Hannah has been a pill the last couple of weeks!!!
I think we have had it very easy overall as parents. Almost since the time Hannah was born she would go right to bed and sleep for most of the night if not all of it. She did the same thing for naps. Well, the nap thing started to go a little while ago, but it still wasn't too bad. For the last few weeks (2-3 would be my guess) she has completely fought going to bed. She used to be great about saying prayers with us and reading the scriptures and going right to bed. Now she throws a huge fit every time we try to put her to bed. In fact, there were a few nights when she would seem like she was going to go to bed fine, and we would put her down, and she would get back up and throw herself at the edge of the crib and scream at the top of her lungs. Rachel called it her "abandoned on the side of the road" look. It has been a challenge.
Well, today Rachel and Hannah spent almost the entire day out of the house (visiting teaching, grocery shopping, etc. - a great perk of her having a car) which seemed to exhaust Hannah. I say that because tonight she went straight to bed like she used to. Or almost anyway. She did fight reading scriptures and saying prayers, but didn't fight going to bed at all. It made for a very pleasant evening. I hope that we can start having a few more like them again soon.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
New Car Update
So, after going through several of the features that the Touring Model of the car was supposed to have, we were seriously wondering if we had purchased the touring model. We didn't find all the extra special things that we would have had if it were the touring model, so we concluded (or I did) that we only got the base model with a few upgrades. I updated the link in the other blog (from yesterday) to reflect the actual Blue Book price for the car. Not quite as good of a deal, but still a pretty darn good deal.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
OUR NEW CAR!!!!
We bought a new car last night!! It was kind of crazy how it happened. We had heard about a sale at a Nissan dealership in Fremont (about 15 miles south of us) but didn't have enough time to make it down there, so we checked out a Nissan dealership locally. They didn't have anything under $8,000 which was our target price. We decided to take a look at the used Toyota dealership afterward, not really expecting to find anything, but kind of hoping that we might. We had a much a better idea of what to expect this time, and had a few specific cars that we were looking for. Prior to leaving we went in and looked up a bunch of Blue Book prices for those cars over several years with some different mileage combinations. As we pulled into the lot there was an Acura SUV (2001 Acura MDX to be exact) sitting there listed at $8,995. We didn't think much of it, and drove around the lot before deciding if we wanted to stop or not. We saw a few used cars that looked like they might be what we were looking for, but weren't quite sure on the prices. I walked around for a few minutes with one of the sales agents, and then decided to go and take a look at the Acura after not really finding too much else that was even remotely interesting. It looked like a very nice car. Leather interior, Moon roof, CD player, faux wood trim, etc. I went and got Rachel, and had her take a look. She didn't really say much about the car (I think she was starting to get pretty fed up with the whole car buying process). We decided to take it for a test drive (it was starting to get on the late side, so we weren't sure we really wanted to take the time). It drove very well. Seemed to have quite a bit of power, even though it has a pretty econimical 6 cylinder in it (supposed to around 23 MPG highway). We got back and called Rachel's sister to get her thoughts and have her Blue Book it for us. It has almost every option availalbe, and the Blue Book value, even with all the miles was $13,585 (click here to see the Blue Book). We started wondering why it was selling for so much below Blue Book. We decided to have them see what they could do in terms of payments. We got a Carfax, and there was only one accident which caused minor front end damage (which had been repaired) and nothing else. We told them that our payments had to be under $200 or we were walking out the door. They came back with the original number, and it was too high. They came back a second time, and it was still too high. They came back the third time, and it was right at $200 so we bought it. Here are a couple of links to some reviews about the car if anyone is interested, and then some pictures of our car.
http://www.epinions.com/content_7298059908
http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/acura_mdx_2001
http://www.internetautoguide.com/reviews/09-int/2001/acura/mdx/index.html
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=46521/pageNumber=1
Friday, September 12, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!
Hannah turned 2 today!! I can't believe it. It has gone by so fast. We are having a party on Sunday for her with all the family that wants to come, everyone is invited. Anyway, here are some pictures from today and a little bit of video.
Happy Birthday Hannah!
Eating dinner at the park for her birthday.
Here is the video. This was in the morning when we first got her up.
This video is of Grandma & Grandpa Willie and Aunt Trisha singing Happy Birthday. Hannah is so adorable at the end.
Hannah turned 2 today!! I can't believe it. It has gone by so fast. We are having a party on Sunday for her with all the family that wants to come, everyone is invited. Anyway, here are some pictures from today and a little bit of video.
Happy Birthday Hannah!
Eating dinner at the park for her birthday.Here is the video. This was in the morning when we first got her up.
This video is of Grandma & Grandpa Willie and Aunt Trisha singing Happy Birthday. Hannah is so adorable at the end.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Trip to Oregon
This past weekend we made a trip to Oregon for Josh & Sam's sealing in the Portland Temple. I decided to try and take work with me so that I wouldn't have to use 3 vacation days. My boss agreed to let me only use 2 vacation days, which I think turned out to be fair based on the amount of phone calls and emails I took.
The sealing was good. Dad started crying. Josh said yes too early (he was just too excited I guess). I think it was a great experience. The reception turned out better than I was expecting it too after hearing about all the things that they were going to or not going to do.
I hope that Sam (especially) and Josh appreciate what I did for them in protecting their car. The family that Josh married into is a little more redneck than some, and they were wanting to put baby powder in the air vents and limberger cheese on the manifold and a few other things. They even tried to say that I wasn't playing along well enough because I wouldn't let them do those two things. I think we got the car pretty good. Everyone knew they were newly weds, and we even got some cans attached to the back of the car which no one say until they started to drive away (the way it should be).
We spent a few days looking for a car while we were in Oregon since we rented a car to drive up. My car was making some funny sounds right before we were supposed to leave so we decided to rent a car to be safe. We didn't really find a ton that we liked, but we saw a couple that might have been possibilities. Too bad we didn't have more time. I think when we do decide to buy a car we will end up doing it in Oregon since they were significantly cheaper there than in California.
The trip home wasn't too bad. We hit some traffic in the construction areas of I-5 that caused huge delays since the road closed down to one lane two different times instead of just staying one lane to cover both of the areas. We also hit a little traffic on I-80 but things went pretty smoothly once we hit 680. It ended up taking us nearly 10 hours to get home instead of 8 1/2 or 9.
The sealing was good. Dad started crying. Josh said yes too early (he was just too excited I guess). I think it was a great experience. The reception turned out better than I was expecting it too after hearing about all the things that they were going to or not going to do.
I hope that Sam (especially) and Josh appreciate what I did for them in protecting their car. The family that Josh married into is a little more redneck than some, and they were wanting to put baby powder in the air vents and limberger cheese on the manifold and a few other things. They even tried to say that I wasn't playing along well enough because I wouldn't let them do those two things. I think we got the car pretty good. Everyone knew they were newly weds, and we even got some cans attached to the back of the car which no one say until they started to drive away (the way it should be).
We spent a few days looking for a car while we were in Oregon since we rented a car to drive up. My car was making some funny sounds right before we were supposed to leave so we decided to rent a car to be safe. We didn't really find a ton that we liked, but we saw a couple that might have been possibilities. Too bad we didn't have more time. I think when we do decide to buy a car we will end up doing it in Oregon since they were significantly cheaper there than in California.
The trip home wasn't too bad. We hit some traffic in the construction areas of I-5 that caused huge delays since the road closed down to one lane two different times instead of just staying one lane to cover both of the areas. We also hit a little traffic on I-80 but things went pretty smoothly once we hit 680. It ended up taking us nearly 10 hours to get home instead of 8 1/2 or 9.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Re-Posts
Below I've decided to re-post some of the blog entries I did on another blog that I have. I figure these are important to kind of update everyone to our story and let them know what it going on and how we ended up in California. So, hopefully this works out OK.
Trying to find a job has been a pain in the butt. I have applied and interviewed with 6 different companies (at least) and have only been extended an offer by one of them, an that was back in November!!! I have been incredibly frustrated with myself. The offer in November had a deadline of two weeks. I wasn't sure what would happen with other offers and I asked for a two week extension and then basically told them that I was interested but didn't want to commit 100% yet because I felt I would get other offers. Boy was I wrong. I haven't received any offer from anyone else. I even tried emailing my former boss in Oregon to see if he had any leads on jobs there. He basically sent me an email that said, "Good luck". I was pissed when I got his email back.
So, it looks like we are headed to Idaho Falls. The money is really good for the area, but I'm not super fond of the work schedule. It will be nice to have every-other Friday off though. I'm just not sure how I'm going to like Idaho Falls.
I guess I'm a little frustrated because it seems like my decision is being taken away from me. I have tried to interview with as many people/companies as possible. I thought that I did well in most of the interviews, and I feel like I have just as much and as good experience as others in the program, but they are getting offers and I'm not. So, I guess the Lord is trying to tell me that is where we are supposed to be for some reason. The other thing that is a little frustrating about it, is I feel like I'm behind on the hiring process for the job I did take because I could be farther along. I have to pass a DOE security clearance and that generally takes 90 to 120 days according to the company. Well, I just barely got all that turned in Wednesday last week!!! That means that at the earliest (using the averages) I won't start until June sometime.
I guess I just feel a little stuck. I'm excited to be done, but I don't really have anywhere to go. Rachel has talked about wanting me to go to graduate school, which I'm willing to consider but I have no idea what for or where. I want to have a little time off of school, but if I'm gone too long I won't be able to remember anything. The few jobs that I really wanted I got turned down on, and the job I have taken, no one can really tell me what I'll be doing.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Updates, Updates, Updates!!
So, quite a bit has happened since the last post. I did a phone interview with the Church to assess my managerial abilities. Once that was done, I got a call from HR that my assessment turned out very well, and that they wanted to know if I could fly to California for an interview for the Oakland position. I told them that would work, but it would have to be the end of the next week (this would be the week after I graduated and my last week of work). It was a 4 hour interview, so I didn't have time to attempt to do any other job searching or interviewing while I was there. I met with the FM, and we interviewed for about an hour and then spent the rest of the time either at lunch or walking around touring the properties that I would be in charge of as the Assistant FM portion of the position I was applying for. As we ended the day, the FM told me that if the decision were up to him I would have an offer in a few days, but that he wanted me to get a chance to meet with the Regional Manager. I came back, and arranged to meet with the Regional Manager the following week since he would be in SLC for some training. I did this, and he told me that there was one other person under consideration, but that I had a pretty good chance.
The next day (Thursday) I received a phone call from HR in the morning, and they said that I was being given an offer, and that she had never seen something like this before. She said that the FM and RFM were so concerned about me coming and not being able to live there, and they really wanted me to come, that they increased the offer from what I was originally told, to about $8,000 more per year than what was originally discussed as the top of the offer range.
So, I have accepted an offer to work for the Church. I will be the Event Supervisor and Assistant Facility Manager at Oakland Temple Hill. I started training this last Monday at the Conference Center with the Events Department. This training is basically focusing on the different processes that they go through, and giving me an opportunity to meet with several other departments that play a part in an Event being put on or happening. I actually have tomorrow (Friday) off as well as Monday because of the holiday and almost no one working on Friday in the department. I will be going in on Saturday for an actual event, so I will get to see one of the event coordinators in action.
It has been a lot of interesting training, and I have actually really enjoyed it, especially the last couple of days. It has been really interesting to meet with the different trades, even if I might not be using all of it. I am really getting excited about getting to California, and a little nervous as well.
Just to make sure that no one thinks this was a decision that didn't involve any prayer, I will say that we definitely prayed and fasted about this decision as well. However, just being on the site prior to my interview I felt really good about being there.
The next day (Thursday) I received a phone call from HR in the morning, and they said that I was being given an offer, and that she had never seen something like this before. She said that the FM and RFM were so concerned about me coming and not being able to live there, and they really wanted me to come, that they increased the offer from what I was originally told, to about $8,000 more per year than what was originally discussed as the top of the offer range.
So, I have accepted an offer to work for the Church. I will be the Event Supervisor and Assistant Facility Manager at Oakland Temple Hill. I started training this last Monday at the Conference Center with the Events Department. This training is basically focusing on the different processes that they go through, and giving me an opportunity to meet with several other departments that play a part in an Event being put on or happening. I actually have tomorrow (Friday) off as well as Monday because of the holiday and almost no one working on Friday in the department. I will be going in on Saturday for an actual event, so I will get to see one of the event coordinators in action.
It has been a lot of interesting training, and I have actually really enjoyed it, especially the last couple of days. It has been really interesting to meet with the different trades, even if I might not be using all of it. I am really getting excited about getting to California, and a little nervous as well.
Just to make sure that no one thinks this was a decision that didn't involve any prayer, I will say that we definitely prayed and fasted about this decision as well. However, just being on the site prior to my interview I felt really good about being there.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Confirmation Again
So earlier this week we made the decision to reject the job offer in Idaho Falls and try to find something else. We still don't know where we are going, but we know it was the right decision.
Since making the decision we have both felt much more at peace and less stressed. Prior to making the decision we were both always on edge and we were both very stressed. As soon as we made the decision, that all went away.
Also, when I called the company the next day to let them know, it went over very well (which I didn't expect). My supervisor said that he understood and that he really wasn't all that surprised. When I talked to HR they said they were sorry things didn't work out, but that they would be hiring for years to come and to keep them in mind for the future. Now, if someone were really upset about this kind of decision, or if it were not the right decision for us, I don't think they would basically be telling me that I could have a job with them in the future if I needed one or was looking to make a change at some point. They didn't guarantee that in any way, but they definitely made it obvious that the door was still and would still be open.
I haven't talked to my mom since we made the decision, except for a few minutes today. I won't really get into that. If she wants to talk to me she can, otherwise I guess we won't talk. I'm frustrated that she seems to be taking this so personal. It is not her decision to make. She can disapprove all she wants, but it won't change anything. She never gave me a chance to explain, and I'm pretty sure she read the explanation on here. Don't know if that helped her understand at all.
I know that this is the right decision. Every time we have made the right decision things have always worked out. That is part of the reason how we knew Idaho wasn't right. We had so much trouble finding a place. Every time we have ever had to move we've found a place to live within a day. Things have always fallen into place. It seemed like that was happening again, at first. Then we went and tried to find a place to live. We spent pretty much all of three days looking and only found one thing that was even remotely close to feeling right, and even that didn't really seem right.
We'll see what happens.
Since making the decision we have both felt much more at peace and less stressed. Prior to making the decision we were both always on edge and we were both very stressed. As soon as we made the decision, that all went away.
Also, when I called the company the next day to let them know, it went over very well (which I didn't expect). My supervisor said that he understood and that he really wasn't all that surprised. When I talked to HR they said they were sorry things didn't work out, but that they would be hiring for years to come and to keep them in mind for the future. Now, if someone were really upset about this kind of decision, or if it were not the right decision for us, I don't think they would basically be telling me that I could have a job with them in the future if I needed one or was looking to make a change at some point. They didn't guarantee that in any way, but they definitely made it obvious that the door was still and would still be open.
I haven't talked to my mom since we made the decision, except for a few minutes today. I won't really get into that. If she wants to talk to me she can, otherwise I guess we won't talk. I'm frustrated that she seems to be taking this so personal. It is not her decision to make. She can disapprove all she wants, but it won't change anything. She never gave me a chance to explain, and I'm pretty sure she read the explanation on here. Don't know if that helped her understand at all.
I know that this is the right decision. Every time we have made the right decision things have always worked out. That is part of the reason how we knew Idaho wasn't right. We had so much trouble finding a place. Every time we have ever had to move we've found a place to live within a day. Things have always fallen into place. It seemed like that was happening again, at first. Then we went and tried to find a place to live. We spent pretty much all of three days looking and only found one thing that was even remotely close to feeling right, and even that didn't really seem right.
We'll see what happens.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
And the Verdict is.......
We are not going to Idaho Falls.
This has been a very long and hard decision to come to. I know that lots of people may think that I am crazy for turning down the only job offer that I had received. I agree, it is pretty crazy. However, I know that going to Idaho Falls is not the right thing for us to do.
We have had this job offer since November, and in that entire time we have never felt really good about going to Idaho. I have never felt bad about going prior to the last few days (at least not in the sense that I felt like it was wrong), but I never felt like, "YES, this is the right decision."
When I told my mom about this, she freaked out!! She actually hung up on me. This didn't surprise me too much. I knew that she would not like the decision, I just hoped that she would give me a chance to explain.
So, here is what it actually comes down to. I have been taught my entire life that we should rely on the Lord. That we need to trust in him and not in the arm of flesh. Again, we never really felt good or bad about the decision until Rachel and I had an opportunity to visit Idaho Falls. The first time I didn't really get to see Idaho Falls at all, so I didn't really have an opinion about IF. We never felt good about being there. We had a nearly impossible time finding a place to live. What it really came down to was that we needed to ask the Lord what he wanted us to do. So we decided to fast and pray about it, so we would know for sure. We did that, and we got an answer that we were not supposed to go.
I know that sounds a bit crazy. I know that is hard to comprehend. How could someone trust so much in something as simple as fasting and prayer. It wasn't easy. We had a hard time coming to the decision. I can't even tell you how many times prior to the last 24 hours we went back and forth about what to do.
This is not the first time we have been in a similar situation. Right after Rachel and I got married we moved to Oregon and planned on going to the U of O. We applied got accepted and started applying for pell grants and financial aid. Then we got the letter about financial aid that showed how much they would give us and how much we would have to pay. We didn't like what we saw, we prayed about it, and felt like we needed to return to Utah and BYU to finish school. My mom had a very similar reaction. We were in a very similar situation. We didn't have any sort of job lined up, we didn't have anywhere to live. In fact, the one place that we thought we were going to live in we turned down as soon as we saw it in person and we were homeless for about a day. But in the end everything worked out, and we ended up being where we needed to be when we needed to be there.
I know that things will work out now. No, I don't have any job lined up. I don't know where we will be living in another 3 weeks. But I do know that the decision we have made is the right decision for us. Yes, it is very scary. But I know that things will work out. Since making this decision we have both felt a great deal of relief, even out-weighing the fear.
In addition, since making this decision I have talked to one of my professors who is going to help me talk to members of the school board here about possible jobs as well as some people in Colleges/Universities that he knows on the West Coast. I have also received a call back from a missionary I met at our Stake preparedness fair. He said he will keep his ears and eyes open for me. I have at least one, and possible 3 or 4 current positions that I want to apply for with the Church. I even have a job or two at Standford University that I would like to apply for. There are other opportunities out there, and I know that something that is right for us will come up.
I don't know what else to tell anyone. I won't defend my decision any further than what I have done here. I know it won't be easy, but I know that it is the right decision for us.
This has been a very long and hard decision to come to. I know that lots of people may think that I am crazy for turning down the only job offer that I had received. I agree, it is pretty crazy. However, I know that going to Idaho Falls is not the right thing for us to do.
We have had this job offer since November, and in that entire time we have never felt really good about going to Idaho. I have never felt bad about going prior to the last few days (at least not in the sense that I felt like it was wrong), but I never felt like, "YES, this is the right decision."
When I told my mom about this, she freaked out!! She actually hung up on me. This didn't surprise me too much. I knew that she would not like the decision, I just hoped that she would give me a chance to explain.
So, here is what it actually comes down to. I have been taught my entire life that we should rely on the Lord. That we need to trust in him and not in the arm of flesh. Again, we never really felt good or bad about the decision until Rachel and I had an opportunity to visit Idaho Falls. The first time I didn't really get to see Idaho Falls at all, so I didn't really have an opinion about IF. We never felt good about being there. We had a nearly impossible time finding a place to live. What it really came down to was that we needed to ask the Lord what he wanted us to do. So we decided to fast and pray about it, so we would know for sure. We did that, and we got an answer that we were not supposed to go.
I know that sounds a bit crazy. I know that is hard to comprehend. How could someone trust so much in something as simple as fasting and prayer. It wasn't easy. We had a hard time coming to the decision. I can't even tell you how many times prior to the last 24 hours we went back and forth about what to do.
This is not the first time we have been in a similar situation. Right after Rachel and I got married we moved to Oregon and planned on going to the U of O. We applied got accepted and started applying for pell grants and financial aid. Then we got the letter about financial aid that showed how much they would give us and how much we would have to pay. We didn't like what we saw, we prayed about it, and felt like we needed to return to Utah and BYU to finish school. My mom had a very similar reaction. We were in a very similar situation. We didn't have any sort of job lined up, we didn't have anywhere to live. In fact, the one place that we thought we were going to live in we turned down as soon as we saw it in person and we were homeless for about a day. But in the end everything worked out, and we ended up being where we needed to be when we needed to be there.
I know that things will work out now. No, I don't have any job lined up. I don't know where we will be living in another 3 weeks. But I do know that the decision we have made is the right decision for us. Yes, it is very scary. But I know that things will work out. Since making this decision we have both felt a great deal of relief, even out-weighing the fear.
In addition, since making this decision I have talked to one of my professors who is going to help me talk to members of the school board here about possible jobs as well as some people in Colleges/Universities that he knows on the West Coast. I have also received a call back from a missionary I met at our Stake preparedness fair. He said he will keep his ears and eyes open for me. I have at least one, and possible 3 or 4 current positions that I want to apply for with the Church. I even have a job or two at Standford University that I would like to apply for. There are other opportunities out there, and I know that something that is right for us will come up.
I don't know what else to tell anyone. I won't defend my decision any further than what I have done here. I know it won't be easy, but I know that it is the right decision for us.
Getting my Answer
I think I am getting my answer. I was driving down the street to work, and just kept thinking to myself, "We are rejecting the job offer. We are not going to Idaho Falls." And this warm feeling came over me. I think we are making the right decision by turning down the job offer. It is scary, because that means that we don't have a job, and in about 3 weeks we also won't have a place to live.
What are we supposed to do?
What are we supposed to do? Rachel and I have been to Idaho Falls twice now. We still don't have a place to live, and we haven't seen a whole lot of anything that we like. Every time Rachel goes she just gets a sinking, depressing, horrible feeling about being their, like we're not supposed to be.
So, we decided to fast and pray to know if we are actually supposed to turn down the job and not move to Idaho Falls.
When we first got done praying to start our fast I felt at peace. I felt like that was the right decision. As I have slept on it, and continued to pray, I'm not as confident or at peace about it. This morning I have had thoughts about possible other jobs, but I've also thought about some of the things that my future supervisor told me that I would be doing that I am actually kind of looking forward to. I've thought about some of the places that people have told us to try and look. I'm not sure if they will work out, and I have no way of knowing what is actually on the streets that they mentioned or what the streets are like. We would have to make another trip out there.
Then I wonder if I keep going back to Idaho Falls because it is something secure and known. It is not like we haven't moved before not knowing where we would live or what job I would be doing. Somehow thought, this seems to be just a little bit different. Maybe part of it is that I don't feel like I have really gotten help from anyone in my job search.
Basically, I'm still very conflicted about what we are supposed to do. I know that the Lord hears and answers prayers. I need to have more faith that it will happen and that if we really are not supposed to go, enough faith to make that decision and really commit to it. Yes, I said the words, we are not going. I don't know that we have really made that decision. That is the same thing Rachel said last night when we got done praying. We said the words, but I still feel all confused and feel like we really didn't make that decision. I need to have the faith necessary to actually go through with it.
So, we decided to fast and pray to know if we are actually supposed to turn down the job and not move to Idaho Falls.
When we first got done praying to start our fast I felt at peace. I felt like that was the right decision. As I have slept on it, and continued to pray, I'm not as confident or at peace about it. This morning I have had thoughts about possible other jobs, but I've also thought about some of the things that my future supervisor told me that I would be doing that I am actually kind of looking forward to. I've thought about some of the places that people have told us to try and look. I'm not sure if they will work out, and I have no way of knowing what is actually on the streets that they mentioned or what the streets are like. We would have to make another trip out there.
Then I wonder if I keep going back to Idaho Falls because it is something secure and known. It is not like we haven't moved before not knowing where we would live or what job I would be doing. Somehow thought, this seems to be just a little bit different. Maybe part of it is that I don't feel like I have really gotten help from anyone in my job search.
Basically, I'm still very conflicted about what we are supposed to do. I know that the Lord hears and answers prayers. I need to have more faith that it will happen and that if we really are not supposed to go, enough faith to make that decision and really commit to it. Yes, I said the words, we are not going. I don't know that we have really made that decision. That is the same thing Rachel said last night when we got done praying. We said the words, but I still feel all confused and feel like we really didn't make that decision. I need to have the faith necessary to actually go through with it.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Idaho Falls....?????
So, last week Rachel and I got to visit Idaho Falls. I had to go out for a physical (don't know why any doctor can't do it, it has to be their's) and since it was going to take two days we decided to take a look around and try to find a place to live.
We looked at two places to rent, and didn't really like either, and felt that we could possibly find a place to by for the same monthly payment. So we ended up looking at several homes. There was one that we actually liked quite a bit that we were considering putting an offer in on. It was a 5 bed (really 4) 2 bath 2,400 SF home on .20 acres of land. It was built in 1971 and hadn't been updated since. The sellers were going to give a $10,000 credit to make upgrades to anyone who purchased it, but we weren't 100% sure that we could do everything that needed to be done for that much, and it was priced at the top of our budget. After taking a couple of days to think about it, we decided not to put in an offer (even though we had tons of ideas on what we wanted to do to it, and we were really excited about the possible changes).
So, we will probably be renting something for the first little bit. This is probably better anyway, since the only money we have to buy a home is what we have left over from our tax returns this year (which is a little over $3,000). This really isn't enough when you need to put at least 3% down now and then you still have to come up with closing costs (unless you can convince the sellers to pay them). So, we will rent for the first little bit and try to save some more money for a larger down payment and possibly for closing costs as well. Our Real Estate agent did just send us two new listings last night with a significantly lower price tag that we would like to take a look at, but I don't know when we can make it back out there again before we move.
Graduation is April 24 and 25, and all of our stuff will be packed up and on its way to Idaho Falls on April 23 and will be delivered or stored on the 28th or 29th. So, basically we have to find a place to live and have our stuff delivered to before then.
We looked at two places to rent, and didn't really like either, and felt that we could possibly find a place to by for the same monthly payment. So we ended up looking at several homes. There was one that we actually liked quite a bit that we were considering putting an offer in on. It was a 5 bed (really 4) 2 bath 2,400 SF home on .20 acres of land. It was built in 1971 and hadn't been updated since. The sellers were going to give a $10,000 credit to make upgrades to anyone who purchased it, but we weren't 100% sure that we could do everything that needed to be done for that much, and it was priced at the top of our budget. After taking a couple of days to think about it, we decided not to put in an offer (even though we had tons of ideas on what we wanted to do to it, and we were really excited about the possible changes).
So, we will probably be renting something for the first little bit. This is probably better anyway, since the only money we have to buy a home is what we have left over from our tax returns this year (which is a little over $3,000). This really isn't enough when you need to put at least 3% down now and then you still have to come up with closing costs (unless you can convince the sellers to pay them). So, we will rent for the first little bit and try to save some more money for a larger down payment and possibly for closing costs as well. Our Real Estate agent did just send us two new listings last night with a significantly lower price tag that we would like to take a look at, but I don't know when we can make it back out there again before we move.
Graduation is April 24 and 25, and all of our stuff will be packed up and on its way to Idaho Falls on April 23 and will be delivered or stored on the 28th or 29th. So, basically we have to find a place to live and have our stuff delivered to before then.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Almost Done.....FINALLY!!!
So, school is finally winding down. I have one month of classes left, and 1 month and about 8 days of before graduation. It is getting really hard to stay focused on doing school. There are times when I feel so incredibly frustrated because I have so much stuff to do. There are other times when I feel like I'm doing well and staying on top of things.Trying to find a job has been a pain in the butt. I have applied and interviewed with 6 different companies (at least) and have only been extended an offer by one of them, an that was back in November!!! I have been incredibly frustrated with myself. The offer in November had a deadline of two weeks. I wasn't sure what would happen with other offers and I asked for a two week extension and then basically told them that I was interested but didn't want to commit 100% yet because I felt I would get other offers. Boy was I wrong. I haven't received any offer from anyone else. I even tried emailing my former boss in Oregon to see if he had any leads on jobs there. He basically sent me an email that said, "Good luck". I was pissed when I got his email back.
So, it looks like we are headed to Idaho Falls. The money is really good for the area, but I'm not super fond of the work schedule. It will be nice to have every-other Friday off though. I'm just not sure how I'm going to like Idaho Falls.
I guess I'm a little frustrated because it seems like my decision is being taken away from me. I have tried to interview with as many people/companies as possible. I thought that I did well in most of the interviews, and I feel like I have just as much and as good experience as others in the program, but they are getting offers and I'm not. So, I guess the Lord is trying to tell me that is where we are supposed to be for some reason. The other thing that is a little frustrating about it, is I feel like I'm behind on the hiring process for the job I did take because I could be farther along. I have to pass a DOE security clearance and that generally takes 90 to 120 days according to the company. Well, I just barely got all that turned in Wednesday last week!!! That means that at the earliest (using the averages) I won't start until June sometime.
I guess I just feel a little stuck. I'm excited to be done, but I don't really have anywhere to go. Rachel has talked about wanting me to go to graduate school, which I'm willing to consider but I have no idea what for or where. I want to have a little time off of school, but if I'm gone too long I won't be able to remember anything. The few jobs that I really wanted I got turned down on, and the job I have taken, no one can really tell me what I'll be doing.
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