SETTLING IN....

THIS IS A HIGHLY OUTDATED POST (BY MY STANDARDS-MAYBE I'M STILL RECOVERING FROM THE MOVE? OR I'M JUST LAZY :))...BUT HERE ARE SOME PICS OF US SETTLING IN! THE DOWNSTAIRS IS MOSTLY DONE...ALTHOUGH I THINK I NEED TO PAINT SOMEWHERE (ESP THE 1/2 BATH!!). UPSTAIRS HAS TONS OF WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE, BUT WE ARE ON BROKE STATUS NOW SO IT WILL HAVE TO WAIT (OR COME SLOWLY) :)

SNOW DAY!!!

Holy cow...has Vegas had an incredibly wet and wild winter!? We had 4 inches of snow in ONE day...set the record I guess. It was soooo beautiful! Kind of made me wish I wasn't in Las Vegas hehe...here are some gorgeous pics of our new house in the snow...

Gardening Day!!

Johnny parents showed up at the house on Sunday with pounds and pounds of Steer Manure, trees, flowers and the eagerness to help my pathetic 'black thumb'. It was so fun, so therapeutic!! We (they) planted some trees to create privacy (see how you can see into the neighbors yard..) and we are trying to salvage the grass. I was amazed at how much they know about gardening, I am so eager to learn. Made me feel like a true homeowner!! Now I just can't wait to get a covered patio for some summer BBQ's!!

Here's an obsession for ya...

So my latest obsession (or ongoing shall I say?) is social networking sites. (AH) I just joined Twitter...and know like 4 people on it, but have checked it obsessively all day. Then there's Myspace and Facebook of course! I dont know what it is lately...maybe because I have been sick for the past 2 weeks and haven't seen anyone but Johnny and coworkers, or just that I'm bored at work. But either way, I'm obsessed and want to get a new phone so I can be 'connected' even more. GAG

PS I've been meaning to update this for a while, but haven't been much in the mood, or known what to write about. I gardened this past weekend...will post pictures soon!

JOHNNY & MORGAN'S NEW HOUSE!!

Aww.. finally something to write about. Quite a lot has changed, and that's a good thing!! So, for a hot second Johnny and I bought a brand new home?!?! KB Home lowered their prices, so we went (on Halloween), picked a lot, signed contracts and thought we were on our way to being owners of a brand new, semi-custom built home (5 months later of course - build out time). A few days later, the stress and money built up. It starts out at a great deal and then you have to upgrade, then pay association fees, master plan fees, SIDS and LIDS, buy appliances, lot premiums,and damn, we weren't ready for that (and honestly it wasn't worth it)!! So we cancelled....

The day after we cancelled we heard on the Salt Marsh Court house (the one we have been waiting on for 5 months now). Soo, there was finally some action and by, let's say, this past Monday, they finally, fully accepted our offers, terms were set and all that jazz. On Friday night, Sam (our realtor,good friend) took us to see the Salt Marsh house. O.M.G it is sooo much better than I remembered!! People were living there when we first saw it, but now, empty, it's great!! The whole house is painted a warm beige (perfect blank canvas), the downstairs is fully tiled and in GREAT shape, I thought the counters were gray but they aren't!! Basically everything is perfect it just needs a good cleaning and a few minor updates (a couple ceiling fans and blinds). The backyard was like a jungle, but once we get that cleaned up it will be a nice little oasis!! We are sooo incredibly happy with our decision of cancelling on the new house. It was too far out of town (Mountain's Edge), too expensive, and honestly I would have been bored with everything being brand new. The Salt Marsh house is ready for me to finally get rid of the jumble of project ideas in my head!!

Of course, now I'm completely stumped as to what to paint, garden, etc...I'm sure it will all come to me once I get in there! Soo, our projected move in date is December 10th (is that 6 months from date of offer?!?! eesh). That is right before Christmas!?!?! How perfect!! Tree will be one of the first things to go up! We are so ready to be 'on our own' again! I think it will be like a huge weight taken off...FREEDOM!!!! So, busy and exciting days are soon to come! Woooo hooooo

WAITING....

Waiting, the waiting is KILLING ME!!! It has been about 3 months since we have signed papers and also 3 months that we have lived with Johnny's parents. I know, I know, it's a great opportunity to save money and blah blah blah...but really I don't do well NOT in my own space. If we don't get into the house by the holiday's I might have a major breakdown haha...ok enough of the dramatics.

The previous lienholders have accepted our offer...that part is done. Our actual home loan has gone through and is good for 3 months. So now we are just waiting on the closing costs. I guess some negotiator is working on "all" the short sales in town because it is taking forever! Either way, we are going to hear "any day" now (which we have been told for over 3 weeks now). Then, once we hear, it's still another 3-4 weeks for escrow. Killer process eh?

I'm at the point where I'm like, jeez let's just get a piece of crap house, get a home improvement loan and just flip it! (Actually this would be a huge dream) But, I think pretty much all the houses on the market are either foreclosed or short sale, which would be the same torture all over again. So patience is the key, right?! I guess one thing I am thankful for is that Johnny and I have remained very close, or have become even closer. That, and I have bonded a lot with his mom, we actually have a lot of fun together. So I know good will come out of this, but still, I'm ready! Oh and I have refused to cut my hair due to the cost and it's now down to my shoulders, but the time we get the house it will be longer than I have had it in at least 4 years!!! Oh, and I really miss the gym...both Johnny and I have stopped going and it's definitely showing on me, that and all the bad food. Not helping the situation any more.