IF (x2)

What a ride, and yes, I am fully aware that the ride is not over yet. It has been a busy day at the Rietveld home (er--the Bullen home) today. I have talked to my parents about financing regarding the offer we had to rescind, the mortgage broker, our realtor back home, a different realtor back home, our realtor here, and then our realtor back home a few more times. My voice is growing weary, as is my poor head.

Last I updated we had to not accept the counter offer on my dream little home as we had to remove condition of selling our home and we just couldn't do that not knowing how long our house is going to drag on for. If we had signed, and not sold our house come possession, we could have lost our sizeable deposit as well as been sued for breach of contract (and probably lost both houses). However, since my brother and Paige listed AND sold their home in two days as of yesterday, they no longer need my parents to co-sign for them freeing them up to co-sign for us... and to lift the condition of selling our home off! Worst case scenario this way is that after two more months here if our house doesn't sell, we may have to carry two mortgages until it does. Definitely not as scary! (Although the thought of that still sends shivers down my spine). Anyway, we were pre-approved with my parents on and we went ahead and put the offer back to them (it still wasn't dead yet: our realtor told them we were just looking into some financing options to buy us time, knowing how much we wanted it and were trying to sell our home! So, that was nice to still have on the table.) But we had to add in subject to financing (by next Fri.) to cover our offer... and we still haven't heard back yet! My mind is racing around wondering if they are going to sign off on it and say we've conditionally bought their home or not! I go from imagining where I'm going to put all our stuff in the house to thinking about what other houses we will have to go look at, knowing that nothing we look at will sit in my heart the way this one does. So, tomorrow morning--oh wait! thanks to insomnia and an overactive mind, that's today!--I will call and ask what's going on. You'd think I'd be learning patience through this all, but I am an incredibly challenged learner in that area.

On a side-note here, are you the type of eater that eats a little bit of everything at once and likes things to be balanced or do you like to eat your least favourite thing and then work up to your favourite? (I am the former, and Dan is the latter--drives me crazy!) But, I do believe that I see how is mind-set is working on that one as I continue on in my lengthy recount of our real-estate goings on. (And I do apologize to you all that I haven't done anything half entertaining or stimulating lately... I know all this chat gets a bit tedious, but I do need to purge it out somehow. You're it, I'm afraid). Aaaaanyway, on to my saving my favourite for last theory...

Our Cochrane house sold conditionally this evening. : ) : ) : ) They have until next Friday to have the house inspection done and the financing condition removed, then it's a done-deal. Possession is set for Nov. 17th, which works out well if we get this house here, as although they wrote up possession of Nov. 30 for us (to give us time to sell our house), they are moving to Ontario the end of October and the house will be vacant and they are willing to let us go in early!! : ) So, we actually could have overlap in our favour. IF they accept our offer and IF our conditional sale goes through.

Two very big IFs that stand in the way of me and sleep tonight. I am ecstatic, just too spent to let myself revel in it. Or, maybe just too afraid to believe that it all could work out. I firmly believe everything happens in the right time and God is guiding us through this all. I just need to learn to lean back more in that promise. So many lessons for me yet to learn, although I've been taught them again and again!

oh, be careful little heart...

But didn't you see it? Did you not go in the same wooden screen door that I did and have your breath momentarily caught up in your chest because it was so beautiful? Because it felt so right and at home? Did you not notice every little nook and cranny that I did? The "fort" in the attic off of one of "the boy's" rooms upstairs? The half-door (like in the church nursery) in the other room upstairs? All the built in drawers? The jetted tub (which I've been secretly coveting for years)? The dark wood floors? The wonderful dark wood stairs that curl around ever so gently at the top to deliver the boys safely to their cozy rooms? The huge bright window in the kitchen facing over the backyard; did you know I can watch the boys playing happily in the back and simultaneously make supper--or even bake? And, hee-hee, did you know that with five bedrooms, I can finally have a place to do my stamping (while also looking out over the back yard) *and* also have a place for guests to lay their heads? Did you notice how everything is finished up so perfectly: no loose ends or sharp pieces for the boys to hurt themselves on? And what about the neighbourhood? On a dead-end cul-de-sac that they can go out and play street-hockey on, and a gorgeous tree-covered park a half a block away? No, this little house was ordered up custom just for me. I know I should be going into self-preservation mode here, as they haven't even accepted our offer yet, but I just can't help myself. Thanks for the warning, but I'm afraid I've already taken the plunge. I am head over heels in love with this little home.

scary realization...

We've put in another offer on another house and I've realized that I don't really even care anymore. Isn't that something? It's in Highlands, on a nice street, it's a really old home that needs EVERYTHING redone to it (but is oozing character!), so we've gone in lower with our conditions, and it's to the point where I say, "If it happens, then... great? We've got a hell of a lot of work ahead of us." If not? Maybe fourth time's a charm. So silly all this house stuff. Silly, silly, silly, and yet so damn necessary. Ah,what the hell, here's the picture:



***Wednesday 3:35pm: Another no-go. Too many conditions. We really, really need to sell our house to have any of these offers taken seriously! On to bigger and better--no wait, just on to other things. Well, who's keeping track anyway?

Onwards and upwards....

Not to be on the little cute house. That must mean there's something better down the road for us.: ) Someone came in and counter-offered with no conditions. I can respect that.

We are in Edmonton for a week now; we just got in at lunch here. We're housesitting at the Bullen's in Highlands. Should be fun. It's near parks and paths with a nice yard to play in. I look forward to visiting with whomever I can while I'm here. : )

I'd better run--Natty's banging on the wall and crying (it's his "nap"). Ah, yes. We need to settle in.

Trying again.

Here's to our second attempt at buying a home. We have put in the offer just before dinner here, and are waiting to hear back if they accept it or not. It's not our "dream home" but it allows us to live comfortably while I'm at home, and also the opportunity to invest some of our house equity in the mean-time. Three bedrooms up with full bath, main floor has LR, DR, kitchen, another bedroom, plus full bath; basement is dirt. Hmm. It's old, but there have been many, many upgrades. Here's hoping? For you Edmontonians who may want to drive by if you're out and about, it's in the Alberta-Ave district: 11928 90 Street.

s'nice.

I'll miss this view when we move from here. Whenever that is. No news. They say no news is good news, but I'm not so sure that this is the case. We have showings, but no offers. Fill in pat saying here: "_______________________________ " Yup. What to do.... what to do. Our contract is up on Sept. 30th with our present realtor, and I do believe that will be the end of her! There are lots of options from there. I've got my hopes set in that direction. IF she manages to close a deal before then, well, hats off to her. I can secretly hope, I guess. : ) My fortitude is growing weary. So is my cleaning gene.

What a scattered woe-is-me entry. Yeish.

This one's for you, John.

My brother John is a full-blooded germ-a-phobe. As I was flipping through the Globe and Mail this weekend, I was drawn to this article like a person is drawn to a train-wreck. I couldn't look away; I had to digest every little detail in totally absorbed horror. Perhaps he isn't a freak afterall when it comes to the public bathrooms... My apologies, John.

I found it so engrossing (ha!) that I had to send it along to your eyes too. I believe my favourite parts of this diagram are the walls behind the middle stall and the urinal. Wowsers. That IS something, isn't it? (Make sure to click on the photo to read all the sordid details clearly!)



The toilet seat, eh? Who knew.