Day 28: Hoping for neighborly neighbors…
(Sunday) When I was a kid, I’d see movies of families happily singing Christmas carols around the piano, their arms draped lovingly around one another. I’d watch adoringly as snowflakes fell upon women bundled in wool capes, hoop skirts and bonnets, men wearing bow ties and top hats, harmonizing outside the neighbor’s home. I remember thinking, gosh, I wish my family would sing together at Christmas time.
I’ve only been to a few other families’ holiday events, but I never witnessed my childhood’s fairytale of a Christmas. No one gathered around singing. Carolers never rang the doorbell. Fashion changed… That’s the movies for you, or perhaps the pre-digital/radio/TV age.
Tonight, seven households on my street gathered together for dinner as we do several times a year. I sure lucked out having such amazing neighbors here in Eastown; in fact, it makes me a bit apprehensive to move somewhere where people may not be so welcoming. Ever since the first get-together, each family continues to charm me, whether it’s simply the conversation or observing the differences between my childhood and the kids’ next door.
Anyway, this evening was another shining example of that charm. One neighbor showed up with a guitar and song books and next thing I knew, voices filled the home with Christmas music. I had to stifle a large, dopey grin, as I thought about how this was literally a dream come true. 🙂 Someone even suggested we go caroling. I kept quiet, but secretly hoped everyone would head home to grab their mittens, scarves and earmuffs. Unfortunately, we didn’t go caroling (but we did play a very fun game).
My next set of neighbors definitely have some big shoes to fill. And when I move out of Eastown, I hope I’m invited back for neighborly gatherings! As for my family, well, this weekend I’ll enjoy another year packed with our very own Christmas traditions.
Day 27: The truth is out
Being a renter is like being a kid. Like a parent, you’ve got a landlord to take care of things.
Remember my bug issue the other day? Well, I found the source. Those little pests made a home in years worth of filth trapped under my cooktop’s pipes and burners. Yuck. Cleaning all I could, I finally called my landlord when I noticed the bolts holding the pieces together. My irrational fear of fires prevented me from taking the gas stove apart myself. And he and his wife swooped in to save the day.
Today, when he returned to reassemble the pieces, we got to talking about a couple of the other homes he’s bought to fix up. That’s when he asked me what the heck I was doing renting, reminding me that I have a good job and interest rates and home prices are low.
I felt the warmth of my skin as it turned a shade of red. I felt like I’d been busted for lying to my parents. Sheepishly, the truth spilled out.
He assured me that I could break my lease without repercussions if it’s for something like buying a home. Just like a parent, his encouragement was appreciated. And what a relief to finally have this out in the open! Though I’d never lied, I sure do hate secrets.
My landlord and his wife are great people! He recently bought a few other properties around Grand Rapids that he’s fixing up to rent right now. If you need a place to live, let me know and I’ll pass along contact info.
Day 26: Breaking up is hard to do
A calendar notification popped up on my computer screen reminding me that today was closing day. Little reminders of what could have been had littered my week since the breakup.
I clicked dismiss as the 60-plus homes I’d seen flashed through my mind. Not a single one had had the perfect combination, except the Brooklyn Street home.
I thought about the house that excited me earlier this week; it took my mind off being just a renter again. But the thrill had worn off. Yes, the Ottawa Hills house was just that. A rebound. A distraction to ease my loss. Is this regret I’m feeling? I wondered.
Quickly, I reminded myself that these things happen for a reason. It was really a blessing in disguise that things ended when they did. It just wasn’t meant to be.
Is it just me, or are the parallels in homeownership and dating aplenty?
In my last Project 365, I likened the house hunt to finding the perfect man. The first post in this Project 365 was titled Single and ready to mingle. Now I’ve got my breakup story. The End, doubt, rebound, pep talks… Yep, that sounds like a human-to-human breakup to me.
Just cross your fingers that finding ‘the one’ doesn’t parallel the pace of my love life. Or lack thereof, I should say. 🙂
Day 25: Congratulations to the homeowners!
One of my oldest friends just closed on her first home. We were looking forward to painting parties: her house, my house. It was going to be great! Looks like the party’s only in one house for now. Congratulations to the Spicers!
Josh, Sara and Macy in front of their new home
Day 24: Not quite a vacation day
My mother’s frugal nature got the best of me; it’s even found its way into my vacation days. I don’t use those babies for just anything. I save them up for the big trip I take each fall. This year they were sending me to Peru, Dubai, Morocco, or maybe Greece. But with the house hunt, I decided to save money instead. So there they sat, two weeks of unused vacation that followed me into the next period.
To my disdain, I was forced to email my manager late last night asking to use one of them today. Instead of taking a day off to travel or do something fun, I had to spend it emptying cupboards and scrubbing my kitchen with bleach water.
Talk about a home-lesson learned. Sawtooth grain beetles decided to take a vacation in my kitchen. The name sounds much more gruesome than what they actually are. They’re tiny little things, harmless really. They don’t jump or fly, in fact, they barely move (when you’re looking). But they sure know how to make babies. They find grain products, like flour, pasta and cereal, nestle up and lay dozens of eggs.
The thing is, these eggs are probably already in your flour when you bring it home from the store. It’s when you let flour sit around for a while that the eggs hatch and the babies chew their way through the bag and find other goodies to munch on.
I always wondered why people wasted money on glass or thick plastic containers for their spaghetti noodles, cereal and such. What’s wrong with the box? Well, now I know. Turns out, that’s the only thing the critters can’t get through. Your unopened package of pistachios? Not safe.
Fortunately, a Google search turns up thousands afflicted with grain bugs, and there are a couple ways to prevent their spread:
- Freeze flour and other dry goods for three days before putting into your pantry. This will kill any lurking eggs.
- Store plant-based dry goods in glass or thick plastic containers.
- If you find them, throw out whatever you can, pull out your latex dish gloves and scrub every nook and cranny with bleach.
The exterminator said I was doing everything right, that he would be of no help. And the insecticide I sprayed last week didn’t do a thing. Those damn bugs pranced right through it, unphased.Â
At least I learned a thing or two on my vacation day. It’s not ok to keep flour on-hand for two years. And it may not be the flour at fault; you never know if your trip home from the grocery store happens to be a one-way flight for pesky little vacationers. Cross your fingers I got to the source today. I’d rather not spend another vacation day fighting bugs. And, Santa, please replenish my herbs and seasonings for Christmas this year. 🙂
Day 23: Connecting the dots
“How’s everything going with the house?”
She must not be a Facebook friend, I thought, as I turned around to see who wasn’t caught up on the latest chapter of my story.
I racked my brain trying to recall her name. Last month, my team joined another department in another building so I see a lot of new faces lately. “What’s the last part you heard?” I asked.
Turns out she’s way behind! And I didn’t have to feel bad about not remembering her name. An innocent bystander at the coffee pot, she had chimed in on the debate over selecting the right mortgage lender about three weeks ago. (That decision, by the way, has been a good one so far. Jonathan Arnold from Arbor Mortgage is living up to his promise, making things easy and being very helpful throughout this ordeal.)
When I brought her up to speed, I found out she is a former Alger Heights resident, as well. There’s nothing more comforting than seeing eyes light up and a huge smile spread across a person’s face when you mention your potential future neighborhood. That’s my own reaction when I talk about Eastown (unfortunately, the homes are well beyond my price range). And it’s that kind of community love that drew me to Alger Heights.
Life is like a game of connect the dots. Just like those little number guides that help you create the big picture, I encounter perfect strangers who affirm my decisions along the way, helping to shape what my future will look like. It’s a beautiful thing!
For now, though, I’ll wait and see if the Ottawa Hills home mentioned yesterday pans out.
Day 22: Sleep on it
I love stumbling upon the truths in colloquialisms. After an indecisive conclusion to my rambling yesterday about what I’d do with this Project 365, I went to bed. As I drifted off to dreamland, the answer suddenly became crystal clear. I have no idea how I arrived to that path of reasoning due to my sleepy stupor, but I can tell you, ‘sleeping on it’ really works wonders.
I’m sticking with the homeownership topic!
At an event for Amway’s Early in Career Group tonight, a few friends helped to further set it in stone. Like one said, there’s bound to be something, even if it’s simply not spending money because you’re saving for a home item. And another threw out a catchy tagline: House hunt negotiator. Sing that to the tune of Priceline’s jingle: Priceline negotiator! It’ll be stuck in your head for hours. (Thanks, Kelly and Jon!) Looks like your idea wins, Craig.
Which brings me to a house story. Yesterday, I drove down Alexander Street, from East Grand Rapids into Ottawa Hills and thought to myself, this is my someday neighborhood. I’ve adored Ottawa Hills since learning about the charming little pocket of the city last year. But it’s a distant dream.
Then my mom called this morning… Apparently my uncle was happy to hear my Brooklyn Street house fell through. His mother in-law is currently renting out her home in Ottawa Hills that he thinks I could take off her hands. “But I told him you wouldn’t want to live there.” What?! I like to give everyone else tours of the city; I suppose I should clue my mom into Grand Rapids’ greatness, as well.
Could this be the reason things didn’t work out with Brooklyn? Everything does always happen for a reason. (Another wisdom-filled nugget!) Perhaps this is it. I haven’t seen the house, nor do I know yet whether I can afford it, but it’d be a beautiful ending to the story of my house hunt.
To top it off, the EiCG event tonight led me to a student of Montessori education, further affirming my decision to send Calin to GRPS Montessori.
A potential house and a new school for Calin! My heart is doing the happy dance right now. Seriously. Is there a colloquialism for that one?
Day 21: Indecision
I imagined each day as a new homeowner would bring something new. With activities leading up to close, moving in, remodeling, lawn care and other projects, I figured I’d have no problem starting another 365-day blog.
When I asked about continuing this project after my house fell through, I got a few responses here and on Facebook. Most said do it. Marc’s comment kept me thinking for days. Do I really need to do it daily? Craig made a good point about writing about things that link to homeownership. (I definitely have a story about my current home from this evening!)
But writing solely on homeownership isn’t going to be easy at this point. Since I asked for opinions, and all but one said yes to daily musings, I’ll stick with daily postings. Plus I like to finish what I start. Expanding beyond the home thing is looking like my best bet. A series of sub-topics: home, parenthood, Grand Rapids… But then I may wind up with my last Project 365… I guess we’ll see how it unfolds.
Well, it appears I’m still undecided (I thought I had it all figured out when I sat down to write this). So I may as well ask for ‘sub-topic’ ideas. Now that could be a challenge!
Day 20: Unveiling a fabrication
Remember the conclusion to my Brooklyn-home tragedy the other day? (Melodramatic, perhaps. ;-)) I read an email that claimed they were financially unable to sell their home at this point. They backed out of paying for the roof repair which forced me to rescind my offer.
I toured the neighborhood again with my realtor and was bummed that nothing even compared to my first choice. When I got home I hopped online to check out a few more in the Alger Heights area. (It’s an addiction, I tell you.)
I looked longingly at the cemetery that would have been in my backyard, willing a new home to pop up for sale. While the veiled Virgin Mary statue keeping watch from the other side of the fence had initially creeped me out, she came to grow on me. A moment later my eye caught a familiar sight; a new home had, indeed, popped up. As I hovered over the listing, my jaw dropped as my Brooklyn Street home appeared.
Jerks.
Day 19: Taking a break
I had the strangest feeling when I got home from work tonight. I had nothing to do. Major deadlines weren’t looming overhead. Nothing pressing needed to be taken care of. A weight seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. This week, I managed to achieve a few goals and, of course, learned that I’m not going to be a homeowner next week.
I have a perpetual to-do list, just like everyone else, but today it seemed ok that the items will still be there tomorrow. I think I managed to exhausted myself with the mental preparation of everything that will come with buying a home over the past two months.
Will I really be able to handle a house? What if I make a mistake and hate this house next year? What if I can’t do it on my own? Maybe I should just go with a condo. If I give in here, will it impact me there? What type of mortgage should I do? Should I spend that much? What can I afford to spend out-of-pocket? If I decline this, is it too risky?
Despite what seemed like a billion worries flying through my head, I found myself confident with every decision I made, risky or not. Tomorrow I’ll start the next round of house hunting for the next McNabb home. This time around I have a feeling things won’t seem so hectic. There won’t be so many unknowns, and I hope this time I’ll learn about this mysterious process of closing.
The weekend is here and all I have to do is celebrate the holidays and birthdays with friends. Maybe I’ll do a little laundry. When I got home tonight, I realized my plans to box my life up in prep for the big move could be crossed off my to-do list. Time. That’s the best gift of all!
Unfolding the Story of My Life 