this makes me sick to my stomach

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/25/fire.arson/index.html

Safe and Sound

Thank you for all the inquires if Eli and I are okay or if we are affected by the awful SoCal fires. Luckily for us, we moved to northern california---we are in San Francisco now. So we are doing just great--busy but doing great. I have checked on a few of my friends that I have in SoCal and the it's just unreal what has happened. Luckily those friends are safe and sound in their homes but many are not. Please keep all those families who lost everything in your prayers. There are many great stories coming out of San Diego about people helping each other. Those who were affected and those who weren't coming out in the dozens to help each other.

I promise after next weekend, I will be back to my regularly scheduled blogging.
I will catch up with each and every one of you! I promise!!!

What a difference a year makes

Hard to believe that this time last year all 140 of our closets family and friends were gathered in Des Moines, Ia for our wedding. A year ago on 10/22 I married my best friend. All week long, I've thought about what I was doing this time last year and this morning I woke up to remembering my day with my girls and getting ready for the rehersal and rehersal dinner. Tomorrow when I wake up..will be our wedding day a year ago.
We've been through a lot this past year. Immediately when we returned from our honeymoon, we packed up Eli and sent him off to Orange county. I followed a month later. New jobs and a new city. We learned alot about each other in the 9 months we were living alone. So far away from family and friends. We discovered the importance of communication. Communication is the key to making a marriage strong and healthy. While my best friend and I have come together to pledged our lives and to love and respect one another--we are still two individuals with different dreams and goals. Communication will forever bond our dreams and goals on the same path.
Communication lead us to both discover we were not happy in Orange County. So we followed our hearts to Northern California. Another new job for the both of us and another new city. I know deep in my heart we made the right decision to come back here. As I look at Eli, I can tell he is so happy and content to be here. The fact that he is so happy, makes me so happy. All the things that were missing in southern california are here. We've bought our first house and are begining to plant our roots. This is something that I have wanted for a very long time.
Tonight we are heading to the Westin SF--we are using the last of Eli's points for a very romantic and quiet evening. Because are still living at the MIL's house, all we really want tonight is just to have our time with out any interruptions. I doubt we will even go out to dinner--probably just order room service. We have my favorite champagne waiting to be popped. I love Eli and I can't wait to celebrate our first wedding anniversary!

falling in love with a house....

Today we had our house inspection. It took about 3 hours for the inspection to be completed. If you've gone through a house inspection, you already know what I have been through today. If you haven't let me try to sum it up for you.

Think about when you first meet someone and you've decided that you really, really like this person. You find yourself falling in love with this person as you spend more and more time together. You think about the future with this person. You feel all giddy inside like this person is the one. You then as time goes on, find out all the good, the bad and the ugly about this person. Then you have to make a decision whether or not you can handle the bad and the ugly for the rest of your life. This same exact scenario is what happens when you get the house you fell in love with inspected. You learn all the good, the bad and the UGLY about the house. Especially if the house is an older house. It certainly changes the way you look at the house.

I learned so much about our house. One thing that absoultely shocked me that there were no (at first sighting) electrical outlets in the kitchen. I about fell over and died--twice. This girl needs her appliances--her coffee pot for one! Then as we looked a little deeper or rather in the cabinets--we noticed the one electrical outlet to be used for kitchen needs. The refrigerator is near one. So we now getting a quote to add some electrical outlets to the kitchen.

We also learned that the house needs to be retro fitted for earthquake preparation. When the inspector told me that the house could slide off its foundation, my brain came up with this cartoon of a house sliding down the hill and onto the street. We will be getting this done ASAP. Welcome to earthquake country!

Everything else seemed to be fine. The foundation is good. The insulation is good. Drainage is good. We are moving forward with this purchase. :)

Next up is the appraisel!

We did it

I just signed our counter offer acceptance! My salary is going to our mortgage and I am so freaking excited and completely overwhelmed. I have already downed two glasses of wine and making my way to the 3rd. I just found out that we will sign the papers on 10/22. Our first anniversary date. We take ownership of the house on 10/30.
Inspection is on Saturday. We are fairly confident all will go well.

How cool is this?

I so want to do this... anyone want to join me??

San Francisco Ghost Tours

emotional highs and lows of buying a house

after pouring over the disclosure notices, we have decided to hold off on this one particular house. It sucks. It was such a cute little place. However, it being the same age as my grandmother and like my grandmother, the house is not so stable..this is not the type of project we need to take on as first time home buyers. So we are back to square 2. After talking with my MIL who is also our realtor, I shared with her my sadness of letting this house go. She understood but offered such great insight that made me appreciate her more and more. She said to me that her desire is to put us in a home where she can look my parents in the eye and with out a doubt say that we have a home that she feels and knows that we are safe and secure in. This particular home she could not. I respect that view point. Especially as we are embarking on Eli's career change. Which means, I will be without him more then I am with him as he begins his new career as a commerical pilot.
On Thursday, during her broker tour, she came across this cute thing of a house. She was so excited to tell me about it. When I got home Thursday eveing, she showed me the listing. I instantly fell in love. We called eli who was in Vegas to tell him about it. He was so excited to hear my excitement that he gave me full permission to write an offer if I was still in love with it after I go and see it on Saturday. Now because it is a new listing it is safe to say that we can wait for Eli to get home on Monday to view the house himself before we make any plans on offers. ahhh, the saga continues.....

Let's try some pictures..shall we

my new "do"



little rae rae making eyes at her uncle eli



Raelyn watching football with her uncle eli and daddy