The Big Investments

We did something crazy before the year started! Something we never expected to do while living in Utah!!! Okay, I'll just say it... We bought a house!!!

"What!" you say?

That's right, we bought a house.

"Weren't you planning to move to California?"

Yes, and we still are but we HAD to up-size from the tiny apartment that we were paying $570 for because we were starting to look like serious hoarders. Along with that, it's expensive to rent a three bedroom apartment. The best I could find was $1100 for a townhouse in Centerville. It's a great little place with a great price, but we wanted normal sized bedrooms. The two bedroom (which is what we lived in at that place before) has huge rooms but the three bedroom has tiny, little, closet-sized rooms. Outside of those Garden View Townhouses, we couldn't find a place we'd be comfortable living in that was cheaper than $1300-$1400. Our mortgage is $1000. Well, that's what it is after all the little extra costs are added, so the actual mortgage is like $700-something... And that's with a backyard all to ourselves, more sq. footage, and an office.

Anyhow, I'm sure you want to see house pics, so here they are. But please note that these photos are from the appraisal so they're kind of bland. We're still living out of boxes so I need to find my camera gear and hook my computer back up. Haven't done that yet...

Inside there are three levels. The main level has a front room, kitchen, and dining room. The lower level has a family room, an office, a laundry room, and a bathroom. And the upper level has two regular bedrooms, a bathroom, and a master bedroom / bathroom.

Here's the front room and kitchen. The appraisal photo of the dining room is totally blurry so I didn't add that, but it has french doors, which I'm excited about.

Here's the family room.

And here's the master bedroom.

It's nothing special (everything is builder quality) but it has a ton of room for growth. We've painted Knox's room, the family room, and we just started on the front room. I'll post before and after pics as soon as we get a room fully set up.

The major issue though... The last owners used it as a rental for almost 9 years, and the last set of renters fried foods all the time!!! They killed the kitchen (little did we know). We just found out yesterday that we won't be able to reface the kitchen like we planned, we'll have to get a whole new kitchen. SOOOO, say goodbye to granite counter-tops and hello to IKEA!!! That's okay though, at least it'll be clean and grease free!!!

Anyhow, I'm excited to show you how we progress!!! Wish us luck!!!

Taking "Me" Back Update

On July 20, 2012 I did a post titled Taking "Me" Back and said I would update you on it. Well, here's a 2 years later update:

1. Time Management - I still struggle with it but as long as the TV is off I'm so much more productive, and I started making lists for myself again so that is a huge help
2. Finances - We're pretty good here. I don't remember my struggles before but I haven't been worried about it for a while, so that's good.
3. Health - We got a gym membership and I never go but after I get off work we always go somewhere so it just feels good walking... plus my job has changed so I'm not sitting around editing 11-13 hours a day, which rocks! I actually get off work at 5pm so I have more time in the day to be active. I love it!!!
4. Home - I don't know what my concern was with this... I guess I didn't read my post well enough, but Jon is amazing at keeping the house clean Monday through Friday so I have the weekends now, which makes life easier.
5. Secure stability for my future - Still working on this. Other than student loans and a credit card or two we're out of debt, we finally got insurance about a year ago... maybe longer, so we can actually go to the Dr., and we have a savings account. I feel pretty good even though I do have new goals for our future which I've recently started working on, but we'll talk about that later.
6. Spirituality - I think I'm doing much better. I mean... we always go to church... we always say our meal prayers... we always say a family prayer at night before we go to bed, and I always read scriptures and pray on my own at night before going to bed. But just going through the actions is not enough... I try to have a constant prayer in my heart and I started reading and praying in the morning before I start my day. It seems to make everything better and gets my mind in the right place for the day. Something I'm still trying to do is make sure that I set time aside for a good long prayer... not any set time... just sitting down, by myself and having a sincere minute or 10 or whatever it needs to be. I use to do it all the time but it seems like every moment is full of something so it's much harder these days. That's okay though... it's a work in progress.

Anyhow, feelin' pretty good about where we are. We're still trying to progress in a number of areas so goals are good. I like having things to shoot for...

Knox [One Month]

This is the Place [Part 2]

 

THE FLY.......

Okay you guys. Something about me you might not know... I LOATH FLIES! They're the most disgusting little critters on the face of the earth...

Now I know, this coming from Erika, lover of all Gods creatures, great and small... one of the few tree hugger, "hippie claimin'" Mormons around... but flies are icky and I haven't quite discovered their purpose. Not that I've done any major research but still...

Maybe someday they'll come out with a finding that the little beasts cure cancer. And on that day I will repent, and confess my wrong to the entire world... but until then they are dark creatures from the lowest abyss of H-E-double Hockey Sticks!

So here's my story... About a month ago a fly got into our house. We haven't had a fly in our house in... well, what feels like forever! So at first I was like... oh, I miss my cat... this is kind of like having a little pet. I mean, the thing wouldn't die - So you get kind of use to it... Anyhow, you know how they say that flies usually die within 24 hours. WRONG! That bugger lasted for 2 WEEKS!!! By the 2nd week it started to get on my nerves... SOOO we used our nifty little fly-swatter... which is actually really gross because its like an electric fence and when you zap something... it sends sparks... yeah... no joke!

Don't worry about asking... Jon's dad got it for him as a gift for Christmas or something... must be a guy thing because they both thought it was cool, and so did I until I saw that first bug light up like a christmas tree... not so cool after that...

Anyhow, so two weeks go by and suddenly the fly is gone. We tried zapping him but he was too fast... that's probably why he lasted two weeks... he was a fast little bugger (ha - "bugger" - a fly - bugger - get it!... Anyhow...). So we go a week, no fly... and then it happened. Somehow, we got ANOTHER fly in our house. WHAT!

This one only lasted about a week and then we didn't see it anymore. Totally clueless on where these things go to die but they seem to vanish. Which I'm okay with. Anyhow...

Then Monday comes... I wake up in the morning... take Jon to work... Its a regular day... sun is shining, birds are chirping... and then... I come home to make myself some Peeps in Diegos and what do I see when I pull the bread out of the breadbox... None other than THIS...

I freaked out. I actually almost puked. Literally. Wasn't feelin' so well that day so I was actually making food so I wouldn't, and then this happened and I almost lost it. I text my sister and asked her what to do... I already had my heart set on trashing my bread but I wanted a second opinion. The thing was curled up so I figured it was going to die soon. It wasn't moving...

In the mean time of texting I started making myself something out of the fridge, a bagel.

She asked what it was... I didn't know... she asked if the bread was closed... it was... she asked if the bread smelled bad... I didn't know, so I thought I'd check... I went over to the box and there was that little worm... all stretched out and movin' really, really fast across the top of the bread box door. I... of course screamed... and jumped around like I was walkin' on hot coals. I called my sister... "What do I do? What do I do?" It was like the first time seeing a cockroach. I go stupid, my brain is paralyzed in fear. Put me in some horrible situation and I'm fine... put a gross little bug in front of me and I'm an idiot! I couldn't bring myself to touch it... even through layers and layers of napkins so she told me to put a cup over it. I grabbed an old cup... that actually didn't belong to me... and threw it on top. She saved the day!

Life went on. Jon had seen it too but was too grossed out to do anything so we left it there for a few days, assuming that without food it would die. Nope. Leaving it there actually made us realize what it was. A few days later I finally got the nerve to trash that little worm but when I started to raise the cup I heard something ripping and it wasn't as easy to lift as usual. Op. That's when I saw it. That little worm was forming a chrysalis. It wasn't just a worm. That was a baby... pooped out by a fly! A fly baby! Or better known as but more disgusting to say... a fly larva. EWWWWWW!!!

So, needless to say the breadbox is gone as is the fly worm and its little home it was building... and my sister's cup... but I'm sure she wouldn't want it back anyways.

So that brings us to today. Jon and I get home and there's another fly in our house. We were fed up! Jon saw him in the corner of our dining room and when he tried to fly away, Jon started swatting. "I got him cornered, I got him cornered." Now, since two of the sides were wall/door and two weren't. I can't agree that having one side covered is really cornering him. He more had him boxed. So I took the other side with the fly swatter. It was like table tennis for a while. The fly would go Jon's way and he'd flail his arms wildly to keep it back and then it would come my way and I'd swing my racket and try to get him. This went on for about 5 minutes. The window was open too, mind you... so anyone who saw us would have thought we were spazzin' out! But after a while I finally got him. Zapped that little bugger and he fell to the ground! NOW. If we get another fly... we know how to take care of 'em... we'll tag team his A... butt... (come on guys... like I'd really drop an A-bomb)


Don't mess with us! (Not you guys, the flies... you're okay to mess with us, unless you're a fly... then not so much)

This is the Place [Part 1]

A few weeks ago my brother, Mario, his wife, Liz, and their two daughters, Becka and Nora, came into town. Their first time visiting Utah might I add. It was so fun and made me realize that I'm sad we don't live closer. My family use to always do a ton of fun stuff when we lived near each other... then Mario & Liz moved away and no more fun stuff... apparently they brought the fun with them... :) Seriously!

Anyhow, so here are some pictures and there will be more to come but these are just a few that I grabbed. By the way, if you're expecting to see a lot of my brother and sister and their kids, you'll be sorely disappointed. I actually just got a bunch of random stuff while we hung out... didn't take a ton of pictures... not like our Beverly Beach trip, though I wish I was able to.

But here we go... 4 pictures that I took that I thought were cool.

This was actually an accidental picture. I was checking the lighting and the shutter stayed open longer than I expected... its my brother-in-law, Ryan and the fire... you just can't totally tell...

Last, this isn't an "interesting" picture per say, but its my little nephew Oliver, whom I ADORE!!! He's straight up a crazy, no shame little kid and I LOVE IT!!! He had just jacked that piece of cinnamon bread from me right before I snatched the photo. Freaking adore him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS. He plays the tough, straight up crazy kid, but he's actually really sweet and sensitive. The other day he wanted my grapes and I wouldn't share (I'm such a great example) so he would give me a kiss every time he wanted a grape... you just can't say no to that...

A Few Things I Find Interesting

I'm sure I could add to this list as I go but for now...

I find it interesting that people still honk their horns when they're waiting out side for someone. Don't you have a cell phone? Don't you know its 7:30 AM and not everyone has a kid going to school that early? Don't you realize that there are like 10 houses, in incredibly close proximity to you that you are, quite possibly, disturbing. Didn't your parents teach you any better manners? And to end with the question that I started with...

DON'T YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE?

On a more serious note...

I find it interesting that I am always prompted to fast on Fast Sunday. I have a tendency to disregard my promptings as me just being silly, then something happens and I realize it was the spirit prompting me. But I always realize after the fact. I use to always have a feeling like I should fast and hardly ever did, and then I'd get to church and it was Fast Sunday. One time I felt like I should fast for my brother-in-law. I started it but then quite half way through thinking I was being silly... little did I know that, that same day Ryan was called in for an interview he didn't expect and needless to say he didn't get it. I feel a little responsible. I disregarded a prompting that might have helped. Well, this morning I woke up and was reading my scriptures and thought... hmmm... I should fast... I then thought that was a bad idea because its Super Bowl Sunday and we're going to a friends house for dinner... and it won't be 24 hours because I didn't start it last night. But then I though... I don't see why I can't do a mini fast and just go from now until dinner time... So I started my fast, took a shower and started getting ready. About 10 minutes ago I get two doorbell rings and a few very large poundings on the door... It was the deacons coming around to pick up tithing... its Fast Sunday! Every time! Why do I ever disregard promptings when they are always right?!

PS... Those kids should not be knocking like the dang police! Freaked me out!

My Friend's Writes for the Paper

Okay, so one of my friends from church just started writing for the Davis Reporter and she asked her friends to share her article so she gets more views. The more views she gets the more she gets paid. I agreed to it, never having read any of her stuff, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm highly critical as you may know... anyhow, it was amazing and I really loved it. You should read it... a.) to support her, and b.) because its a really good article. Seriously! Anyhow, hope you like. Click the image below to be redirected to her full article.

                            

Photos We've Stumbled On

So... I've now got Jon stumbling like crazy. Here are a few pictures he came on and they're pretty darn cute!

Stumble!

Okay, so I found this cool new application... well, I didn't find it... a gal from work introduced me to it and its really cool! This was the first thing I stumbled upon tonight and I think its pretty funny!

Foto Fun

I realized last night that I seriously had to change our Vimeo picture because its been the same one for... a year and a half, maybe two years. Anyhow, I played with this photo forever just in Pages and I really like how it turned out. Hope you like it too.

You can also see it on our Vimeo page by clicking here.

iPhone Meet Verizon, Verizon Meet the iPhone

Short little entry here... I am SO excited that Verizon and Apple have finally come together. Well, I say "finally" but I mean as of February 10, 2011. I have completely switched to Mac and I love my iDisc. I love that I'm completely connected. No matter where I go, I have the same information in my calendar, in my address book, my email, etc. Its fantabulous! I've actually been debating for a while to switch phone companies, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I've been with Verizon since 2004, and Jon's been with them for far longer. It was just more simple to stay, but now they're giving me exactly what I want... an iPhone.

Thank you Verizon. And Apple... see, I told you it'd make a great pair. I hope its a happy relationship that lasts a very long time. Best of luck you two crazy love birds.

Beverly Beach - Part III

Last set. Okay, so this is a continuation of the Nieces section. First Becka, havin' fun.

Next Nora. She's running from the water and then looking at how wet her pants just got. As you can see she couldn't outrun it.

And Ava... In one she looks like she's gazing off into the distance... the second makes me think... Down... Set... Hike....

I so love this picture of Nora and Oliver. Its so sweet. Ahhh, love it! And... well, we took a lot of great shots of Oliver, so here's a little Oliver section.

Beverly Beach - Part II

So here are a few more pictures. We'll start out with Oldest to Youngest. How cute is that? Seriously...

The following pictures are parent(s) and kids. We took the best shots of my Sister-in-law and Brother-in-law... no offense to my Sister and Brother, but I'm sure they like these pictures too. Oh, and Jon got this totally rad shot of Ryan. At first I was like... its way too blown out but now its definitely my favorite photo from the trip.

Now, on to the kids... Nieces first... I didn't have too many of my brother's oldest daughter. I think I automatically focus on the youngest. I did the same thing with my sister's oldest son, didn't really capture much of him.

Okay, I didn't get through it tonight. I'll have to add more another day.