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So lately, not counting today, I have not been keeping up on blogging. There is a pretty good reason for this: I've been busy (or at least distracted). About three weeks ago now Jenny came home and told me she had found a house she wanted to buy. Half just humoring her, I went and looked at this house. It was a monster craftsman bungalow, probably close to 3000 square feet. From the outside you could see the potential. My interest was grabbed. We started poking around. We walked down the little path besides the house that led to the back yard. Out we step into a concrete wonder land. There's a pool (of the normally above ground variety) that has been half buried and surrounded with concrete. Next to this is a large water feature made of rocks and concrete. And next to that a concrete patio. 'No way', I say, 'are we buying this house'. I imagine hours of back-breaking labor trying to break out and remove all that concrete.

But the seed had been planted, and in fertile ground. It sprouted and we began searching houses. I told Jenny, 'We're going to do this different then last time. No looking for two weeks and then buying. We're going to take our time and find the perfect place.' With those sage and prophetic words we began looking, on our own. Last time we bought a house the market had been so hot that houses sold in a day, Realtors were like sharks, and we just chum in the water. It was a feeding frenzy every time we called to see a house. They'd hassle you mercilessly when they found out you didn't have a Realtor. This time things were different. The market is a buyers market. Houses sit routinely for months before selling. Realtors are civil and polite.

Anyway we look, and drive by many houses. And then on the third or fourth day I see it. I come across a listing for a house that looks perfect. Even by just seeing the RMLS add I knew I wanted. I call and set up an appointment. On the way there I tell Jenny, 'I'm 87% certain we are going to be buying this house.' We get there and meet the sellers. The show us around. It's a beautiful old farm house built in 1903. It's much bigger then our current house. It has a big garage, and a basement with his and her craft rooms. I am fully in love with this house by the end of the tour. Now I am 100% certain I want this house (remember those 'prophetic' words I spoke earlier? I was being facetious). Now I have to convince Jenny.

I set up 10 house viewings for the weekend and we go through them all. By the end of it she's convinced. We call the sellers; problem There's another offer, and they have already have a buyer for their house. Crap. We don't have a buyer. We could offer, but it wouldn't be strong enough with out a buyer. Wait. What about my parents? They've been talking for years about buying a house in Portland and renting it to one of my sisters. I call my Dad (actually my Mom first, she's easier) and try and work it out. We crunch numbers, look at figures, look at the thing from the bottom and from the top, but no, it's not going to work. My Dad says no.

The house I've been fantasying about (I had literally been dreaming about it, both the night and day varieties) suddenly began to dissolve in my mind. We were not going to get the house. Shit. We were heart broken (by now Jenny too had fallen in love with the house, after all it is perfect for us). We go to bed thinking that we've lost the house. And then it happens. I wake up around 4AM, restlessly tossing in bed. And it hits me. We don't have to sell our house at full price. We only need 75K for a down payment. I get out of bed and email my Dad and go back to sleep.

In the morning I call the seller and tell them the scoop. 'There's still a chance', I say, 'but I can't guarantee anything'. Fine they say, but we need to know by 1PM or we will accept the other offer. No pressure or anything. I call my Dad. He likes the idea. We can work something out he says. Elated I call the seller back, 'It so on', I say (I think I worded it differently though). Are you sure? Not sure at all, but knowing I have to commit, I say yes. Fine, we will reject the other offer and accept yours.

I did it.

And from there it's all been formalities (actually a lot of pains in my ass, but pretty much the same thing). Anyway, I think you can see why I haven't been writing much lately. My thoughts have been filled up with mortgages, credit ratings, house inspections, wheeling and dealing. I'm not so sure you'd want to be reading that stuff, though I could be wrong. Things are settling down again now. So I think I'll probably be writing more in the near future. We'll see.