Posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Finally
Oh, the pain and the agony...it took 4 hours and more mistakes than any professional should be allowed to make (including having me initial my power of attorney for Travis incorrectly necessitating starting over and redoing every single one of those pages again) and more bizzare requests from the lender than you could possibly imagine (I'm chalking it up to extreme caution over all new loans now, even though we are highly qualified borrowers) but we have closed on the house. For the first time in 3 years, 1 month, and 5 days we are homeowners again. I will readily admit I am wrung out today, so a more celabratory post will come when I am feeling more jubilant.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The 28th will come and go
...and we will not close on the house. Not yet. Will keep you all posted.
Even though I started asking what to send in weeks ago, Thursday (Friday in Perth) the lender admitted he did not actually have everything he needed from us.
Even though I asked over and over, and made sure the lender understood that it takes a long time to get things signed and delivered from Australia, they asked if we could just overnight some documents. No. A plane takes longer than 'overnight' to fly from Australia to here. Minimum next day, more like 2 day from Western Australia. Geography anyone?
Monday is a holiday in Perth, all hail the Queen's Birthday. No business in Perth on Monday. No notary to sign the needed document, no mail to 'overnight' it, nuthin' until Tuesday no sireee bob. Too bad the lender didn't fess up earlier so this could all have been avoided, huh?
I am constantly amazed at how far incompetent people can get in this world. *deep sigh*
I'm not frustrated, nope, not me. All sunshine and rainbows here. Talk to me again when I have keys.
Even though I started asking what to send in weeks ago, Thursday (Friday in Perth) the lender admitted he did not actually have everything he needed from us.
Even though I asked over and over, and made sure the lender understood that it takes a long time to get things signed and delivered from Australia, they asked if we could just overnight some documents. No. A plane takes longer than 'overnight' to fly from Australia to here. Minimum next day, more like 2 day from Western Australia. Geography anyone?
Monday is a holiday in Perth, all hail the Queen's Birthday. No business in Perth on Monday. No notary to sign the needed document, no mail to 'overnight' it, nuthin' until Tuesday no sireee bob. Too bad the lender didn't fess up earlier so this could all have been avoided, huh?
I am constantly amazed at how far incompetent people can get in this world. *deep sigh*
I'm not frustrated, nope, not me. All sunshine and rainbows here. Talk to me again when I have keys.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
I think it just might be...
...the first snow. But I'm not really sure since I just got here, and there may have been one last week, but it's my first snow up here this year so it counts. You'll have to bear with me and what will probably be a lot of mountain scenery photos for a while as I get used to having mountains again. Oh how I've missed them. I need topography in my life.We had a super day today. A decent hour wake up with no tears (FFM is not a happy riser and normally wakes grumpy, as do I), easy breakfast, followed by a trip to the Vail farmers market. The Vail market is top notch, hands down the best market I've ever been to in the US.
Next up, lunch (at the market) and a nap. Followed by BRONCOS.
(that's 'Go Broncos' that you hear there)
FFM learned a whole new batch of words today including things like, INCOMPLETE, 1ST DOWN, GET 'EM GET 'EM GET 'EM, HOLD 'EM, PUNT, GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO, you get the idea. It's a little strange to hear such big words from such a little mouth.
During the game we sat inside warm and cosy while the rain poured down and I wondered if the peaks were getting snow. Slowly but surely this week it's been getting chillier, yesterday we had a little squall blow through and in traditional Colorado style it went from 80F-54F (26C-12C) in less than 30 minutes. Sure enough when the clouds cleared the tops of the highest mountains had a dusting of snow on them.
We're headed back to the 'big' city tomorrow, but I'm leaving some of our clothes here in hopes for a return next weekend...aspen leaves should be in full effect! Memories of fall 2001 and wedding bells...
Friday, September 18, 2009
Urban Mountain Kid
It has been a concern of Travis' and mine that our child will take a while to adjust to life with the outdoors. We have taken care to expose him to plenty of outdoors experiences but his home life to date has been pretty, well, paved. Thus the life of an expat child in city dwellings. We don't regret our choices of homes in any of the cities we lived in, each place was carefully selected to meet our overall family living requirements, but none of them in Dublin, Brisbane, or Perth had any grass.
We spent a lot of time in parks, which were always very close and easy to get to. But it's just not quite the same. In Perth we had great places to play in and around our house, especially as they spilled over into our next door neighbor's house, too. However no grass, it was all paved in brick. So young Master F. consistently chooses to play on the driveway or patio instead of the nice lawn at Granny Annie's house and tends to stay on the playground or path when we wander through all the nice parks around her house.
The mountain house is a whole new adventure. No lawn here, it's wild mountain side all around us. There's a rock garden on one side of the house, but since everyone's been too busy to come out here this summer it's run riot and is WILD. There really are a lot of rocks there, and for a 2 year old it's like a boulder field.
I am pleased to announce that the mountains definitely agree with FFM. While we had to restrict scootering to the deck, it's the only safe level place to do it without going 5 miles down the hill to the park, the long prickly grasses, crazy looking bugs (he called a cricket a bird and would not be convinced otherwise), and giant boulders are a huge hit. He has gotten stuck in the rock garden several times but he'll just sit there hanging out until I can come get him. Our one hangover from city life is that all the big birds of prey that circle around floating on thermals still get called planes, but we're working on it.
By the way, the helmet is, and always has been, at his insistence.
21 years ago this month when my family purchased this house my grandma named it MDV for Million Dollar View. The house didn't cost nearly that much but the view is worth ten times that in our opinion. Here's just a sliver of the view, it goes all the way around the house and changes all the time. Right now the aspen trees are starting to change color and every day a few more turn bright yellow. In about a week a whole lot of that mountain across the way will be bright yellow.
We spent a lot of time in parks, which were always very close and easy to get to. But it's just not quite the same. In Perth we had great places to play in and around our house, especially as they spilled over into our next door neighbor's house, too. However no grass, it was all paved in brick. So young Master F. consistently chooses to play on the driveway or patio instead of the nice lawn at Granny Annie's house and tends to stay on the playground or path when we wander through all the nice parks around her house.
The mountain house is a whole new adventure. No lawn here, it's wild mountain side all around us. There's a rock garden on one side of the house, but since everyone's been too busy to come out here this summer it's run riot and is WILD. There really are a lot of rocks there, and for a 2 year old it's like a boulder field.
I am pleased to announce that the mountains definitely agree with FFM. While we had to restrict scootering to the deck, it's the only safe level place to do it without going 5 miles down the hill to the park, the long prickly grasses, crazy looking bugs (he called a cricket a bird and would not be convinced otherwise), and giant boulders are a huge hit. He has gotten stuck in the rock garden several times but he'll just sit there hanging out until I can come get him. Our one hangover from city life is that all the big birds of prey that circle around floating on thermals still get called planes, but we're working on it.
By the way, the helmet is, and always has been, at his insistence.21 years ago this month when my family purchased this house my grandma named it MDV for Million Dollar View. The house didn't cost nearly that much but the view is worth ten times that in our opinion. Here's just a sliver of the view, it goes all the way around the house and changes all the time. Right now the aspen trees are starting to change color and every day a few more turn bright yellow. In about a week a whole lot of that mountain across the way will be bright yellow.
Still green aspen leaves in the autumn light. I love the sound of aspen leaves in the wind.
This one is for FFM's Daddy. In all this moving about FFM goes through the litany of recent houses by name several times a day. Perth house, Granny Annie's house, F's Denver house (our under contract house which he's seen a couple times), and now we've added MDV house which makes me crack up every time he says it. You'll have to wait for it, he comes around back to and asks to 'see' the camera screen before putting on his act.
This one is for FFM's Daddy. In all this moving about FFM goes through the litany of recent houses by name several times a day. Perth house, Granny Annie's house, F's Denver house (our under contract house which he's seen a couple times), and now we've added MDV house which makes me crack up every time he says it. You'll have to wait for it, he comes around back to and asks to 'see' the camera screen before putting on his act.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Hangin' in There
I am in a state of flux, and these days I survive by counting the days to 28th and exhaling with relief every time the sun sets on another business day that ends without any mishap. The 28th you say? That's sort of a random day. Aha, but it's CLOSING DAY. Ah, yes, we are in that oft anxiety ridden state known as 'under contract.'
It's actually been pretty good, albeit REALLY REALLY fast with deadlines flying past every single day. I make sure to check email often, and print, sign, scan, and email pages and pages and pages and pages pretty much every day. Travis is very good about doing his part and he's gotten in on the deadline for his pages, too. Our Realtor is top notch and very good about keeping time zones straight and she knows better than I do when Travis is up and when he's not, which is actually a little embarrassing.
We've got one last big step to go before closing, and after we get past that I'll settle in and just wait for the closing date to roll on in. I figure I'll have about a week to chill out before the frantic excitement of moving in starts, in which time I'll go pick out some lovely couches so I'll have something to sit on in 8-10 weeks when they are delivered.
So, the deal's not done yet, as we all know real estate's not done until the fat lady sings and the keys are turned over at the closing table. So cross your fingers and toes and count the days until the 28th.
It's actually been pretty good, albeit REALLY REALLY fast with deadlines flying past every single day. I make sure to check email often, and print, sign, scan, and email pages and pages and pages and pages pretty much every day. Travis is very good about doing his part and he's gotten in on the deadline for his pages, too. Our Realtor is top notch and very good about keeping time zones straight and she knows better than I do when Travis is up and when he's not, which is actually a little embarrassing.
We've got one last big step to go before closing, and after we get past that I'll settle in and just wait for the closing date to roll on in. I figure I'll have about a week to chill out before the frantic excitement of moving in starts, in which time I'll go pick out some lovely couches so I'll have something to sit on in 8-10 weeks when they are delivered.
So, the deal's not done yet, as we all know real estate's not done until the fat lady sings and the keys are turned over at the closing table. So cross your fingers and toes and count the days until the 28th.
