We signed all the papers yesterday to sell ou...

June 29, 2001 by Adam in Family

We signed all the papers yesterday to sell our house. Today, both the buying and the selling of the houses should be complete. We still have a judgement against our property, but we're insured and the seller has put their money in escrow in case they don't settle soon. Sam was very good and played with some cool binoculars the whole time.

I also start my vacation tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it quite a bit, as I haven't had much time off since Christmas. Lots of yardwork and house repair awaits!



Well, the house closes tonight, so we're goin...

June 28, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, the house closes tonight, so we're going to pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. In a couple hours, we're also signing the papers finalizing the sale of our old home. We finally got our real number back last night. To everyone who's been trying to call, our standard phone number now works.

Now that the oven's in place, the plumbing's fixed, and the phone's transferred over, I'm starting to feel much better. Hopefully my Internet connection will be set up tonight or tomorrow, completing the critical utility move.



The allergies are pretty bad these days

June 26, 2001 by Adam in Family

The allergies are pretty bad these days. I've had a sinus headache basically non-stop for the last 24 hours. Well, supposedly allergy season ends in a couple weeks, which will be nice.

Our house closes Thursday. It turns out that it will automatically close if nobody does anything. Jamie's delivering a huge check to the escrow company today, so it appears all is on track. We'll probably close on our house on that day too.

I'll also be taking some time off soon, which I'm looking forward to. Next week is all relaxation and house repair time. I'm eager to start in on the garden, as it's a bit overgrown these days. Last night I was playing Star Wars with Sam (again) and tying him up with all the various vines that have taken over parts of the backyard. I managed to keep him amused and pull weeds at the same time.



We shipped Sam off to grandma Sue's Saturday ...

June 25, 2001 by Adam in Family

We shipped Sam off to grandma Sue's Saturday morning so Jamie and I could have a romantic interlude to . . . install the stove and dryer vent! The best thing was getting the stove finally in place, as our kitchen was a mess without it. We also did some more minor repairs and lots of cleaning and arranging. We still have some more things stored at a friends house, but we're getting settled.

Of course, we don't actually own the house yet. All that should be taken care of this Thursday when we sign the final papers.

Sam was a bit of a handful this weekend, in his own sweet way. He's gotten really into Star Wars and light sabres. We spent a lot of time pretending we were different Star Wars characters, reinacting scenes using MegaBlocks, Legos, or just paintbrushes for light sabres. I've lost count of the number of times I've said, "Luke, I am your father!"



We continue to slog along at our new house

June 21, 2001 by Adam in Family

We continue to slog along at our new house. Still no DSL, so I've been freaking out a bit without my Internet connection. Darren came over and put up the microwave, which was handy. Jim's driving down from Portland just to install the stove (to replace the one that didn't work). I guess I didn't realize that he was going to drive all the way to do that - we'll have to do something extra nice for him.

We had the sprinkler guy out to fix our sprinkler system. Amazingly, it only cost $35. The plumbing, however, is going to be very expensive. In order to fix the illegal, leaking basement plumbing they had to drill holes in the concrete, install pumps, and get an electrician to get power to the side of the garage.

So, we're going through a number of moving pains. Sure hope we really close on the house next week.



A fairly good day yesterday

June 19, 2001 by Adam in Family

A fairly good day yesterday. Judy and Scott (and their kids Johanna and Madeline) invited us over for dinner last night. That pretty much filled our evening, with Sam conking out soon after coming home.

I'm still figuring out all the details of the new house. I took a shower in the main floor bathroom today. I think I like it better than the one in the basement, as the shower head doesn't spray at neck level.



Well, we moved

June 18, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, we moved. I was amazed at how quickly it went. In about four hours, we had taken everything from our old house and put it in our new house. I was amazed at how hard my family worked and all the support we recieved. Thank you all!

We've had two nights in the new house now. It's a little weird trying to figure out where everything is and what does and doesn't work. I have the critical "nerd cave" in place - the basement bedroom with the computers and Legos. Sam seems to be doing well, enjoying exploring the various rooms. Jamie's tired, but excited. I think that this will be a wonderful house for our family for years to come.



My dad's surprise retirement party was last night

June 16, 2001 by Adam in Family

My dad's surprise retirement party was last night. It was at John Larson's house, just a couple blocks up from our new house. Great fun - lots of people and food (especially food).

Today is the big moving day. I'm going to become less connected, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. DSL should be back on by next weekend. In just a few hours, we'll have a huge truck in our driveway and many big, strong people putting our belongings in it. Woo hoo!



We went back to sign papers

June 16, 2001 by Adam in Family

We went back to sign papers. The bottom line is that we move tomorrow and close on the 28th. There's a very small chance that the sellers back out, but that's highly unlikely at this point. Looking good so far - we expect you all at our house bright and early tomorrow morning.

Victoria, our realtor, was very nice. She helped watch Sam during the signing and even assisted in unpacking our refrigerator.



Well, after a vaguely Melrose Place style mee...

June 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, after a vaguely Melrose Place style meeting, it appears that we're definitely moving tomorrow. We won't own the house, and will close on the 28th. To guarantee that the owner will really close, he's promised $750 in moving expenses should he choose not to go through with the deal.

I'm a little nervous, but I think it will all work out.



The excitement continues

June 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

The excitement continues. We're meeting today at noon with a variety of people to go over a proposal to get us moved in before we sell the house. I'm nervous, and would greatly prefer to move when it's clear that we're the owner. Still, it sounds like the judgements should be cleared up soon. The seller wants to put the amount of money owed in escrow in hopes of cutting a better deal with the lawyer involved. Kind of lame, in my opinion, as it causes undue stress for us.

It would be a big hassle if we didn't move, so we may move anyway. I'll just need to feel confident that it's fairly well assured that we'll actually be the owners within a week or so. I'm very thankful that mom will be at this meeting. Always nice to have a lawyer in the family.



Well, bad news on the home front

June 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, bad news on the home front. We haven't closed on the new house and it's looking like we may not do it by this weekend. That doesn't mean we won't move, necessarily. There's a potential of taking preposession of the house and having the moving plans go ahead.

Still, I'm nervous about taking this approach, as there are assorted hassles and risks. We'll keep everyone posted. There's a meeting tomorrow at noon to try to figure all of this out.



Just a quick update on the Saturday move

June 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

Just a quick update on the Saturday move. We get the U-Haul at 9:00 am, so the plan is to be back at our house packing by 9:20 or so. Everyone who's coming to help can show up around that time to help pitch in. Many thanks to all!



Jamie and Sam arrived last night

June 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie and Sam arrived last night. I left for home a bit early as they'd locked themselves out. Jamie also gave me my Father's Day present a bit early - matching Hawaiian shirts for Sam and I. Little did she know that every Thursday at work is informally Hawaiian Shirt Day. Now I'll be well prepared.

Having Sam home has definitely broken the silence that surrounded this house. We played with Legos and watched Star Wars for several hours last night. Lots of fun.

Jamie's pulling some last minute fixes to make sure we can officially close this Friday. Since the previous owners have various judgements against them, we've asked them to put $30,000 in an account and work it out with the escrow company. Should be close, but we're going to move on Saturday come Hell or high water.



Sadie's birthday was yesterday, so we all des...

June 10, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sadie's birthday was yesterday, so we all descended on my mom's house for a birthday brunch. I had been up since 4:30 packing, so I was starving. Also, I had forgotten my present (but fortunately hadn't packed it away), so Sadie came by afterwards. It was nice visiting with her, which I rarely have a chance to these days.

I'm almost done with all the assorted packing. Amazingly, I think I'm going to run out of boxes. Many of the remaining items are things that we'll need for the next few days. I'll probably take off parts of next Friday for the last minute packing things.



Jenny gave us a bit of a scare yesterday

June 08, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jenny gave us a bit of a scare yesterday. She started having stomach pain, so she was rushed off to the hospital. Everyone thought it was appendicitis, and were getting ready to operate. Fortunately, the pain went away while she spent the night at the hospital and she's feeling much better now. The baby looks fine on the ultrasound and all the assorted blood work looks okay. Jenny may have a CT scan to be sure, but that's about it. So, we're all thinking good thoughts about her. It appears that everything's going to be okay.

A busy weekend is ahead for us. Jamie and Sam head off tonight. Sadie's having a birthday brunch tomorrow. I've got endless packing and preparation. Great fun!



We all went to University park last night for...

June 08, 2001 by Adam in Family

We all went to University park last night for a picinic with Sam's preschool folks. Sam was just exhausted when 7:30 rolled around and we barely made it to bed where he collapsed.

Today Jamie and Sam go to Portland, leaving a household of things to pack. Fortunately, Jamie's been doing a little bit every day, so I don't think it will be too bad.



We figured out why Sam was being so difficult...

June 06, 2001 by Adam in Family

We figured out why Sam was being so difficult the last few days. He was eating dinner when he stopped and spit out his food. His teeth were hurting, and sure enough, he had some new molars coming in.

Sam also had a bad dream last night. Sam was fighting a creature with a long tongue. According to him, it was the snake from Mulan. I suppose media really does affect children. Sigh.



Well, Sam finally turned into a two-year-old

June 05, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, Sam finally turned into a two-year-old. The last few days he's been over the top. His favorite game appears to be pretending that his Lego people are Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, fighting with light sabers. He's also seemed especially cranky and tired. About the only thing that calms him down are stories about his imaginary friends Tommy and Tess. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

The big move is chugging along. All our belongings are slowly being boxed up. I'm working on getting utilities moved over. The DSL situation was especially exciting, as it involved a temporary phone line being set up at the new place. It will be 485-7214 for our first few days at the new house.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time helping us move on Saturday. As Jamie pointed out, family is who's obligated to help you when you move.



Well, we locked our interest rate today - 6

June 02, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, we locked our interest rate today - 6.875%. Not incredibly low, but it started creeping up again. At least it's under the magic 7%, which was what I was hoping for.

We're also getting a moving day scheduled. It looks like next weekend, I'm packing everything in boxes while Sam and Jamie frolic in Portland. Saturday the 16th is the great moving day. A hearty thanks to everyone who wants to join us. Jim's going to bring his refrigerator and piano dolly, and everything in the house should be packed, so I think it should go pretty quick. Woo hoo!



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