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.

30 Days and Counting

I am a bit late in getting this written, but it is my intent to check in every 30 days even if I am a little late in getting it posted. I think Jason and I are both surprised in ourselves with the dedication we've put into working out. I've personally only missed four days out of the 30, so I have gone well above my goal of 3-5 times per week. YEA! I am proud to say too that I am up to 40 minutes of cardio after 30 days and loving the elliptical, a nemesis when I first started this fitness program. Jason and I also alternate days of lifting weights. He is progressing much further than me on that; however, he lifts almost every day, while my goal is 2-3 times per week. I feel cardio is more important at this time. And I am pretty sure I could kick his butt when it came to time and level on the elliptical.

Overall, we are also truly enjoying Snap Fitness, the club we joined. It is a lot smaller than your typical club like the Y or Courts Plus, however, I know I feel a lot less intimidated there and also feel the people who workout there are friendlier. I will admit, I was never fond of the Y and made it about two months there. Another plus of Snap Fitness is that we usually never have to wait to use any of the machines/weights. We have found that around 5:30-6pm during the week is not a good time, but even then, our wait to use a machine was 5-10 minutes. When possible, we now go later in the evening, around 9. If Jason has bowling or another obligation, I tend to go right after work, also a quiet time. Weekends, we think, everyone takes off, as we have went at various times and never seen more than three people working out. We did learn that the church near the Snap Fitness we go to lets out around 12 noon on Sundays, so we do avoid that time on Sundays. Traffic is insane. Traffic and parking seem to be our only major gripe about the place so far. That, and I wasn't too happy about the Boot Camp they decide to hold Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:45-8p. We are working around that though too.

Finally, I'll admit, my weight loss hasn't been anything to exactly blog about; however, I feel healthier, have more energy and know I am eating a lot healthier. The inches prove more than the scale anyways as do the muscles I can feel again in my legs. For now though, this is my 30 day check-in. Hopefully we'll have some bigger results to post in a few weeks!

You Live Here!

I'll admit, I don't think I ever planned to actually spend my entire life living in North Dakota. I married the most wonderful man though, and well, you know how love will change what you are willing to do in life for it. I am happily married and content with spending most of my life in North Dakota. And every now and then, you'll hear a mutter from me about the weather, likely when it's well below zero. But seriously people, you live in North Dakota. Sure, you've been spoiled over the last few years with mild winters, but you still live in North Dakota. And, with a few exceptions, most of you choose to live here. So quit complaining about it!

I know, it has been one of the snowiest winters of all time, including the record breaking month of December. And I know, it's been colder than usual. However, until you have lived in practically the middle of no where and have gone without power and heat for a week, I don't want to hear about it. Especially not repeatedly. I watch the same weather reports and hear the same radio station carrying on about how cold it is outside or when the next storm is coming. This does not have to be the subject of conversation for days on end. Spring will come and then summer and I suppose then they'll be complaining about hot it is... people are never happy.

Best Buy Bites

Don't worry Best Buy, you haven't lost my business; however, your customer service is something to be desired per my latest visit. First, I've never had to use Best Buy's customer service so that is a positive for them. I do realize as well, being in customer care, that my standards are pretty high. But if I offer excellent service for every customer, shouldn't other companies hire the same kind of employee?

Granted, this whole issue started with me not keeping a receipt for what I had purchased. I've never had an issue though, and the receipt was for a DVD and an iTunes card, neither of which I had any intention of returning. Another error was that I didn't open the DVD immediately. I was finishing up my last semester of classes and was quite occupied with that. With my New Year's resolutions set, it was time to bust out the DVD. Upon opening it, I noticed a spot on the DVD. Great... I had a feeling, but I held on to a glimmer of hope that I wouldn't have any issues. Wrong. About 21 minutes in the DVD it froze up and nothing would get it to advance.

Remembering that we used a credit card to pay for the DVD as well as being Rewards Zone members, I decided I was going to try to simply exchange the DVD. I wouldn't have any issue with Best Buy if that wasn't acceptable, as afterall, I am the one that didn't save the receipt. So this past Monday, with the winds howling in Fargo at around 40 mph, I ventured off to Best Buy.

Once I was at the service counter, I immediately apologized stating I hadn't saved my receipt and that I didn't expect my money back but that maybe instead I could simply exchange it as it would not play the entire disc due to the spot. I felt I was being really nice, but the woman who was helping didn't seem to feel the need to return the favor. She sighed deeply as if I had just inconvenienced her greatly. I added that I was a Rewards Zone member and perhaps she could use that to pull up the purchase for the DVD. You could see her hesitate and then she reluctantly asked for my phone number. She found nothing under that and asked rather unpleasantly how I paid for the merchandise. I apologized and stated that I wasn't 100% sure but that it was likely by credit card. She was even less impressed by me and huffed a fine followed by a request for my Rewards Zone card. Why she didn't ask for this immediately still remains a question in my mind. Of course, she located the purchase easily with it and printed the receipt off within seconds. Again, a look of dismay seemed to cross over her face. I felt almost as if she wasn't happy about locating the receipt as she now had to help me.

After scanning the DVD she instructed me, like a child I might add, to go grab a new one off the shelves. OK. Easy enough, though I thought again, why was I doing this? Why didn't she simply page someone to bring a copy to the counter? So I ventured through the store to the aisle I knew it was located. After searching for about five minutes, I was either in the wrong aisle or my pleasant customer service agent had sent me to find something that wasn't in the store. So back to the counter I went. Thank goodness, she was helping someone else!

A gentleman then took over. After explaining my whole situation again, he decided to check the computer to see if the DVD was even in stock. Nope. Now why the first agent didn't do this is beyond me. Obviously it was too much work for her, and I think we've determined previously that she simply wasn't into helping me. I then asked the man if they had stopped carrying it or simply did not have it in stock. He stated it wasn't in stock, so like any normal customer, I asked if he by chance knew when it would be. Of course not. We're living in the 21st century surrounded by technology but certainly that can't assist in knowing when the next shipment for the product is expected...

After determining that I really wasn't going to get any more assistance, I asked if I could have store credit or if I had to bring the DVD back another day. Well, this baffled him, and he stared at me with a puzzled look on his face. Are these people not trained? He then asks the lady that helped me initially how she would like to handle it. She snapped that she supposed a store credit would have to do, once again, vibes of her discontent with me and my spotted DVD. Finally though, I was handed a gift card of $11.98 after about 15 minutes at the counter and tour around the store. The conversation was capped off about some Reward Zone dollars that I am not sure I gained or lost since the clerk couldn't explain himself, but at least I didn't return home with a DVD that didn't play. And I found it on Amazon for $8.49. Thanks Best Buy for making my decision to purchase it elsewhere easier.