We're Home Owners!

We've now been in our home for a couple weeks now.

Both mine and Michael's parents helped us to move in. Lance, also came and helped with the heavy lifting. That was extremely nice of him.

 Let me tell you, we are absolutely loving our new home! We unpacked fairly quickly. I guess that how it works when you've had less than 2 years to accumulate stuff. (I'm sure it will take longer in the future; Michael likes to call me a hoarder.)

Let me tell you all the things I love about it:

• We have a dishwasher!! We don't have to hand wash dishes anymore, and it is sooo nice! We also have a garbage disposal. (You can tell how much I really despise doing dishes since our new dishwasher is the first item on my list!)
• We have a big tub that actually holds water. I took a bath the night we moved in. 
• We have air conditioning! Michael, being the penny pincher that he is, doesn't like us to use it, but I've convinced him to turn it on a couple of times. :)
• We have so much space! There's so much closet space for all our possessions. Both our parents brought over boxes of stuff we were keeping at their homes because our apartment was too small to hold it all. 
• We have a well kept yard with pretty flowers in the front. We also have big fenced backyard. Now... to convince Michael we need a dog to keep in it. :)
• The previous owners planted a vegetable garden. We're benefiting from it right now! We have grape and cherry tomatoes. (I'm not a tomato girl, but I tried a grape one yesterday and it actually wasn't that bad... don't tell Michael.) We have zucchini and summer squash. We have green beans. We have brussels sprouts. I have no idea how to cook brussels sprouts, and am pretty sure I wouldn't like them if I did, so if anyone wants some, come on over!
• The laundry room is upstairs. 
• The fridge is big and has a drink and ice dispenser. 
• The Master bedroom and bathroom are HUGE! We each have our own sink! I'm loving it. We have a walk-in closet that actually holds both of our clothes. (In our apartment, I had the closet in our room all to myself, plus I shared half of Michael's who kept his clothes in the 2nd bedroom.)
• We have a big pantry.
• There's 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths. We have a lot of room to grow. 

Here's a funny story. The day after we moved in, a Realtor came and knocked on our door. The first thing he asked me was if my mom was home. When I told him I was the home owner, he replied "oh sorry, you look so young." After, he asked me if we wanted to sell our home. I told him we just barely moved in yesterday. He left our house feeling very embarrassed. 

Just to let everyone know, I feel so blessed to be able to have bought a house. Especially one as nice as this one. I know that some people have wondered how we could already be at this stage in our life. It's true, what 19 year old can say she's happily married to a loving husband and they own a house?! Let me just say, it's not something we decided to do overnight... We've studied it out and have come to realize for ourselves that home ownership is a good investment. We both have been blessed with good jobs, and I've been blessed with a frugal husband who has made it a priority to save money. I think I wrote this in a prior post, but we were also blessed to have been able to live in a very nice apartment for the previous 18 months with low rent. Michael has been blessed with half tuition paid for and has been able to cover the rest with pel grants. Without all these blessings, we wouldn't be in the position we are in today. I'm so thankful to my Father in Heaven for all the blessings he has poured upon us at this time. I hope I can live my life in such a way to be worthy of everything we've been given. 

Summer Break

We had a week off of karate. So... We partied. :)

Michael and I played tennis, went long boarding, and saw Superman Man of Steel

 Fourth of July with the Brooks

We went camping and Kyaking with the Freemans. It rained the entire night!

I got to spend a day with my best friend Chloe. It was sooo good to see her!

Grandpa Bill and Grandma Barb came to town. As well as Jolie and Stan House. We spent a lot of time with them and ate yummy food! We had a Mobbs family talent show. I'm making a music video of the talent show. Hopefully that will be soon to come. :) 

Wop

I don't understand why watching these videos make me laugh so hard... These are even better than the Harlem Shake!

Found the One

Well, Michael looked at both the houses, and we decided on one. This home!

505 South 1230 W SF, UT

I've been so excited about it, I can hardly sleep some nights! We put an offer on it, and it was accepted. Not only that, but the seller agreed to pay the $6,000 in closing costs and they're giving us their nice stainless steel fridge! We've been going through the loan process. Michael and I met with Jon Aldridge yesterday, and signed a bunch of documents. I can't believe this is actually happening! If everything goes according to plan, we'll move in on the 28th of July. That's only one month from today! 

I just wanted to say, I feel like we've been very blessed to have found both the realtor and lendor we've been working with. Both have them have been extremely helpful in the home buying process. They've never made us feel pressured to do anything. I'm especially grateful for Devin. He's been so patient with us, and always takes the time to explain everything we don't understand. He also has been very responsive, and has been so good to work with our crazy schedule. I would recommend these two to anyone! If you're looking for a good realtor and lendor, click on the links. I promise, you'll be glad you did. 

Devin Haub with RE/MAX Results

John Aldrich Jr. with First Colony Mortgage 

Home Searching

A couple weeks ago, I had a dream Michael and I moved into a house. I woke up that morning feeling excited and pulled up houses for sale on the internet. I ended up finding a large, beautiful home overlooking the golf course. It was only $175,000! There was a little box on the website where you could write comments. I posted how the house was something we may be interested. That's how I first met Devin. 

Devin is a Realtor, and he called me literally within seconds of my inquiry about the house. Unfortunately, the house I was interested in was a "Short Sale" home. Knowing nothing about houses and real estate, Devin took 10 minutes just to explain what "Short Sale" meant. To make simple, he told me the house was not available and that he personally wouldn't recommend buying a "Short Sale" home, because of the deceiving list prices and the long process. 

He asked me what we were looking for in a home, and told me he could email me a list of homes for sale. I told him we hadn't really discussed it as a couple and didn't even know what we could afford. he recommended a lendor and told me he would keep in touch. 

Later that day I nervously approached Michael about the subject. We had discussed buying a home once before, and he expressed his desire to stay in our apartment until he was finished with school. Michael is extremely busy, and I knew he wouldn't be able to participate much in the home buying experience.  I offered to do all the work. Surprisingly this time, he told me if it was something I really wanted, I could run with it. So... That's exactly what I've done!

I've talked with Jon Aldrige with First Colony Mortgage and got qualified for a home loan. I've also talked a lot more with Devin, and today, we walked through 7 different houses! My mom and dad also came with us. Ahhh! it's all so exciting! Let me show you my favorites. 

426 S 1400 W, Spanish Fork UT 84660

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BEDS	BATHS	SQFT	YEAR	ACRES
3	3	1,475	2009	0.14

1475 sq ft, 2 car garage w/opener, built 2009, fenced back yard, sprinkling system and central air! This beautiful home is just like new inside! Open floor plan, tile entry, gorgeous kitchen with large dining area w/wall seating and built in desk w/cabinet above! Huge master bedroom w/ huge walk-in closet! Laundry upstairs with the bedrooms! Spotless bathrooms, large master bath! Lots of storage in spacious crawl space! This home is the perfect way to start home ownership at a price you can afford! 

This house is really nice. It's on the smaller side of the homes we viewed today. It's right behind the old sugar mill. It's fully fenced so we could get a dog. :) The only thing I'm worried about this home is that there won't be enough room inside for Michael to practice karate during the winter. 

505 S 1230 W, Spanish Fork UT 84660

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BEDS	BATHS	SQFT	YEAR	ACRES
4	3	2,081	2007	0.14

Why buy a new home when you can buy this "Like New" home with over $30,000 in upgrades? Home is very well maintained inside and out. Private back yard with Vinyl fencing. Very nice manicured yard. Great curb appeal! Functional floor plan with family room off the kitchen. Square footage figures are provided as a courtesy estimate only and was obtained from County Records. Buyer is advised to obtain an independent measurement.

This home is definitely a possibility! It is very nice and spacious inside. The owners were out of town, and were very particular about how we entered their house. They didn't want us to scare their cat. Man! That cat was spoiled! Kitty isn't even that spoiled! The cat had toys everywhere around the house, and a castle mad of scratching posts. Ha ha. We saw two other homes with a very similar floor plan to this one, but this was the only one with a half bath on the main floor. They also have a vegetable garden in the back. 

449 W 200 S, Spanish Fork UT 84660

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BEDS	BATH	SQFT	YEAR	ACRES
4	3	2,162	1998	0.12

IMMACULATE Spacious and well lit four bedroom home in quiet Spanish Trails. New carpet through much of the home and gorgeous granite throughout. Extra-Large vaulted master bedroom with office nook, built in shelves, private master bath with separate toilet and large walk-in closet. Quality craftsmanship shows throughout the home starting with the exterior stucco and tile roof. The home is close to parks, ball fields, shopping and the freeway, but is also close to walking trails, rivers, and open space. Don't miss the wood burning fireplace with gas log lighter, large laundry with sewing or craft area, upgraded fixtures throughout, and the two car garage that easily fits a large truck and SUV with storage to spare. Easy to show. Will entertain all offers. Please take a peek at the photo tour.

This one was my favorite! It's also the most expensive... It has a fireplace, a jetted tub and a beautiful vaulted ceiling in the main room. I absolutely love the green door and shutters. They're so unique. 

Look at the Living room! Gorgeous!

Tomorrow, Michael will see the last two. Fingers crossed, he'll like on of them and we can move forward from there. 

My Poor Acura

Look what my brother did to the Legend!

So the guy in front of Adam stopped short, making him slam on his brakes. The guy behind  Adam tried to swerve but still ended up crushing the back corner. 

I know it's not mine anymore, but it was my first car! and it still makes me sad :'(

Picnic and Pelicans

My poor boy got sick today. I'm positive it's because he's trying to do so much... Just this weekend we had 5 birthday parties, a free karate community karate event and the Springville parade! I'm not going to lie, it has been one of the most stressful weeks of my life. I'm so grateful for my parents who helped out so much!

Iron Man came to see us after the parade. :)

Anyway, because Michael was sick, we decided to relax with each other instead of going over to my parents house for dinner. We made a couple sandwiches, and had a picnic at the duck pond. It was so fun! We ate, made and sailed paper boats and fed the ducks. And guess who the ducks were sharing their pond with! Yep! That's right. These guys:

Aren't they so cool!?

This night is definitely on my "dates to repeat" list. 

Happy 24!

Let me just start off by saying, What an AWESOME weekend!

Friday!

Scott started us off by throwing a birthday celebration for Michael the night before. We went to Brick Oven with a bunch of crazies. ;)

I think the Waitress was a little relieved when we walked out of the restaurant. Ha ha

Then we went to see the new Star Trek movie. Which was awesome. 

Michael and I had the entire night paid for! Thank you Scott. :)

Saturday!

The following day was Michael's actual birthday. He turned 24. Woo Hoo!

Isn't he such a cutie! 

I planned a party for him with his family. It was especially fun, because his sister Bonnie, and her family were in town for the weekend.

 We ate lunch, and played for hours! We played:

• Pop the Balloon
• Army Navy
• Water Balloon Volley Ball
• Everybody's It Tag
• Star Wars
• Volley Ball
• Kick Ball

With the help of my mom and sister Grace, I even made a fishing booth!

Did it actually let me upload videos!? As Michael would say, "Un milagro!"

Here's Michael fishing out one of his birthday gifts, a couple of tickets to the Living Planet Aquarium!

The Living Planet Aquarium was Amazing! There were so many cool things to see! And... I got to pet a ray!

Look! It's Dory

The otters may have been my favorite. even thought they were just sleeping.

So FUN! I want to go back...

Sunday!

Sunday, was our new baby nephew, Noah's baby blessing. Isn't he adorable?

Monday!

Monday was Memorial Day. It felt so good to have an extra day to play. We started the day by throwing a karate party for the nephews. Charlene was nice and let us use the studio. Instead of birthday chopping a birthday cake, they chopped a breakfast cake with a samurai sword. In addition, Camille brought several different kinds of muffins.  Yummy! Look at all the fun we had! 

and, I'm stealing these from Kimberly, because I think they're awesome! Especially the one of Jonny.

Poor Dad hurt his ankle. At least he was able to break a board.

After all the karate fun, we headed up to the canyon. It wouldn't be Memorial day if we didn't hold some cucumber boat races, now would it?

My boat was ahead, but Michael's passed at the last second... This was probably our tenth run. The sails were no longer intact. You're luck if the sail lasts the first run! Ha ha. 

Well, like I said, it was such a great weekend! Thank you for everyone who contributed, and to the Brooks family for the good times! We love you all!