We Found It!

We were full of gloom and doom for about a day after our heartbreak. Monday our spirits slowly started perking up a bit. Jason created a fun database that pulled only houses that were single family and within what we wanted to spend for us to search through instead of all the new home listings (it's frustrating to read a house description and then click to the detail page only to learn it is a twin home). Monday was a busy home day, but Tuesday brought our spirits down again as the listings were slow. Wednesday wasn't much better, though our list grew to two. And then it was Thursday. A house only a block from the one we had so desperately wanted went on the market. Things were looking brighter.

I was off from work that Friday as I was scheduled to work at Swanson's over the weekend, so we planned a 3pm meeting with Tanya. About an hour before, another house came on the market, and I had the strangest vibe. Today was the day we were going to find our home. I texted that to Jason, and he, too, had the feeling! Not that we didn't have a little disappointment first.

Our first stop was the new home listing. Well, the Realtor those owners had must be relatively new to the field as he didn't even have the lock box with the key at the house yet! This delayed us for about 15 minutes. The house was in West Fargo and very cute on the outside as well as being landscaped nicely. And then we entered it. I am not sure what the builder was attempting with this floor plan, but it was almost as if the dining room was part of the kitchen and upstairs living area. Well, that was easy. It wasn't the one and off we were to Moorhead.

The next home was nice. It was in an older established neighborhood, and the wood floors were fascinating. There were some quirks though, and it went on our maybe list. I officially learned what it feels like to be on House Hunters.

Lastly, house number three, the house a block away from Village Green and heartbreak house. While Tanya's key code device had been acting up at the two prior homes, it worked without haste and clicked giving us the key. We walked in and within seconds, knew it was the one. OK, I had to see the kitchen first and make sure it didn't have white cabinets. Custom built oak cabinets stared back at me, and I know we were thinking offer before we even saw the lower level! Finally - this feeling that I had been on a quest for for so many weeks now, that feeling I was so worried I'd never have was there for the taking. This home made the heartbreak house completely disappear from our minds. I think we were both thinking to ourselves, thank goodness that one was sold because at that very moment, we had found the one!

After spending a bit of time in the house, checking out the backyard and deck and rooms three times over, it was time to head back to the office and write our offer. Once all the papers were signed, we headed home to gather ourselves. Tanya also suggested calling to make an appointment for the home inspection right away. From her two referrals, we decided on Tri-State Home Inspection. I called and left Dean a message. Jason and I then opted for a mini-celebration (not too extravagant, after all, we'd lost one house in this search) at John Alexander's. Dean, the home inspector called while we were sipping martinis and confirmed an appointment for us for Thursday. Of course, I have no idea what the address is of the house we just put in an offer on is. Thankfully people must do this all the time, and he said he'd just call back and get it. While our ducks were all in a row, our wait then began.

We finished up supper and then I had to check to make sure "our house" was still there, so we drove by it. In the meantime, Jason's sister, Rhonda called us up and said they were having drinks at The Ground Round. So off we went for more beverages to pass the time awaiting to see if our offer had been accepted. Shortly after, Tanya called. The homeowner was "seriously considering our offer, but wanted to sleep on it." More waiting. For once, I was thankful that I had to go to work in the morning on a weekend. While I feel I have patience of steel, having to wait until morning felt like forever!

I went off to work the next morning, making sure Jason had his BlackBerry next to him. I then watched the minutes pass, trying my hardest to focus on work. Finally, a little after 10, Tanya called. The homeowner countered with a different amount and later closing date. I called Jason and after about 10 minutes we decided to accept the counter. It was really ours!

We met up with Tanya at Woody's the next afternoon to initial the counter offer making it official! And of course, had to have a few drinks to celebrate. Our inspection is set for tomorrow night at 5 and if all goes well, we close on July 1st!

Heartbreak

Two Saturdays ago, Jason and I continued our house hunt with our Realtor, Tanya. For some odd reason, I had clicked on a link to a home in Moorhead the day before while perusing HomesHQ. We added it to our list of five and headed to meet Tanya. Our list quickly dwindled to three homes as an inspection was pending on one and another couldn't be seen that particular day. I will admit, I was bummed about the one with the inspection as I had been to the open house for it a week before while Jason was in Minneapolis. But off we headed.

Our first stop was a home in Eagle Run, another that I had seen previously. I loved it, but we were both a little less than crazy about the location. It also came with $10,000+ in specials. It was a quick stop as Jason was OK with it, but we just couldn't live with putting that much money into specials and not the house itself. So, off we were to another stop. It was a Chesapeake floor plan, a plan we had seen previously, however that one had white cabinets. A compromise I wasn't willing to make. We walked in though and there they were, my oak cupboards. After a walk through and taking into consideration that it was only three bedrooms, we walked out knowing yet another house wasn't the one. Now it was time to check out that one in Moorhead.

Mind you, we met up with Tanya at 1pm, and it was at that time she called the owners of the homes to set up appointments to see the houses and also allow them leave. All of the owners were OK with that and of course, weren't home upon our arrival. We walked into the Moorhead house, and both loved the layout. It had four bedrooms and felt open yet home like. Then we saw the back yard standing on the wrap around deck with a view of hole 13 for Village Green. We spent a considerable amount of time in the house, outside of the house and while there were a few cosmetic details in need of updating, we were convinced we'd found the one and told Tanya we wanted to put in an offer. She called the other Realtor and left a voice mail indicating that we were heading back to her office to get things started. On the drive back to Tanya's office, her cell phone rang, and it was the other Realtor. Then we heard five dreaded words, "The house has already sold?!?" Certainly Tanya couldn't be talking about the one we were just it. It hadn't even been on the market for 12 hours! When Tanya expressed her disgust in the owners coming to let us see it, I knew right then and there, that house wasn't the one after all. Not that I thought that immediately. Immediately, my heart sunk to the floor.

We went home, both pretty down. Crabbiness sunk in for the both of us, and I don't think you would have wanted to talk to either one of us the following day. Jason was convinced that now I had found this perfect, amazing house I was going to have pretty high standards as I had set the bar. He was right. I didn't admit it though, as I too felt completely defeated and frustrated. Jason I think though was worse off then me in the frustration. I had already been to the low point he had been at. So if I had come around and he was to the low point, was that a sign? Was our future home just days away from being put on the market? Or would we just settle now for whatever to be done with this? The sage continues...

90+ Day Check-in

While my goal was to check in once every 30 days, things got a little crazy for us, first with the flood concerns then with the hunt for our home starting. And while these lack of posts may indicate that things aren't going too well, we are still going to the gym! The sandbagging debacle did sidetrack us for a week as sandbagging in the cold, wet rain leads my well being not being so well. We got back on track though and typically work out now five days a week. Jason gets an extra night off with bowling (though he considers that a workout). The biggest satisfaction for me is that I can easily do 30+ minutes on the elliptical I used to hate at an intensity level of 25-30! I could barely make it on level 10 when I first started for 15 minutes.

During this time, I continue the battle with my shin splits. I've been cursed with them ever since I can remember and running sets them off like humid weather does a thunderstorm. I've resorted to the fact that I should be wearing two different types of shoes and well, that isn't going to happen. I am determined to run again someday though, typically run now two days a week to give the shins time to heal in between. No 5k for me this year, but I continue to have it as a goal, just taking me a little longer to accomplish it. And you'll still see me at the Fargo Marathon as I am working the Swanson Health Products booth for a little extra cash.

Finally, I have been given a new motivator in my quest to being fit and fabulous before January 2010 for our anniversary cruise. I am joining a weight-loss challenge through Cold Fusion Nutrition Center. It kicks off tonight and is a six week competition. While winning the money would be nice, I am doing this to help keep me focused on eating healthy. I think Jason and I have made fitness a part of a set routine, so now it's time to say good bye to butter burgers too. Wish me luck!

The Hunt Begins!

In keeping up with our resolutions for 2009, we decided it was time to take the plunge and start in on probably the #1 resolution, buying a home. The first obstacle to overcome was finding a Realtor. Jason and I had decided on one long ago, but after that fell through (two unanswered emails to her), we decided to contact Tanya with Advantage Realtors in Fargo per the encouragement of Jason's brother and sister. Thanks guys!

Tanya put me at ease almost immediately, replying to my email within 10 minutes and calling me the same day to discuss the beginning steps. It was exactly what we needed as we were to the point where we were ready to start but not sure where. The biggest question for me was where to go for the mortgage. Since "bank" is technically a four letter word to me as my mom managed a credit union for many years, our finances are with a credit union. Most do home loans; however, they are underwritten by outside entities. Jason and I both weren't interested in that based on the recent falls within the financial world. Tanya had the answer though - Valley Mortgage.

I'll admit. I was fearful of the whole aspect of trying to obtain a loan with the economy/housing market as it is. Perhaps I watch too much news because the entire process was a breeze! Just like their web address, www.itsabreeze.com. We'd recommend them, along with our loan officer Ray, to anyone and everyone in a heartbeat. We were in and out in about 45 minutes, pre-approval basically in hand, on the same day I had called Ray to discuss our needs.

So, now it begins. Tanya took us out last Tuesday to look at a few homes and to get an idea of what we want. I was convinced we had found "the one," which Jason referred to as the "garage house" (it looks like a garage and only a garage from the front), but after another look during an open house a few days later, we couldn't compromise not having much of a back yard. The house was beautiful and being new construction, we could have even picked our own colors and flooring, but it wasn't home for us. We've also been to a few open houses over the weeks in preparation for this, so we know what we want. Right now, the market is a little slow in the area, and ours just isn't out there yet. Hopefully with Spring here now, the right one pops onto the market for us to find. Stay tuned as the hunt continues...

"Normal"

After the last week or so, I realized that before the Red River laid its threats upon us, I really didn't have such a crazy life after all. And I took a lot of things for granted. Right now, I try to get my life back to normal - or what I thought wasn't so normal. It was though, it just needs a little tweaking. Or maybe prioritizing. I am not sure. But something has to change. That is the obvious. In one week's time, I worked my ass off filling sandbags, recruited people to join the flood effort, worked 40 hours (ok, 32, they called work off Friday), spent time with friends and family either in person or on the phone, managed to get catch a cold (sandbagging plus rain in March in North Dakota likely contributed), slept little, hit rock bottom through it all and survived the biggest crest of all time for the Red River of the North. I did it all though - and the biggest point is that I survived. And what I went though is NOTHING compared to those who lost their homes or jobs or had to evacuate for days on end not knowing what they would come back to. Yes folks, now that is a life that isn't normal. I should count my lucky stars for the normal I do have (minus last week). And I promise you, I'll think twice before I say my life is out of control. I'll think about the Flood of '09.

One Week

Today marked one week since I filled my first sandbag. I never even thought about when it would end or what it could bring. I just knew I had to help. We spent much of last Saturday morning on Rivershore Drive in Moorhead filling sandbags. Sunday we headed to Sandbag U (or Sandbag Central, SBC). It was amazing to meet such giving and hard working people. After all those bags, last weekend and throughout the week, all we are left to do is ride it out.

So many times this week, I've kept wanting to wake up from this dream. Thursday night, when they upped the crest even more, I realized I wasn't going to. I think I hit rock bottom that night. But my positive outlook on this has returned. This morning reports came in that the river may have crested. This lifted many spirits, I am sure, and while I certainly do not think it is over by far, a sense of calmness has come over me, one I haven't had all week. Of course, it could be the NyQuil/DayQuil cocktails I've been taking... Though I even try to look at that positively - it was as good time to get sick. I couldn't help as much as I wanted, but it helps to ease having nothing to do since all I want to do is sleep.

Jason, I and the cats remain safe. According to the map, our townhouse is located on parts of the "higher ground" in Fargo and for that I am so thankful. My heart goes out to all of you that have to worry about your homes or have already been evacuated. I cannot even begin to imagine what you are feeling. We will all stay strong though, because that's what we do. We grew up in the Midwest with strong work ethics and the courage to keep going on no matter what. It is that which will get us through the greatest flood of all time for Fargo-Moorhead, and I am so glad to be a part of that.

There are many things you can do in an hour. For example, you can watch an entire episode of 24. You can also have some photos developed or have your prescription eye glasses made. Another thing that takes an hour is the wait between the time you order your food and the time it is brought out to you at the Whispering Winds Restaurant at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, MN.

We got to test this theory twice on a recent trip and overnight stay at the casino. The night of my birthday, the buffet at Shooting Star Casino was serving seafood, a meal I didn’t want to put Jason through, even though it was my day. So we instead selected the sit down restaurant, Whispering Winds. Quite frankly, I wish it would have whispered to us to eat elsewhere.

Upon entering the restaurant, one could certainly tell it was busy. Finally though, we were seated and water was brought to us almost immediately. And then we waited. And we waited some more. And yet some more... After about 10 minutes and watching another couple leave, our server arrived to take our order. Jason inquired about the soups, which should have been our cue that dinner was likely going to go drastically wrong as one of the soup choices given to us was "cheesy." Cheesy what? We both settled on the sirloin steak, I selected the salad option, and Jason chose chili from the soup list, as it seemed the only safe choice.

While we didn't time it, supper did take a while to reach us. We watched another table leave without ever being waited on in this time frame while I enjoyed her quaint little salad. Our steaks were then served up, mineappearing plump and juicy, like an eight ounce sirloin, Jason's maybe five ounces and taken from the ass end of the cow. Or maybe a cow had sat on it? Hard to say. Jason’s displeasure with the steak was evident throughout the course of the meal.

And yes, we would have complained or at least I would have. Too bad we never saw our server during the entire dining experience. No refills, no check to see if the steaks were properly prepared, and no offer of a to-go box, which may have been intentional if the servers have ever tasted the food they serve. Needless to say we ended up in the deli at the hotel around midnight to provide our stomachs with some substance since $40+ didn't do much for us at supper.

Perhaps we are gluttons for punishment or simply cannot learn our lesson the first time around, but we ended up at Whispering Winds the next morning. At a casino, there aren't many choices for dining. It was the Winds again or a lunch buffet. We should have run for the buffet when the hostess sat us in the same exact table we had been at the evening before...

We choose to sit in opposite spots in hopes that our service would improve. While the server did seem less inept on this visit, the cook seemed to have progressed backwards since his/her last shift. On this particular morning, we watched couples leave again and three other tables become quite upset with the wait. After waiting an hour for our own breakfast, we understood why. And yes, it was a complete hour. We weren’t quite sure as to why since the breakfast menu only has about 10 options, almost all involving toast, pancakes and/or eggs.

As for the food? Well, I am still unsure as to how someone can screw up toast, but the cook at Whispering Winds managed to do so. It was like eating cardboard. Actually, cardboard may have tasted better. Perhaps it was in the toaster the entire hour we waited for our food. The hash browns, too, had likely been on the grill since the restaurant had opened at 6am. Ketchup couldn't even kill the bland taste of those. While our server did check on us and kept my cup filled with coffee (for the second half of our hour long wait at least), we were beyond the desire to even complain. After all, we did consciously choose to eat here twice. On an end note, if you'd like to leave the casino winning what feels like the stomach flu, be sure to make a stop at Whispering Winds. Please allow at least two hours for the complete experience.