we just found out that that we should get the bpo (broker’s price opinion) results back next week!  and IF they are in line with what our offer was (which the seller’s agent is confident it should be), we will have a new house by the end of the year!!!!!!!!! 

still lots of “ifs” and variables to wait on, but so far it’s good news!!

i’ve found myself being nostalgic lately.  maybe it’s this whole house buying process that’s doing it to me.  stuff like “this house could be the house where we start many wonderful traditions” or ”this house could be the house that our kids take their first steps”.  so yeah… not sure what’s wrong with me. 

so last night matt and i decided to hit up baskin robbins.  i had some coupons and we had nothing else to do, so off we went to get our free pint of ice cream and our buy one get one free cones.  i tend to be clumsy especially with dripping ice cream, so i thought we should sit outside rather than get in the car.  so we sat on the curb outside baskin robbins (not so comfortable or romantic), but i had this thought – “how fun to have a perfect summer night enjoying an ice cream cone – rocky road even – and mine was free even – we could make this a wonderful tradition for the summers to come!” 

i guess sometimes you just have to stop and enjoy the little things that God allows you to experience.  like a perfect summer evening eating a rocky road ice cream cone! 

p.s.  baskin robbins is doing $1 kids scoop tuesdays (or $1.50 for a regular scoop)!!

my parents were in town this weekend.  i can’t remember the last time i had my parents all to myself at my place.  we go home to portland a lot, but it seemed different having them here in “my world”.  honestly, i don’t know if just the two of them have ever come together to visit me – we’ve done a lot of family stuff, but matt and i had them all to ourselves.  and it was fabulous.  we laughed, we enjoyed good meals, we looked back on the past 2 years of us being here in sacramento and how it has flown by, we enjoyed worshipping together at church, we talked about funny things we remember from when i was growing up and we talked about exciting things to come.  it was a rich time for me. 

i am blessed with a great family.

patience is not one of my finer qualities.  i’m a planner.  i’m organized.  i’m determined.  i thrive on deadlines.  so when i come to a road block and have to wait on someone or something, i get frustrated very easily.  if things don’t go according to plan, i get frazzled.  i am not spontaneous.  to me, spontaneous is spelled S-T-R-E-S-S-F-U-L!!

so the process of buying a house has been quite a challenge for me.  the plan was for us to first, save the money for a down payment.  second, find a house .  third, move in.  i carefully organized our budget and knew exactly when we would have enough money to start looking.  that part went according to plan and actually happened a little sooner than we had planned due to an unexpected blessing!!  those blessings are reminders that you’re not alone in this process.

next step – find a house!  i was prepared to look at a couple of houses and was pretty sure i knew what i wanted and thought since it’s a “buyers market” we would have many to choose from.  well… we got to that point and hit a road block.  there are TONS of houses out there, but the process isn’t easy.  you can walk into a foreclosure and get a steal, but you’ll have to start from the ground up replacing everything.  you can walk into a short sale (which is about 90% of the inventory where we’re looking) and have to deal with MANY different scenarios, some waiting 90-120 days just to get your offer approved.  that’s not including your 30-90 day escrow.  so from the day you put your offer in and assuming it gets approved to the day you actually move in, could take you up to 6 months!!  or there’s the off chance that you’ll find a house with a “normal” sale where the owner doesn’t owe more than the house is currently worth and you MIGHT be able to afford it.  we have been hoping for the third scenario and so far it hasn’t happened.

so i know our house is out there.  everyone says, “you haven’t been looking for that long” (but honestly it feels like it’s been a million years).  i don’t do the “not knowing” part very well.  but i know that we have been here before and we looked back and said “wow! what an experience this has been (good or bad).”  and i know the same will happen again.  things never happen in the time frame you hope for or plan for, but they always happen in the best time. 

despite being anxious.  frustrated with waiting.  and discouraged, i know that when this process is over we will own our first home and that makes the process and stress worth it.  it will be the home where we have many memories.  celebrate special occasions.  and spend unforgettable times with dear friends and family.  and the reality is, all of those things are far better and more important than the physical walls that will be around us. 

often i think that we are focused on the outcome rather than the process.  maturity and character are strengthened in the midst of the process.  so for now, i’m learning to enjoy the ride.  what a blessing it is to even be in this chapter of our lives.

how in the world is it already august 11th??  i mean seriously.  where did the summer go?  and are we really only 4 months away til christmas??  man… i need to start shopping!!  why do we go through periods of life when the days d…r…a…g and then others fly by??

looking forward to the crazy months ahead!!

got some new face wash yesterday.  and it’s fan-freakin-tastic!!  it makes my face tingle afterwards and i just love it.

and then i got the new nordstrom sale catalog in the mail and out fell a perfume sample which is always a double bonus cause who doesn’t love FREE perfume??  too bad it’s almost a million dollars to buy – guess i’ll just stick to the stuff on the paper.  btw… nordstrom sends free perfume samples in the mail with your nordstrom card bill and i think that’s a fabulous marketing technique – i actually look forward to getting that bill every month

It’s the little things that mean the most

People are always looking for ways to improve their professional careers, parenting skills, and home organization. But what about the most important earthly relationship you have—your marriage? Marriage requires work, whether you’ve been married for 6 months or 40 years.

Here are some ideas for you and your spouse to consider in order to increase the quality of your relationship day in and day out (and to avoid this):

For the Men

1. Respect her opinion and never talk down to her.
2. Even if you don’t have kids, demonstrate that you will be a good father.
3. Do what it takes for financial stability. No living paycheck to paycheck. Take an extra job if needed
4. Keep her trust at all costs. Leave no gray area when it comes to other female relationships, money and your word.
5. Conversation is not just for solving problems. She talks to you to see if you care. Listen like you do.
6. Call, text or email her periodically during the day. She needs to know that you think of her.
7. Even if you weren’t taught it, learn how to show affection in the way she desires.
8. Give unexpected gifts at unexpected times.
9. Use healthy humor to deflate petty conflict.
10. Listen even when you don’t want to.

For the Women

1. Pray for him.
2. Believe in his capabilities and affirm his accomplishments. Make him feel like a man.
3. Forgive and forget. Don’t hold grudges.
4. All men appreciate a clean home and well-cooked meal.
5. Don’t be late because of makeup, clothing or shoe choice.   (Ouch!)
6. Try not to call him at work just to chat. Men are not multi-taskers.  (Oops!)
7. He needs to know you trust his judgment, even when you aren’t 100% onboard.
8. Either show interest in his hobbies or allow him space to participate freely.
9. Give him half an hour to unwind after he gets home from work. Your evenings will be much more enjoyable.
10. Don’t expect him to read your mind! He would if he could, but he can’t, so he won’t.

For Both

1. Make decisions together about finances, disciplining the children, chores, vacations, etc.
2. Share your daily expectations or prepare to be frustrated when something does not go as you planned.
3. Fight fair. There will be disagreements. No name calling, threats or disrespect just to get a reaction.
4. Don’t compare. The phrases “I wish you were more like…” and “You are just like…” are off limits.
5. Schedule dates and romantic getaways. Seriously. Women love the anticipation.
6. Let go of the small stuff. We all have annoying habits and preferences that are different from our spouse’s.
7. Forgive and forget. Don’t hold grudges.
8. Take time to share dreams and goals on a regular basis.
9. Read the Bible together and pray aloud over each other. Words are strong, transforming and powerful.
10. Continue to work on your relationship in good times and in bad.

List found here.

ms. chapman-locke was my 3rd grade teacher.  she was one of my favorite teachers growing up.  for many reasons.  here are a few:

1.  she had a rubber stamp collection that could rival all rubber stamp collections.  every day we came to school and had completed our homework from the night before, we’d get a stamp – like the jetsons or something psychedelic like that.  then at the end of the week, you’d take your groovy sheet home for your parents to make notes and if you brought it back on monday, you’d get a “silver elephant”.  it was just this little silver paper elephant – about the size of a dollar bill.  nothing super special.  but it had POWER!  you could cash in your silver elephants at the treasure box on fridays – the box of wonders!!  candy, toys, rubber stamps, stickers, pens and pencils!  it was fantastic!!

2.  i was notorious for forgetting my homework at school.  i would constantly make trips back at 6:00 or 7:00 at night hunting down and begging the janitors to let me into my classroom so i could get my homework – so that i could get my stamp the next morning!!  UNTIL ms. locke taught me how to use a planner.  we each had a little mini spiral notebook and we’d write our homework down in it and then we wouldn’t forget to take what we needed home.  i think mine had a kitten on the front – it was SO fancy!

and since then i have ALWAYS had a planner  or calendar to keep work schedules, assignments, dates, addresses, birthdays, EVERYTHING!!  since 3rd grade!!  k, for all of you out there that are trying to figure out how many years that is, i was in 3rd grade during 90-91 (i wore neon green coolots with suspenders and a side ponytail on the first day of school).  that’s freaking almost 20 years people!!  this is probably why i enjoy keeping my boss’ appointments – i’ve been doing it for almost 20 years!!  it comes so naturally now.

so matt bought me an iPhone to help me join the 21st century (is that what we’re in now?  or is it the 22nd yet?).  and all of my nail appointments, hair appointments, waxing appointments, vet appointments, softball games, concerts, birthdays, flight information, hotel information, holidays, parties (including notes as to what i said i’d bring), anniversaries, etc are ALL in one handy little device that also contains all my phone numbers, music, photos, a GPS map, games, emails, restaurant options and recently a leveler for hanging things straight!  it’s fantastic! 

UNTIL information goes missing and i can’t pull out my handy planner that ms. locke taught me to use because now… well… the information is just GONE into outer space or on the former-planet pluto (please see an OLD diagram below).  i didn’t handle this well, as you can imagine.  the information was resurrected and i’m keeping my fingers crossed that ALL of it was resurrected.  so if i made an appointment with you to have my cat bathed or we said we’d be at your niece two times removed’s bat mitzvah, would you be so kind as to send me a reminder just to make SURE it’s been accounted for? 

thankyousomuch!!

i’m going to san diego this weekend to hang with my bff and get pedicures and go to breakfast and go shopping and just be girls – i can’t wait!!  and then my mom comes to visit 2 weeks after that and i just think that’s fantastic and can’t wait for fun mother/daughter dates!  i love having things to look foward to and especially when they involve fabulous people!!

Just when you have lost faith in human kindness, someone who teaches at Kean Elementary in Wooster, Ohio forwarded the following letter. The letter was sent to the principal’s office after the school had sponsored a luncheon for the elderly.
 
 An old lady received a new radio at the lunch as a door prize and was writing to say thank you.
 
This story is a credit to all humankind. Forward to anyone you know who might need a lift today.
 
 
Dear Kean Elementary:
 
God bless you for the beautiful radio I won at your recent senior citizens luncheon. I am 84 years old and live at the Springer Assisted Living facility. All of my family has passed away. I am all alone now and it’s nice to know that someone is thinking of me. God bless you for your kindness to an old forgotten lady. My roommate is 95 and has always had her own radio, but before I received one, she would never let me listen to hers, even when she was napping. The other day her radio fell off the nightstand and broke into a lot of pieces. It was awful and she was in tears. Her distress over the broken radio touched me and I knew this was God’s way of answering my prayers. She asked if she could listen to mine, and I told her to kiss my ass.

Thank you for that opportunity.
 
Sincerely,
Agnes Baker