Confessions of a New Homeowner Part 3: Moving Woes

I confess... I'm exhausted.  No joke-I've worked on the house a ton still and I'm not sleeping well yet in the new space.  It'll get there, but it'll take some time... Also, I'm ready for Fall now. I want pumpkins and cool air and Halloween.

I confess... I'm lucky for all the help I've had.  Moving day rolled around and I was a mess.  I'd been up and packing for 36 hours straight when my little sister called me to see how I was doing.  I started crying, and then I threw up.  I'm too old to go without sleep.  So my mom called in sick to work and beat the boys to my apartment so she could help me just throw the rest of the stuff in boxes.  Then my brothers and my grandpa showed up and helped me move.  I couldn't have done it without them. Now if only I could find the bolts and screws to put my bed back together...

I confess... Appliances have been an interesting experience.  I'd started out looking for used appliances and after a lot of hunting and looking at (gross) used appliances, I decided to just buy new and get the warranty.  I knew I needed a front-loading washer and dryer due to the fact that they're up on a platform in the bathroom (and I'm too short to reach all the way in top loaders even when they're on the regular ground!) and I wanted a fridge with ice and water-since I already have a waterline hooked up.  So I found myself at Home Depot while they were having a 10% off sale and a 6-months no interest promotion, and I bought myself this Samsung side-by-side refrigerator and also a Samsung front-loading washer and it's matching dryer.  The dryer sings to me.

I confess... I had no idea that you had to measure things like doorways.  I just thought doorways were pretty standard.  I was so wrong-and I paid dearly for it.  After waiting a week for delivery, and then all day (because they were late), the delivery men showed up and started measuring.  The fridge would go through the front door, but not the back door or the door to the kitchen.  There was no way around it and it had to go back and I had to start the process of fridge shopping all over.  I finally decided on this Whirlpool side-by-side, 

I confess... While the washer and dryer did fit (barely-it was touch and go there trying to get past the water heater) they were also unuseable at first.  Home Depot sold me a crappy dryer vent and the delivery guy said I needed to go back and get a flexible one.  Also, since my drain for the washer is up in the wall, and the washer door only opens one way, the drain hose from the washer doesn't reach at all...

I confess... Once again, my family is amazing.  My grandfather came over to help me get my washer and dryer up and running, which involved helping me hook up the dryer vent and also helping me jimmy-rig the hose for the washer by caulking it to a second hose and taping it up (ghetto, but at least it works now!).  He also helped me clean up my kitchen a bit (now I can't find anything haha!) and while doing so, realized that the waterline wasn't hooked up at all-they'd just stuck the hose in there and faked it!

I confess... We ran another water hose (I now know how to do it) but the water pressure is really bad in it, and I think I'm going to have to get a plumber to look at it.  Dang.

I confess... Now that I'm all moved in and back to the regular work schedule, I'm realizing that things are going to take much longer than I thought.  I think you have lofty pipe dreams when you think "I'm just going to move in and fix stuff every day until it's done!" but then you get home from work and you're tired and exhausted so all you do is eat whatever you don't have to cook (because you still haven't found your pans) and go to bed at 7pm.  Wait, that's just me?

In any case, I'm coming to the realization that everything I wanted done before the housewarming party wont be done.  Luckily I'm pretty sure my friends will understand that my house is a total work in progres..

I confess... The walk through with my old landlord went pretty well.  There wasn't much she found that she was unhappy about, but most of it was there when we moved in.  I doubt I'll get much of the deposit back since it's been 7 years, but she said she was sending something.

I confess... My realtor is still following up with the previous owners about the AC.  The day he said he was going to speak with their listing agent they showed up at my house and left me a bunch of paperwork on things in the house (like the furnace, jetted tub, etc.), and they left me a note saying how sorry they were for the big pile of garbage they left and that they thought the next neighborhood cleanup day (when the city comes around to collect large or weird garbage from your curb) was on August 31st and they'd come help me move stuff if I wanted... Nice, but they still did not leave the AC. WTF people.

I confess... I still have pretty roses coming up in my yard.  Guess I need to learn how to prune them before Winter.

I confess... I'm feeling very poor.  I've been charging lots of things and eating out too much (since my kitchen is not in order yet) so my budgeting has been bad.  I need to get a hang of that before I actually have to start paying my mortgage.

I confess... I want a dog.  Living alone is a little spooky and I think it's time I start thinking about getting a little companion that helps me feel safer.  My yard isn't fenced yet, and wont be for a while, which would mean I'd have to walk the dog regularly and take it to the dog park instead of just playing with it in the yard.  This could be good for me exercise wise though.

I confess... I should probably wait until I get some of my house in order before bringing another living thing into it... And I'm thinking maybe I should try fostering first before making the big commitment to keeping a pooch forever.  Good thing I volunteer with an awesome rescue!

What do you have to confess this week?

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New Homeowner Confessions & Freak Outs (aka Confessions of a New Homeowner Part 1)

I confess... Buying my first home has been a trying experience. Since I started looking for a home in March, I have put in four offers on homes.  One fell through due to a terrible inspection (we're talking EVERYTHING wrong with the place except the paint!), one fell through for not being FHA approved, one fell through because they accepted another offer instead, and finally the last one was successful.

I put in an offer on this last house about 12 hours after the listing was put up.  By the next day it had an additional 5 offers put in on it.  They called us, since we were the first offer, and told me that if I'd take it for full asking price-it was mine.  I accepted.

 I confess... My neighbors have a huge half pipe skateboard ramp in their back yard.  Also, nearly every time I've been over there they've been outside drinking beers.  At least they'll never complain about parties right? lol

I confess...  I closed on my home a week ago.  However, the owners had requested as part of the offer an extra week to move out of the home and I agreed.  I will never do that again-the waiting was terrible and I'm convinced that the previous owners were complete jerks.  They didn't leave the A/C as they promised, but instead they left a nice big mess to clean up.

I confess... I got the keys yesterday and an email saying the previous owners were entirely out of the home so I headed straight over to have a look at it.

The front door was wide open.  The house smelled like sour meat upstairs and cat pee downstairs.  There were all sorts of holes in the walls and other things I'd never seen since the previous tenants had so much junk everywhere... They had piles of crap just hiding all of the issues before.  Here are some photos from the listing:

   

I confess... It was exactly then that I lost sight of the potential I'd seen when I first put in an offer.  All I saw were the holes-were they made by water damage? Termites? I saw the crappy carpet, and the "upgrades" they'd tried to do but failed at... Seriously, they cut their own door and it's anything but straight.  They straight-up ripped holes in the closet wall so they could get to the storage behind easier.  They laid laminate flooring in the kitchen with 2 inch gaps filled with nastyness (no covers, no filler, nothing) in between the floor boards.  There was a hole in the kitchen with plastic bags stuffed in it.  Just... What?

I confess... I thought I'd made a huge mistake.  I texted Yoshi and explained how all their crap had covered up the problems.  He suggested I fill it with my own crap to hide them. lol

I called my mom and burst into tears.  I'd made a huge mistake.  I'd bought an awful house that needed more work than I thought it would, and on top of it something was probably dead in the wall because WHY THE HELL DOES MY HOUSE SMELL LIKE SOUR MEAT?

I confess... My daddy called me from Wyoming and talked me down.  He kept telling me it was all "lipstick on a pig" and that the inspector had said it had good bones, a good roof, good plumbing/wiring, etc.  He reminded me that I bought my home for 140k but it appraised for 145k so I'd already made money.  He told me his coworker lived three blocks from my new house, and when he told him how much I bought it for the guy was astounded.  He said "Nothing in Sugar House goes for under 200k!  Her lot is worth 200k!"

He reminded me that even though he's working six-twelves (six twelve hour days) for the next six weeks, when this job ended he'd have some time to come and help me fix things.  He reminded me that he can tear out carpet, break down walls, install appliances and light fixtures... He reminded me tha whatever he couldn't do, we had family members that could.  "Need tile?  We can call Uncle Dan, Cody, or Chris!" or "Need a new door?  Call your grandpa, he'll come over and help."

I confess... My sweet mother grabbed my awesome sister and hopped in the car right then to drive the hour+ during rush hour, when they both had to work super early (like be to work at 5AM) the next day, to come down and make me feel better.  

They arrived with a carpet cleaner and two bags of cleaning supplies, paint, and smell-good stuffs (Febreze, Lysol, etc.)  They picked me up at my apartment and we drove over to the house.  They walked through the house with me and told me all the things they loved, and they reminded me of the potential the place had.  They'd say "Oh that's an easy fix, we'll just pick up some putty and it'll take us 10 minutes to cover that hole." or "This carpet really isn't bad, I say worry about the carpet later and let's start on some of the other little things we can repair."

They stayed until 10PM making me feel better, bought me dinner, and then drove the hour plus home so they could get up for work early.  They are amazing-I'm so lucky to have them!

I confess... Buying a house has been the most stressful experience of my life.  I'm still afraid.  I'm afraid it wont feel like home.  I'm afraid I wont have the skills to do all that I need to do.  But, I'm a homeowner.  This place is mine and I'll make it mine.

Any tips for a first-time homeowner?

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Photography: Muttart Conservatory Tropical Pyramid-Edmonton, AB

Back at the end of May I was able to go visit my best friend in Edmonton, AB.  He moved to Canada almost a year ago, and it was my first trip up to visit.  One of the places we visited?  The Muttart Conservatory.  We're both HUGE plant/flower nerds, so it was so much fun to go through the four different pyramids and look at all of the pretty plants.

The first pyramid we went into was the Tropical pyramid.  It was filled with all kinds of tropical plants, including something called a Corpse Flower, or if you want to get technical, the Amorphophallus Titanum.  It is called a corpse flower, because when it blooms it smells like decomposing flesh, and we were informed by another patron that he had been there the week before when it was flowering.  They then chop it off as it starts to wilt (probably due to smell), and they only bloom every 7-10 years, but you can see how it looks as it's growing before flowering in the next photo after this one:

There were so many gorgeous flowers in there.  So many I'd love to fill my home with (definitely not the corpse flower), and the pyramid was wonderfully humid and tropical.  I also enjoyed taking a great shot of Josh's new friend Chaslee as she took selfies for her boyfriend who is back in Chicago.  It was a great time!

Check back later, as I'll have photos from the other four pyramids over the next few weeks.  :)

Photography: Aspen's Senior Portraits

Recently, I helped my dear friend Aspen by taking some photos for her Senior portraits.  I had a lot of trouble with the lighting-it was TOO sunny for faces and most of the day was squinting.  But it was educational, and someday I'll be better at taking photos because of it.  These few turned out really good, and she looks lovely.

Isn't she lovely?  This girl is full of sass! 

Confessions This Week & A Giveaway

I confess... After last week's confessions and events I decided to stay busy last weekend. Friday night I invited Kristina over for homemade Mac & Cheese  and a really fun girls night.  So grateful for such an awesome friend.

I confess... Saturday it was easy to stay busy since we were volunteering for our company's booth at the Utah Pride Festival.  The shirt they gave me was way too big (she got my size wrong) and uncomfortable.  So I totally sexed it up 80's style.

I confess... Every year on the Saturday of Pride our friend Jared throws a massive BBQ where he caters it and 100-130 people typically show up.  We were having so much fun until the storm rolled through and we were rained/flooded out.

I confess... I decided to get my health on track and first I made a trip to Target.  I accidentally spent $200 on what basically amounts to underwear and healthy food.  It never fails that when I stop eating my feelings, I start shopping them.  Why do I do that?  I need to be healthy AND on a budget now.

I confess... Things with the guy I talked about last week may be okay after all.  Eventually, anyway.  We've talked a lot and are back to our usual flirty selves.  He's still being a stand-up guy and getting his other business handled before he comes over again (a point which I appreciate and lament-haha!  It's just because I want him to come over...) But it seems like before too long things will be good again.  Fingers crossed.

I confess... I put in an offer on this cute little thing yesterday.  I'd almost decided I was going to before I even looked at it in real life.  The area it's in is still part of Sugarhouse (which is where I live now) and at only 139k it's priced significantly below what homes go for in that area.  This is probably the best I'm going to ever be able to do and still stay close to the city that I love.

I confess... It's so very tiny.  It has two floors, each are only about 528 square feet.  The bedrooms are itty bitty and in the basement... I'm going to have to throw a lot of stuff out to fit in here-even though my apt is smaller it is laid out better for my furniture.  I have no idea what to do with my art supplies, but I guess if I get it I can always build myself a studio out back.  Wouldn't that be lovely? The yard is the best part. It's big and lush with full grown trees.  Plenty of room for a patio, a firepit, and a garden.  Fingers crossed!

I confess... The biggest worry is the work it's going to need.  Nothing has really been updated in it (except appliances) and the walls in the basement are torn up really bad.  However my realtor thinks that the walls in the basement can be redone along with serious remodeling (moving the bathroom, etc.) for under $5,000 and if I get it cheap enough that's doable.

I confess... My health plan is back on track and I'm doing so well so far!  I'm doing a 7 day challenge and I've been going to the gym and getting a lot of walking in.  I'm blogging daily over at Health NOT to Health NUT also, so please stop by there to see about the challenge.  Please also take a minute to fill out my reader survey and enter to win ad space and an Amazon Gift card! 

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