Alex And Pip

This video was taken about a year and a half ago. I meant to share it with you then, but I'm sharing it now.

The Value of Competent Allies

When Andrew got his job with Lam Research in Tualatin, we immediately started searching craigslist for a suitable house to rent. Andrew and I have dreamed about buying a house for a long time, but we didn't have the savings for a down payment. As you may know renting a house in the Portland area is extremely expensive. We started combing through apartment listings, also expensive. Not only that but they all had a two pet limit. The thought of giving up the ferrets made me sick to my stomach. In addition Andrew and I had been dreaming of getting a dog through the whole process of job applications and temporary post-college jobs. When one of us landed that grown up permanent job, we were getting a dog that was our deal. With the limitations of being renters, our dog dream faded once more toward the distant horizon. Every once in a while life sends you a fabuluous streak of luck. Here's how it went for us:


1. I stumbled across an ad among the craigslist rental postings. The ad was for a mortgage company, it went something like "can't afford a down payment? We can help. There are programs that you're probably eligible for."
I was suspicious. Things that sound that good tend to be scams, but I decided to find out. It was legitimate. We lucked out, Robert and his team at Summit are some of the most competent professionals in the business.

2. Robert was an advocate for our best interest. Mortgage brokers get paid a percent; we were on a budget. It was far from a juicy sale, but Robert was always willing to take time to answer my questions and explain all the details of the program to which we were applying. He also recommended that we avoid shopping at the top of our budget.

3. We didn't have real estate agent in mind so Robert recommended Patti Freites.

Because of our budget, it didn't take us long to go see all the our options. We found the house we wanted on the first day and made an offer. The house was foreclosed. Banks are notoriously hard to work with. They made a counter offer that wouldn't work for us (or anyone probably). The counter offer was really very close to our original offer, we offered them 1% earnest money (the industry standard) they countered with 3%. We couldn't afford 3%, but even if we could Andrew and I wouldn't have been comfortable with it. In case you're not familiar, earnest money is money that the buyer puts down to seal the offer. If the sale goes through, earnest money becomes part of it. If the sale goes sideways, there are a lot of places where the buyer can get it back, but there is a possibility that the buyer might not. Why was the bank insisting on 3% when the standard is 1%?

The conversation went back and forth, but the bank (the seller) stubbornly clung to the 3%. Another potential buyer came into the picture and everyone put forward their best offer. The bank chose us, but they still instisted on 3%. Patti was furious on our behalf. She ranted to Robert, and Robert wrote a letter. Robert's writing reminds me of Auntie. If you know me well, you know that I can give no higher compliment. The letter was beautifully professional, clear, well reasoned and polite. It said you are being ridiculous and unprofessional, without being the least bit confrontational. It explained the way the system works (something a bank really should have known), and why 3% earnest money was unnecessary and unreasonable and why certain levels of detail about our financial information were the mortgage companies' concern not the seller's.

Andrew and I had learned that the bank had turned down nine other offers on the house. The house had been listed for almost a year, and during that time, its asking price had been reduced several times.  Some of the previous offers were probably higher than ours. We weren't extremely hopeful. The seller seamed stuck on requiring 3% earnest money no matter what, but after getting Roberts letter, the seller accepted our offer with the standard 1% earnest money.

It's been almost five months now since the house closed. We're all moved in and we have been remodeling all summer. We love our neighborhood. We love Newberg. There is no way we would have got this place without Robert and Patti. I cannot recommend these two enough. Because of them we live in this lovely little town close to Andrew's work and yes we finally have our dog.

Here's the link to Robert's webpage
http://go-summit.com/staff/robert-williams/

Ember Approves

"I Love You."

Buddy And Andrew At The Dog Park

Happy Dog

Oddly enough, the bathroom is the first room that we finished renovating.

Andrew and I move back to Corvallis

So, a little less than two weeks ago, Andrew got the offer for the job he now has. The offer was made on a Thursday. The HR lady said that they would like him to start on Monday. As you may know Corvallis is an hour and a half drive from Portland. Best not to start a new job with a big commute so... we moved. 

Friday morning, we looked at an apartment. We liked it so naturally we ripped out the carpet. 

Our new apartment without the carpet.

Perhaps I should explain about the carpet. The previous tenants had a cat. This cat was not nearly so well behaved as our cats. The carpet reeked of cat pee. The land lady told us she had shampooed it three times and was thinking it would just have to come out. "Want help?" we asked. She was very appreciative. 

After the carpet was gone, Andrew and I drove to Portland and on to Seattle. We spent Friday night with the fabulous Sarah and Joe. Saturday morning, the four of us loaded the U-haul. 

Then Andrew drove the U-haul to Portland and I followed in the pickup (a.k.a. Trucky.)

In Portland, we loaded the ferrets, cage and all, into the passenger seat of the U-haul and stuffed the cats into their respective carriers. In all honesty Ember was the only one who had to be stuffed. Terrified, she was determined to hang on to the edges of the box for dear life. Alex just gave us a puzzled look.

The ferrets figured it out quite quickly.
Climb in your hammock and you won't get jostled around. Resume napping.

We arrived back in Corvallis Saturday evening and began unloading. While we were away, the landlady and her husband had installed the new floor. It's linoleum, but it looks like wood. I like it a lot.

The bed was a big priority. See the new floor? 

Sunday morning was a time for more unloading.
It was also a time for climbing into dressers (Alex).

By Sunday afternoon, we were tired, the U-haul was empty and I had beer. 

The living room also looked like this.

Monday, Andrew went off to his first day at work. I continued unpacking and rested. Unfortunately all the moving strained my back. I moaned and groaned a lot and got sick to my stomach. Fortunately, I have a fashionable back brace. See aren't I pretty. When the weekend rolled around Andrew and I were lazy; the weather was beautiful; and we had a picnick.

Andrew took all the photos that I have for the entry. They are good photos don't you think? Sadly he took no photos of himself.

A picnic!

Missing Andrew

It's Wednesday morning, and I am lost... trying to find myself in a cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant. It's not entirely futile but not exactly a success either. I'm going home on Thursday after work. (By work I mean volunteer work.)
As the title of the post would suggest, I miss Andrew. I have been engaged in the hopelessly depressing business of applying to jobs for the past 45 minutes. In ten minutes I will begin the journey downtown. The light drizzle matches my mood. Am I a downer? Yes I am. Did I mention that Mom and Dad's house is infested with fleas? It is.
Mom and Micky are in Washington visiting Uncle Keith. I brought Alex with me so that I wouldn't be as lonely. The fleas seem to think that I brought him for them. Little do they know, he is poison. They bite him and die. All the same, I used a fea comb and removed several dozen fleas from him last night and drowned them in a pickle jar. Alex purred and tried to drink out of the pickle jar. Yuck! Silly cat. I don't want him to drink any fleas so I thwarted his endeavors.

A day in My Life

Some wonderful cookies that Andrew made.

I may have eaten 90% of the cookies.

My sweeties. (Andrew, Ember and Alex)

Alex demonstrating one of his less charming behaviors

Alex has a habit of hugging my leg when he wants attention which is really adorable. Unfortunately he also has a habit of clawing my leg (or my butt) to get attention. That is far far less adorable and generally gets him yelled at.

Ember, the resident princess

Sometimes I really wish it didn't take me so long to "get" this stuff.

There is a ferret going into that watering can.

Pip and Bear sleeping in the towel hammock that Andrew made them.

Sweet Potatoes and Ferrets

Otaku fast asleep. 

Bear wants to be held.

Sweet potatoes and ferrets don't have much in common but I'm putting them in this post together. I also threw in a picture of Alex. You want to know why? Cuz I want to. Hah Hah! 

Sliced baked sweet potatoes

 I recently learned that sweet from Mom that potatoes are really good sliced up and backed with salt. I have been eating them for breakfast as a welcome break from oatmeal.

Yummy

Good morning from Alex.

The Effects of The Cheese

Here is, to the best of my ability, a reproduction of conversation between Joe and Sarah that I witnessed when visiting them the other night. Thud-thud (the cat) is in these pictures too.

Joe-"Why am I eating so much cheese?" 

Sarah- "You are going to have some nasty poops later."

Joe- "Or no poops."

Another Day Another Differential Equation

Alex being cute

My one goal for today was to spend four hours studying. I think I did about five. Andrew came in to fine me holding the two halves of a torn piece of paper together puzzling over the contents.
Andrew looked at me quizzically, "did you tear up your homework?"
"Err..sort of... yes, err...it's not what you think," I fumbled
Andrew made his amused face. .
"I wasn't mad at it. Well I was, but that's not why I tore it."
I managed to explain that I tear my drafts in half to keep them separate from the finished product and Andrew laughed at me.

A few of my favorite things

I put up the hummingbird feeder on the front porch in October. I took this picture the next day.

The feeder gets a lot of visitors

Alex kneading the blanket

Alex- "I love this blanket almost as much as I love you."

Alex- "Aren't you going to pet me now?"

Ember falling asleep rather awkwardly

It seems like I take nearly the same set of pictures every fall.

But for some reason I never get tired of pointing my camera at leaves.

The red and gold part of fall is so beautiful and so short. I guess that's what makes it special. 

Sarah in The Ferret Prison

Last month Auntie gave us a present of some money to get something fun with. With the money, we bought a ferret prison.

As you may have noticed only one of the people in this picture is a ferret. Sarah Visiting Prison Warden. Pip prisoner. Alex, is a cat. 

The prisoner is trying to tunnel to freedom by going down the the warden's shirt.

Escape attempt foiled.

If you kiss a ferret, does he turn into a prince?

He may be a prince, but he is also still a ferret

Everyone is cuddling nicely.

Pip is trying to go down Sarah's shirt again. 

I think the warden is hungry