oh where, oh where could our little house be?

I've come to the conclusion that FHA loans and foreclosures do not mix. Enough said.

always, always, always read the fine print

(and new owners manuals but thats a whole different can of worms)

So right after I posted my last post, I went over to my in-laws to hang for the evening. And we got a suprise! the bank had called. (DUN DUN DUN!!!). Pause for dramatic affect... and we didn't get it. Haha, with all the drama that comes with buying your first home, its no wonder that there are multiple TV shows about it. But according to our mortage broker Jeff, the only logical reason we were denied was because there must have been something bad about the house that made it not qualify for our FHA loan, like plumbing, electrical, flooring, roofing. All that stuff and others I don't remember have to be functioning properly and stuff.



But don't feel sad for us, because we've already made another offer on another house thats even better (this one has a 2 car garage and a fireplace&woodstove and livable flooring-meaning we could live with it). It just came on the market 2 days ago, is FHA approved, and it would be just perfect for us. So we're hoping that this is what and where the Lord wants us to be and we can be done home hunting.



But, I just have to smile and keep trying because sometimes life gives you no choice but to live by faith. And the sooner I came to realize that house hunting is just one of those times, the sooner the stress and worry of whether our offer would be accepted or not was lifted away. It reminds me of the 'Flying Solo' CD by John Bytheway where we give up the airplane controls to the Copilot (by listening to the Spirit), and let Heavenly Father direct our lives, instead of trying to do it all ourself.

From Best to Worst

House Hunting! Oh such fun and joy and sadly sorrow.

Janelle Solomon is officially a realitor! and not just any realitor, she's our realitor (so there). And after months of looking at houses online and visiting a few to take a peek in their windows, Rial and I have now went all the way and actually gone inside and toured some of the best mesa had to offer (that was in our under $85,000 price range).

The biggest heart break for me was seeing the most adorable little house on 6th ave and then having to force myself to put my dearest husband and darling children-to-be first and not buy it.

and yes, the entire house was just adorable and had every bell and whistle I could ever want in a house. But the downsides were just to big to be overlooked. Things like the attic someone decided to convert into two bedrooms and a bath had poor ventilation and very creaky floors when you walked. Which means Rial wouldn't be able to have a room to record his music unless he wanted to make music with scary creaky noises in it. And any future children would be sadly hot at night in the summer and cold in the winter :(. And there were a few other small things wrong that kinda come with a house built in the 30's, that weren't important to me.

But we did find a house on emerald to put our offer on and here's the pics:

And yes the house is pink with pink counter in the kitchen, the carpet is that dirty and worse in the livingroom and three bedrooms, there are mouse droppings in the clossets, nasty linolium in the kitchen, no fireplace, and has none of the charm the other one has. but, and its a big but, the layout is wonderful, tearing out the carpet and replacing it (the linolium with woodflooring) will be easy and guilt-free, I can change the cabinets to have glass in them, add beautiful moulding everywhere, and it has a nice backyard and a garage.

So with our tax refund in hand (assuming our offer is accepted, we find out in a week) and some elbow grease, lots of patience, and living a humble life to save money to finance said projects, this house will make a fine home. And Rial and I have decided that if our offer isn't accepted, it just means the Lord has bigger and better plans for us. And so with faith as our ally, we will press forward and continue to put the Lord and our family first in all things.

I've got a new one to add to my Cheap Thrills/Cool Date Ideas list

Having fun without spending money is GREAT stuff.

Like reading a library book,
riding a scooter,
writing a book or making a video,
playing loaded questions, catchphrase, scum and the like,
watching comedians brian reagan and demetri martin on youtube,
playing racquetball,
eating the icecream from your parent's freezer,
camping and hiking,
and scavenger hunts (the sowards are amazing at making these).

And now I have discovered a new one! Its called LETTERBOXING and its kinda like a scavenger hunt and a little like a hike, but not one. See, all over the place are these hidden boxes that have a stamp and ink inside. And using a set of clues, you find the box and then you get to stamp your letterboxing booklet to prove that you found it. You get to be outside and solve a "treasure hunt"!

Go to http://www.letterboxing.org/ or google it to learn more about it and to find some to do. The website above even tells you how you can make your own.

They have these "treasure" hunts through out the states, a lot here even in the valley cities. You can also do great sites through out the state and learn a little about the place while at it.

We had to wait a month, but it was worth it. Here's a taste of the great memories we made on our honeymoon in Florida touring Walt Disney World and Universal Studio's Island of Adventure.

We took a whole heck of a lot of pictures, but for simplicity, I'm just going to post these 2 and if you want to see the rest of them you'll have to come by sometime.

Sweet Taste of Freedom

Re-told by the civic's gas cap.

The familiar 'pop' aroused the sleeping gas cap. Finally! After 2 weeks of standing guard over the gasoline in complete darkness he was being allowed a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of glorious daylight. His captor hummed as she uscrewed him from his post and set him on the roof of the car before going to clean the front window. The gas cap didn't waste any time taking in his surroundings; when he would next be allowed to leave his post was uncertain at best.

But as always, all good times come to an end. The hum of the fuel pump halted abruptly with a loud 'click'. The girl looked over at the pump and hastily finished cleaning the front window. With a sigh almost audible, the gas cap wondered why no one ever cared to clean him. Just because he was black didn't mean he never got dirty.

But then, miracles of miracles happened! Without a second look at him, the girl replaced the pump and climbed into the car, pulling the door closed.

Leaving the gas cap on the roof.

'What?' the gas cap thought as the engine roared to life, 'I'm free?' The car slowly moved forward onto the street. Wind rushed by, sending chills down the excited gas cap. Now all he needed was to get off the roof and his fate would be sealed with sweet freedom as his destiny.

He leaned towards the edge as the car rounded the first corner, but he didn't budge. Then came the second corner. 'come on...' he pleaded as he reached away from the car. Not even a wobble.

Soon, after picking up so much speed, the car suddenly braked and turned right. And the gas cap went flying! 'Oh yeah! Third time's the charm!' he grinned as he landed two lanes away, between the left turn and the northbound lane. After years and years of service and ingratitude, the gas cap was free from his dark, cramped post. Free to enjoy the outdoor air. Free to watch the setting sun. Free to count the cars that zipped past him. Needless to say the gas cap was feeling quite pleased with himself. The girl, on the other hand, not so much.

Upon discovering her thoughtlessness. The girl raced back to re-trace her steps. Coming up on the left turn lane, the gas cap's eye widdened and he held his breath in fear, as the girl in the car he knew so well came within inches of discovering his whereabouts. Relief washed over him as she turned and drove away, back to the gas station.

But she would come back this way, he was sure. Blending into the black asphalt, the gas cap made every effort to hide behind and next to the cars that came into the left turn lane.

And then he saw her, turning right just as she had done not too long before, while throwing him off the roof of the car. 'Hurry, move forward, hide me!' he hissed up at the white car beside him.

Then the girl pulled her car into the parking lot on that corner. 'Oh no, no, oh no...' he muttered, closing his eyes and commiting every atom of his being to become one with the asphalt.

'Thud, thud, thud...' came the footsteps.

'I found you!' the girl plucked the gas cap from the ground and raised him into the air triumphantly at the other girl sitting in the white car. The girl in the white car gave the girl with the gas cap a strange look and watched, as the gas cap's captor dashed back over two lanes to her car, where she screwed the gas cap back into his post and snapped the gas tank's door closed.

Left in the darkness once more, the gas cap sat with nothing but his thoughts and a tankful of gas for company.


Don't feel sorry for the gas cap. Despite his pessimistic attitude, he really does love his job (because he gets to sleep all day long). And I am convinced that he would have ended up smashed or very grumpy from lack of sleep had he stayed in the road near the left turn lane.

But anyways, this is the story of what happened to me (the girl) yesterday after work. The sun was starting to set when I figured out that I had forgot to put the gas cap back on the gas tank. But it just goes to show you that Heavenly Father truly does love his children and answers their prayers. Even with something as insignificant as a lost gas cap.

Married at Last!

February 16, 2008

Blinded by the sunlight, and thus passed the best decision we ever made

which joy has only increased with every passing day