse. We had only packed about 5% of our stuff and we were supposed to move the next week. Work was picking up because of summer reading and another shelver being on vacation, and they were all of the sudden short a shelver for four-six weeks. I knew it would ruin the summer for Brayden. I felt like I was letting everyone down, but we made it through.
We closed as planned on the 24th. I did what I could packing-wise (not much) and I cancelled/set up utilities. We moved a lot of our stuff on the 27th. It took Adam another few weeks to get everything over though. We had a break in moving for Brayden's 4th birthday on July 2nd. Adam thought he finally had the condo ready to list on the 11th, so we had our realtor (and Adam's aunt) come by. She gave him a long list of things to do, so from the 11th until the 18th he was basically at work, working on the condo, or asleep. It was a very hard week for all three of us. We listed it on the 18th, though, and got multiple offers over the weekend. We signed an offer today. It's less than what we paid for it four years ago, but sometimes that happens.
As for my foot, I get to start bearing weight on it soon and plan to go back to work (in a walking boot) next week. Honestly, I can't wait to go back. Now that Brayden is older, I am a better mom when I work. It was so hard for us to be stuck inside most days for the last five weeks. It was also hard on me to have no control over what was happening over at the condo. Adam may have been working slow sometimes, but it was still a lot faster than I was getting anything done. Asking for help is another thing that does not come natural for me, yet was something I had to do. Breaking my foot was definitely a learning experience, a very trying one. I'm so glad our families kicked in and helped as much as they did. My parents drove me to my doctor's appointments and took me out to eat after. My brother let me borrow his wheelchair. Adam's family helped him with the condo. My sweet coworker brought a wonderful dinner and her daughter (our babysitter) took Brayden swimming to give me a break as part of a YW service project. Another friend brought Iceberg shakes and sat with me to visit while our boys played.
We wanted to close in 30 days, but our credit union was up front that they were backed up in the loan department. We ended up closing in six weeks... but not before I broke a bone in my foot. Our loan officer was nice, but overbearing. She waited until a week before the finance deadline before going through our paperwork and needed SO much documentation for different things, one of which being an account statement for the account our down payment money was in. We sent it in two different times before mid-June. On June 17th, the day of our financing deadline and one week before closing, she needed it for a third time. I'm still not sure if she misplaced paperwork, or possibly just needed to make sure we hadn't spent the money in the week since we had submitted it last. I printed an up-to-date statement and sent it with Adam. Somewhere between him and the bank's scanner, something went wrong. Some pages were scanned twice, some not at all. I was so frustrated. The loan officer said it could wait until tomorrow, but I just wanted it done. I got Brayden ready to go and we headed outside. We had to walk to Adam's work (5-10 minute walk) to get the paperwork and the car. I fell while walking there. After taking a long break, I kept walking (mistake) and eventually got the paperwork in. I figured I would just be sore for a few days. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't put any weight on it. I called in to my work and headed to an urgent care clinic. After x-rays and a CT scan, they decided I had a lisfranc fracture. I was given crutches and a referral to an orthopedic doctor. They fit me in the next day and let me know I would be in a hard cast for a month to six weeks and a walking boot for a few weeks afterwards.
The timing couldn't have been worse. We had only packed about 5% of our stuff and we were supposed to move the next week. Work was picking up because of summer reading and another shelver being on vacation, and they were all of the sudden short a shelver for four-six weeks. I knew it would ruin the summer for Brayden. I felt like I was letting everyone down, but we made it through.
We closed as planned on the 24th. I did what I could packing-wise (not much) and I cancelled/set up utilities. We moved a lot of our stuff on the 27th. It took Adam another few weeks to get everything over though. We had a break in moving for Brayden's 4th birthday on July 2nd. Adam thought he finally had the condo ready to list on the 11th, so we had our realtor (and Adam's aunt) come by. She gave him a long list of things to do, so from the 11th until the 18th he was basically at work, working on the condo, or asleep. It was a very hard week for all three of us. We listed it on the 18th, though, and got multiple offers over the weekend. We signed an offer today. It's less than what we paid for it four years ago, but sometimes that happens.
As for my foot, I get to start bearing weight on it soon and plan to go back to work (in a walking boot) next week. Honestly, I can't wait to go back. Now that Brayden is older, I am a better mom when I work. It was so hard for us to be stuck inside most days for the last five weeks. It was also hard on me to have no control over what was happening over at the condo. Adam may have been working slow sometimes, but it was still a lot faster than I was getting anything done. Asking for help is another thing that does not come natural for me, yet was something I had to do. Breaking my foot was definitely a learning experience, a very trying one. I'm so glad our families kicked in and helped as much as they did. My parents drove me to my doctor's appointments and took me out to eat after. My brother let me borrow his wheelchair. Adam's family helped him with the condo. My sweet coworker brought a wonderful dinner and her daughter (our babysitter) took Brayden swimming to give me a break as part of a YW service project. Another friend brought Iceberg shakes and sat with me to visit while our boys played.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Moab
I don't know how many readers I have anymore, seeing as I last wrote here in February, but a few people have asked me to keep going. I don't really know where to start, but I guess I'll write a few update posts and then try to get back to book reviews, typical mommy posts, and my political rantings. For right now, I only have access to a tablet, so my posts might lack pictures for awhile.
We went on a trip to Moab in March. It was the first time I have ever been there and I loved it. I do t know why I'm always surprised when I find new places/sites in Utah that I love, but I am. We spent our first night at Goblin Valley State Park. We stayed in a yurt, which was really fun. Brayden loved exploring the "goblins." My favorite part was laying in the sand in a small canyon behind the yurt with Adam and Brayden looking at the stars. It was also nice to be so disconnected. I think the only other place I haven't had cell service for an extended period of time (more than 12 hours) in the last few years is at Adam's family ranch.
The next day, we made it to Moab. Over the next three days, we hit Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, and Canyonlands National Park. I loved all of them. I love the park system and (political rant coming) I'm disappointed in Governor Herbert's attempts to take away what is now federal land. I just don't trust his administration to not try to make money off the land. Anyways, back to our trip. We did a lot of hiking (for us, anyways). More hiking then I have ever done in a three day period other than Pioneer Trek. I was so sore by the end of the trip, but I was glad I did it. I know it's cliche, but I think the Delicate Arch hike was my favorite. It was a little nerve-wracking to hike that trail with a three year old, but worth it.
I also enjoyed the town of Moab. We hit up many eateries (my favorite being the Moab Brewery), a thrift store, the local library, and bookshop. On our last evening there, we took the scenic drive to Castle Valley. I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but one of my favorite non-fiction authors (Terry Tempest Williams) lives there and writes about southern Utah so beautifully that I wanted to see the town. One of the books I read on the trip was her book Red.
I really fell in love with Moab and hope I get to go again someday. I went to the children's museum in Ogden with a friend six weeks ago. In one room, they have a map of Utah on the ground. It really hit me how little of Utah I've seen and how much I want to see. I hope we will eventually be able to travel more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)