House update

So, after everything, we have finally been able to officially back out of our offer on the house. Right now we are feeling relieved but a little frustrated that we haven't found the perfect one. We're going to continue looking this week and start thinking about maybe putting an addition on something smaller with our $8,000 tax credit (as long as we close by the end of November....) since everything is quite small at this point. Le Roy has several ranch-style houses, which would be fine, except they're tiny and have no basement, so you are stuck on the main floor with the washer/dryer, furnace, etc., taking up the less than 1,000 sq. feet you already were trying to work with.

In better news, Becky and Sam's wedding is coming up!! Can't wait to see everyone there :)

Seen better days...

I apologize for not posting on here in forever... hope people are still around to read it! Sorry guys.

SO many things have been happening lately that I don't even know where to start. On the house front, things have been moving quite slowly. We had a home inspection at the beginning of the month, which of course revealed some problems with the house. I guess that is what they are there for, but it still wasn't very fun. There was a foundation issue and an electrical system that was much more outdated than we had expected, so we then went back to the sellers and asked them if they would be willing to fix several (expensive) things. They finally got back to us today, and their Realtor was very vague about what they would be willing to do. It's just frustrating, because now we have to go back and ask more questions, wait, probably ask even more questions, wait, and then decide if we even want this house or not anymore. I knew these things were not easy, but this is much more complicated than I had expected.

This weekend I am heading up to Arlington Heights for Becky's bachelorette party (an all-day Saturday event!), and our wedding summer continues with weddings the first two weekends in September: first, Becky and Sam; and second, Adam's cousin Paul and his fiancee Sara. (She'll be Sara Julian! But, I was the first... ;)

Both of us have been extra busy at our jobs this week; several people in Adam's office have been out this week, and almost everyone in mine will be gone next week. They've been trying to train me on things ahead of time so I can take over all sorts of tasks while people are out. I hope I picked everything up, since there will basically be no one else to ask when I get in on Monday!

My brother Tyler and Adam's brother Bryan both moved in to Illinois State University this afternoon; they both will be sophomores this year. On Monday, my younger brother Ben moves in at the University of Illinois for his first year of college. Lots of moving lately!! Adam ended up helping a lot with Bryan, but luckily I think I'm getting out of moving either one of my brothers, since they chose to move during times that I am working :)

Unfortunately, Adam's (maternal) grandmother got very sick recently, and after talking with his family tonight he decided to drop everything and go straight up to Rockford to see her. She's not been in great health for a while, but it seemed like things changed suddenly. Right now, we're not sure how long she will make it.

I think that is about everything that has been going on lately... sort of a hodge-podge of stuff. It's been a really stressful time for both of us. We are just looking forward to a time when everything will settle down a little.

Life Update

So, lately I have been busy, busy, busy! I started my new job on Monday, and so far it is going well. The company is awesome and has some really cool benefits (like free drinks -- soft drinks, Dole juices, and those addictive cold Starbucks frappuchinos -- how amazing is that?!) I am still doing lots of training and reviewing stuff, so I haven't actually been copy editing anything as of yet. But, I'm sure I will be soon!

On the house front, we're about in the same place as last time. We've now officially applied for our loan and locked in a rate, and we've got our home inspection on Monday. I'm a little worried about this, but hoping it goes well! I've been sort of holding off on putting photos up on facebook of the house, since we know that it's not a done deal until closing. I think I'll feel much more confident once we're past the home inspection. But, I don't think many people read this, so if you missed seeing photos when they took the last link down, they are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36904841@N08/sets/72157621845273646/detail/

I guess that's all I've really got at this point. I'm exhausted, as I'm definitely not used to getting up at 5:45 a.m. (or... before 9 a.m. anymore...), and the two-hour round trip drive for work isn't helping. Can't wait until we live closer!!

House update!

We accepted the seller's counter-offer, so now it is ours! A big step forward in what will definitely be a long process. But, by September, we should be living in it!!

All the info, and multiple photos, are here: http://www.cbhoa.com/listing.aspx?mls=2092335
Look now, since I don't know how long they usually leave those things up!

A house!

We spent this week looking at homes in Le Roy, Ill., which we have decided is exactly where we'd like to live. This morning, we put in an offer on one! It's a super cute three bedroom, two bathroom home built in 1899. Lots of things have already been remodeled for us, including the kitchen and dining areas, which are gorgeous. Now we're waiting to hear back from the sellers about whether they will accept our offer as-is or counter it.

Our (potential) house:


As with any big decision, we did have to make a few compromises, but the best parts of this house are that 1.) it is the perfect size and 2.) it is in a fantastic location. Also, it has lots of cute, old-house charm. I'm really hoping that we get it!

Big Changes

So, a few exciting things have happened since my last post! This week, I was offered a job as an editorial assistant in Champaign (about 50 minutes south of Bloomington-Normal). I'm super excited to have a full-time job again, although I have really loved the freelance work I was doing at IWU. I am hoping to start in two weeks.

Now that we both have jobs we are ready to hang onto for a while, Adam and I are planning to jump right into the housing market. We're looking at buying a house in a sort of rural area between Normal and Champaign, so that we each have a comparable commute to work. Today we went to the bank and met with someone to discuss a mortgage. It is exciting to take these first steps, especially after spending so much time looking, but not being able to do anything else, while we waited for me to get a job. Now, we just need to find a real-estate agent that we like, and we'll be ready to go!

This weekend, we are heading to the Chicago suburbs for Zach Meiborg's wedding on Saturday. Then Adam will be coming back to B-N, and I'll be staying in Roscoe to pet-sit my parents' two dogs, two cats, bird and fish while they are on vacation. It'll probably be my last week off of work for a while!

Up North for the 4th!

For the 4th of July weekend, Adam and I spent a couple of days in Roscoe with my parents, then headed up to Three Lakes, Wis., (near Eagle River) to spend the holiday with his parents at their cabin.

We left Bloomington on Wednesday night; Adam had taken Thursday off work, and had Friday off for the holiday. While in Roscoe, Adam did some computer work for a friend, and I tagged along when Ben and my mom went to look at cellos. Ben started playing the cello a few months ago and has really gotten into it, so my parents wanted to help him buy his own as his high school graduation/birthday present (these things are super expensive!) He found one he liked and took it home for a week trial.

Early Friday morning, Adam and I left Roscoe for Wisconsin to visit his parents for the holiday weekend. We had an AWESOME Wisconsin fish fry, which I've been missing too much to even describe. His parents' cabin is in a former resort -- now it's more like condo cabins -- so they have lots of friends who they share their space with. It's like a constant party! I went tubing a couple of times and am still sore and sunburned, despite my best attempts with the sunscreen. Oh well.

We're already getting ready to go out of town again -- this weekend, longtime family friend Zach Meiborg is getting married in Bartlett, Ill., which is a Chicago suburb. We're planning on spending the weekend there and in Roscoe. Then, I'll stay at my parents' house for the following week to watch the dogs/cats/bird/fish while they are on vacation, and Adam will come back to Bloomington.

Whew! This has to be the busiest summer ever. At least after this one, we've got a few free weekends!