Doggydom

I realize I haven't updated in a while. Life has been a bit hectic. I am all moved in to my house, have most things put away, have started on the yard, have been working on decorating...oh, and throw in work as well.

I am still loving my house. It's wonderful. Just the right size. AWESOME yard. AMAZING neighbors! So quiet not living in apartments! What's not to love?!

Today, I made another big change in my life. I've turned in applications, and, as of next Saturday...duh,duh,duh...I am becoming a dog owner. Not just one dog is moving in, but two adorable Lab mix puppies are coming to join our 'family'. I did a lot of thinking about what kinds of dog, what age, etc. I had definitely decided on a young pup (all the better to adapt to living with me and two cats). The more I thought about it, the more I realized one pup might be pretty lonely on those nights I work and the subsequent days when I am sleeping. After consulting various sources and ascertaining the legality of pet ownership in my area, I decided that two pups from the same litter would be a great idea. So, presenting:

Dude and Mac (soon to have new names)! (Oh, and there is a slight possibility one of them may be switched out with another littermate) I'm quite excited!

Happy Thoughts

Only 6 days until closing and 9 days until I start moving in!! Oh, and the loan is approved! This means it is official...I am going to be a homeowner.
As I am very excited, I feel the need to share all the things about becoming a homeowner that I am most looking forward to.
My 'Happy Thoughts' list:
1. A yard. A real yard... that is MINE. I can landscape, garden, mow, weed, play and generally have a WONDERFUL time!!!
2. I can decorate. If I want to paint my walls purple, green, orange, blue or tie-dye, I CAN. I can arrange, rearrange, construct, build walls, tear down walls, or any combination of the above.
3. I can finally get a dog. I love my kitties, but miss having a dog around. I haven't felt right about confining another dog to an apartment and now I will have the house and fenced in yard to accommodate a pup.
4. No walls, or ceilings, or floors shared with neighbors. When I'm awake at 0200 and in the mood to dance, sing, exercise, or even clean, I can do it without worry of disturbing neighbors.
5. A spare bedroom AND an office/sunroom/craftroom. I can craft/sew/scrapbook to my heart's content and not have to put things away to accommodate guest(s). I can build in shelves and organize my craft/sewing/scrapbooking supplies.
6. Along with the previous accommodating my craftiness, maybe I can look more into the whole foster parenting thing and reasonably have room for another person continuously in my life/home.
7. Storage! Finally! (Not to mention that the one storeroom in the basement is the perfect storm room...and I live in Tornado Alley)
8. Finally, I feel like I'm finally coming home. Really, truly home. I won't have to worry about what I'm going to do when the lease is up, where I'm going to live next year, whether I should bother settling in and getting to know people in my area...only to risk moving again soon. No, I'm going to be home, and, as far as I'm concerned, as of right now, it's for good.

Sleepless in KC

I knew there was some reason I dragged my feet starting the search to buy a house. Deep down, I must have known the paperwork alone would create one huge tidal wave of stress attempting to drag me down to the depths. Every time one paper is turned in to prep the mortgage brokers to turn in the application for underwriting, that paper seems to create another wave of "We need Form A to document and explain Form B"... and "Please write a letter of explanation and documentation for Forms A-H, just in case". The day that I got the email stating that only one more document was required, I was so relieved. This lasted two hours. Then I received another email stating that the form I had turned in required more documentation, in the form of 3 OTHER forms! Will it ever end?!

I am excited to become a homeowner, truly. I'm afraid that the stress of getting to that point, however, is wreaking havoc on my ability to sleep soundly. I'm a walking zombie half of the time lately because I'm having trouble getting more than 4 hours of actual good sleep. The day I receive notice that financing is set and closing is on track and schedule, I may just sleep for 24 hours!

Livin' it up

After several hectic weeks, lots of getting to know my area, and paperwork...paperwork...paperwork... I am closing in on being a homeowner!! With much assistance from my real estate agent, I have a closing date and move in date on a beautiful 2 bedroom ranch home in 4 1/2 weeks!!! YAY! I can't wait!
http://www.nancykoons.com/remaxmidstates/modules/internet/search/includes/mapsearch/listingpopup.asp?mlsid=311&mlsnumber=1649018&l=y

Home sweet home?

This weekend, I entered the wondrous, strange, scary and intensely exciting world of home buying. I've never done this before, and as such, had no idea where to begin.
After receiving names and numbers of a couple of real estate agents from people I work with or know from church, I made a couple of calls/emails. Sure enough, I got a pretty quick response.
On Friday, Mom drove down to spend the weekend with me. We met with an agent on Saturday and sat down to discuss the nitty gritty of home buying. The agent even scrambled to have a few homes ready for me to get started on viewing.
Tomorrow, I meet with a mortgage broker to discuss getting preapproved and general financing info.
Oh boy, wish me luck!!

Updates

I've never been so glad to have the holidays over. I know, that may sound sad, but they honestly were not the best of times for me this year.
It was great visiting family and friends in Utah. I did enjoy that. Christmas, well, that is a long story, best forgotten...but if you really want to hear it...call me (noone does that lately and I'd love to hear from people). I did enjoy spending New Years with family, and it would've been perfect if there had been more sleep, less traveling, just a touch more warmth and a couple more people.
Life is getting back into a more normal swing of things. Or a slightly altered version of normal. Kate has come to KC to stay with me...possibly until April, when she heads back to school. She gets my spare bedroom and bathroom. We have had fun playing with food, coming up with all sorts of yummy recipes and learning to improve our cooking skills. We've also found that we both suck at the Wii, but in a fun way.

Ok, so that's life. Oh, and here are a couple fun pics of Newell from New Years. What a cute, smart little guy! Margo and Tom are doing a great job at this parenting thing!

O Tannenbaum

Coverage

When moving my car insurance to Kansas a couple of months ago, I considered reducing my coverage. I didn't think I really needed so much and figured upping my deductible might not be such a bad idea. But, I didn't do it.

Now, I'm glad I didn't. After being attacked by a rogue deer on Black Friday morning, my poor car isn't so pretty.

All for the low price of $250, I will get a new side panel, side view mirror, the other dents, dings and scrapes taken care of, and a rental car for the day Monday. Yay for insurance!

Hm

Bit of a dilemma. I have two very active cats who love to play with anything small and breakable. Noone really ever visits me here. I have my nativity sets and a few Christmas figurines out. How much decorating should I even do this year? Should I bother with my tree or will it be in more danger than it is worth? Is putting lights up worth the hassel? Will it bring more of the holiday spirit into my home? In the meanwhile, my tree and ornament boxes will sit in the center of my living room floor.

Addendum:
Ok, the tree is up and I've only had to chase Figaro off it about 5 times (he thinks it's a great chew toy...of all things!) A few lights are up and I'm all Christmas cozy just in time for it to get really cold out.

Entertainment

Today, I have to express my gratitude for the humor and drama that make sick days much more pleasant.