H-o-u-s-e-s, fire edition

so no house yet :)  it ends up that the da dumpty dump short sale I wanted to look at already had a bunch of offers on it and short sale law says the bank has to accept the first offer, even if subsequent offers are better.  That's fine.  Pictures always make houses look a TON better than they really are and after seeing a few in person, I realize that the short sale would have been A LOT of work and money.  We also looked at a super cheap foreclosure that needed MASSIVE amounts of fixing and surprisingly David liked it.  I hated it so that was the end of that, but I was glad to see he was open to the less than perfect.  Finally, we saw the most beautifully re done little house but something about it was too perfect.  I think it's a good model to work off of tho, I def want to turn a house into that little gem someday.

My mind keeps going back to the very first house we saw.  She is big, in a good area, has a lot of updates and still needs work, but it's nothing over my head.  In terms of priorities, she meets them all:  garage to hide D's beastly Bronco, new thermal windows and lots of light, an office!, TWO FULL BATHROOMS, big backyard, a laundry room, a big eat-in updated kitchen and a separate dining room, good neighborhood close to Nob Hill, AND DOUBLE CLOSETS IN THE MASTER BR! (I'm soooo over sharing a closet and dresser and moving my clothes from one laundry basket to another because of the lack of space).  So I emailed a recommended money man and I'm 'shopping for a lender' who will let me buy this house for the payment that I want.  wishful thinking?


In other news, NM is on fire.  It's so sad.  Makes me feel helpless.  Not only is the forest burning, but also people's homes are in danger and a whole town has had to pick up and leave again, for the second time in ten years.  The whole state is suffering from a bad drought and as if the low streams and stunted greenery isn't bad enough, the fires add insult to injury.  Here we are going into the 4th of July weekend and I just keep hoping that everyone uses their best judgment and skip the fireworks and campfires this year and all of the evacuated families get to spend the holiday at home.

goodthoughtsgoodthoughtsgoodthoughtsgoodthoughtsgoodthoughts.

ob-sessed

Do I own a house? no.  Do I like to pretend, obsess, and plan?  uh huh.  What's the P.O.P. idea of the day / week / month?  houses.  furnishings. design.  duh.

I can't stop.  It's like a sickness and sitting in front of the internet all day is like an alcoholic sitting at a bar. 

Soooooooooooooooo many bee-u-tiful remodels and decorations and I've collected a large handful of blogs that just feed my addiction.  Every day.  A new post.  A new idea.  A new 'it' color.  A new project.  I. can't. stop. looking.

Of course I do not own a house, so I cannot partake in the sanding, priming, painting, sealing, but I dream and P.O.P.

My landlord just bought us a new toilet and it's nice and white and quiet and does what a toilet is supposed to do in a very efficient manner, but I hate it.  It's too tall, too narrow, the base is too big, and I'm sorry for the t.m.i., but it has such a little tiny bowl.  It reminds me of an airport bathroom toilet.  But it works great, so I'm not complaining, just further inspired to buy a house so that I may choose the toilet that suits my tastes and so I can look at it every day and think, 'I made a fine choice!'

We are still house hunting and I've fallen in love 3 or 4 times already to have my little heart broken, but I'm determined that again, I've found 'the one.'  She is a short-sale in a good UNM area, has 3 bd, 1 ba, garage (!), good sized kitchen, oak floors, open-ish floor plan, and a laundry room (!)  She is cheap, funky,  imperfect, and I suspect not up to code, but I want to live in her, love her, paint her walls, and plant flowers all around her :)  I like her because she seems structurally sound and bright and I just want to build on that without being in over my head.  

She doesn't even know I exist.............................we'll meet on Monday :)

Here's a litte sneak peak:

but again, I remind myself, "Rebecca, seriously, don't get your hopes up.  You could walk in and see that it's a real dump.  Keep your options open.  Don't obsess."

Nope.  Just sat 2 inches from the screen watching the 7 minute virtual tour video.  Can't stop P.O.P. 

I won't show you anymore pics because you'll think, "gosh, she's lost it.  what a shit hole" so instead I'll show you pics of what I hope this little stucco gem will evolve into:

good day!

C'mon do the humpty hump

it's hippity hippity hump day

here are a few quick vids from el jamaica for your enjoyment

crazy lightning with some reggae music

 

it looked a lot higher from the top

corona commercial

Okay, I'm off to go obsess over houses on the internet and to make some lunchy lunch for me and my man

Monday morning catch up

So now that the post-vacay blues is winding down...what have I been doing the last week?

1.  last Sunday we took Narayan to the playground across the street.  He loved it.  Lately he's obsessed with Uncle Dave so he was happy for some quality time.

2.  Nasty crazy smoke.  Flying home to the grossness was so awful and it has felt pretty doomsday-ish watching the smoke roll in from the west every night. Can't open the windows :( can't turn on the AC :( uggghhhh it's so nasty. It makes for some brilliant sunsets and spooky / ashy evenings ... 

 

3.  NBA finals!  woo Dallas!  Actually I don't care that much, but it kept me entertained at work all week and the weekend games give me an excuse to eat yummy bar food.

4.  I had to get used to wearing shoes, pants, and underwear again after being in my swim suit and sundresses for a week.  It took me more than a week to unpack and I still haven't folded my laundry from more than a week ago. 

5.  We've been watching the HBO series "Game of Thrones" (we downloaded it, shhh) and even though it has some gratuitous sex scenes, I like the dark ages drama.  It's pretty similar to Rome and The Tudors:  incest, betrayal, sex, war, torture, horse back riding, sex, etc.

6.  I started reading Tina Fey's book "Bossy Pants."  It's pretty fricken funny so far.  I <3 TF.  A gf was reading it in Jamaica and I kept wondering why she was chuckling, now I get it.  She puts in a bunch of little zingers and it's hard not to laugh out loud.

7.  for some reason I have finally come to terms with home ownership.  I Rebecca Ann Palmer, would like to own a home.  So far we've seen about 5 and I've scoured the internet looking in the 87106 / 87108, and I've realized that our options are scarce, AND that people do some weird ass renovations to their houses.  Let's just say we have seen some "unique" homes.  We're in no rush and the realtor lady who is helping us says more houses will come on the market during the summer / fall so we can afford to wait til the perfect one comes along.  (There is one house that I can't get out of my head and I really really like it, but it was the first one I saw and want to see more options before I make such a big decision).  So you ask, "RP! does this mean you want to stay in NM?!"  Nope.  My plan:  buy a move in ready house, live in it for the next 3-5 years and do minor projects, move out of state and rent out the property, celebrate my 57th birthday by making the last payment on my house in NM and consider moving back to retire and live there / sell it because hopefully it will appreciate ten fold :)

8.  Yesterday I went to my first movie in a long long time.  I saw "Bridesmaids" and it was totally worth it.  hil-ar-i-ous.  I laughed soooo hard!

That's all for today!  Have a happy Monday!

oh wait!  I forgot!

9.  We went to the Pride parade on Saturday!  I LOVE going and David is such a good sport and has a good time watching all the party floats make their way to the fairgrounds.  I usually get a ton of candy and free toothbrushes, but this year we were too far down the route I guess.  Still, it's the best people watching event in the whole city and every one is so pumped!

back in the saddle

I'm back, yay!  but also I'm back, boo!

Jamaica:  awesome.

Filled with beautiful flowers, soft white sandy beaches, and energetic, child-like, friendly Jamaicans.  

The best part:  spending time with good friends and being adventurous / taking new risks / letting loose / having fun / being carefree

Coming back I felt so light and airy, with no cares in the world.  I had forgotten that work / family / time even existed and David and I enjoyed a few days of post-vacation basking at home.  Yesterday I looked forward to going back to work and felt energized and ready to take charge.  It lasted about 35 minutes.  By the time I finished checking all my emails, I was ready for a cocktail break.  My attention span = tiny, my motivation = tinier, my patience = non-existent.  Going on vacation makes me wish that I was mega wealthy and could travel 24/7, with no job.

blurg.

Of course, after any vacation, I am re-evaluating life and what direction I want it to go.  Do I want to stay where I am?  Do I have the means to get where I want to go?  Can David just do all the hard work for me so I can ride his coat tails and not have to worry about all these big life questions?  In my freakin dreams.  It's all so scary and I'm avoiding taking the GRE, talking to advisors, buying a house, moving away, etc. because I fear that I'll get rejected or will find out my goals are farther out of my reach than I thought.

blurg.

Anyways, on a better note, here are some memorable moments from our trip : ) in no particular order

I've spent the last week eating non-stop and indulging in my cravings, and all that fatty food and huge servings has made me feel sick and yucky.  Back on the health food wagon (McDonald's pushed me over the edge last night).

cheers!