WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!! Actually, most everyone we know, already knows that. The circumstances and reasons that led to our ability to buy a house outright, with cash, were pretty awful. My father-in-law passed away in May 2010. About a year ago, or maybe a little less, John inherited some money from his father's estate, as did his 4 siblings. We wanted to do something responsible with the money. We thought about paying off some debt, but really the only big debt we have are student loans, which will be well into the 6 figure range by the time we're both done with school, so we didn't see any point to putting the money there (it would have been gobbled up with very little dent made in the debt). So we decided to put it into a house. At first we figured that we would have to get a bank loan, so we did some work on our credit score and got it up a little. But THEN we found a house in Bremerton that was on the market for only $22,000. Actually, it was more than that when we first saw it, but the bank lowered the price a LOT. So we jumped on it, paid the man, and here we are. It's definitely a fixer-upper, but it's ours. No more rent, no mortgage, and complete and utter grown-up responsibility. It's fabulous.
This was our house at Halloween. As soon as possible, I'm getting rid of that chain-link fence, but I guess it worked for making it look a bit spookier. The tape on the fence says "Caution: Zombie Zone".
We also have a cat. His name is Henri (pronounced the French way because he's so fancy). He came from our friend Dana, who I lived with in Beaverton before I got married. He's been a fantastic addition to our family. He's super sweet and cuddly, which we love, but he's also really loud, which makes us laugh. He makes this sound more like a "murt" than a "meow" so we often call him Murt instead of his real name. But he's been great for us, and we love having him around. He's also beautiful!
Bonjour, Henri!
We're also both still in school. I had a stint of wanting to be a Washington State historian (which I still might do someday), but have gone back to the Family Life Education route. Right now, we can't afford for me to go to a university, only community college. So I'll get my AAS (that's associate of applied science) degree, in a specific field that I love and am good at, and work for a while, and possibly go back and get a BA later on in life. John took a quarter off of school (after about 8 years straight of school, he deserved and needed a break!), but now he's back in it. That man could have a doctorate by now if it wasn't for stupid ADHD. It's a bit of a hindrance and makes it difficult to get assignments in on time. We are going to look into seeing if he can get some medication to help it, but as we are part of the uninsured masses of this country, I'm not sure if it's attainable or affordable. But we'll see. Until then, he's plugging away, and doing really well this quarter. I'm also enjoying my classes, but I'm only a week into my quarter, so we'll see how long my enjoyment lasts.
We've been able to meet some people and make some friends out here in Kitsap County, as well. We've joined a few meetups: John and I are both part of an atheist/agnostics and skeptics meetup, where we've met some great people. It's nice to find people who are like-minded to talk to and have fun with. I've also joined a ladies dining group and a ladies book club. We also have great neighbors, and hope to get to know them better. Everyone on our street seems super nice, and that is a relief. There are lots of families here and nice people. The biggest thing that is hard for me to get used to, is living so far away from everything. Well, its not far if you drive, but there is nothing nearby to walk to. I really do miss the hustle and bustle of the city, but I know I'll get used to things out here, in time. This is after all, our first home, so it will always be special. And Kitsap county is beautiful. I'm excited for spring and summer, so we can get out and explore a bit more.
Not much else going on with us, other than working on the house and working on school. I love that we have so much time to spend together. I think most couples would get sick and tired of one another, but we love being around each other. We love sharing our lives and I wouldn't want it any other way. I love my life, my husband and my home. I'm excited for what this year might bring!
