Caught in Limbo over "Our" Home

Well, due to this "credit crunch" and ensuing over-corrections made by lenders as if they feel regret for all of the illegal loans given in the last several years, we do not know when our house will be "ours" and we may not know for several weeks or a few days...



Our credit is "golden" as we were told, but the underwriters are unsure of this house we want to buy. How can we convince them it's NOT a log cabin!! The siding happens to be log, but the log part is making Countrywide very nervous, throwing us into limbo, where we will be waiting for our broker to find another lender -- please soon!

Meanwhile, let's look at some pretty pictures of our sooner-or-later-to-be new neighborhood!


This is the view from "our" property:



This is a view of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs from the road leading up to "our" property:



And this is what the side of "our" mountain looks like at the moment:

The Perfect View

On my way home from work, the sun was rising over the horizon, the temperature was negative six and the sky was a frosty blue. I looked up at Pike's Peak clothed in a thick white blanket and thought: what a great picture that would be!

I drove up to Mesa Road and stopped at a plateau that looks out over the Garden of the Gods. I could only take these few shots before I started losing feeling in my fingers.


Take a close look at the side of that mountain to see the switchbacks of Crystal Park Road.


A view of the south side of the city, that mountain is Cheyenne.


And there it is! Pike's Peak towering over the Garden of the Gods and looking over the city where I will always call my home.

Hoorah for Recessions!!

The home we are about to close on was appraised for $140,000.


What are we paying for said home?


$77,000!!!

Weird Stuff from the Hebrew Scriptures - Bald Slave Women

Imagine this: You've survived a massacre, only to be taken captive by the men who murdered your loved ones and destroyed your home. You've lost everything, and now you face the rest of your life in slavery. Not only will you be forced into servitude as the newest wife of your captor, but you are required to surrender in ultimate humiliation by shaving your head bald. I don't make this stuff up:

“When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, And thou seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and has a desire unto her, that thou wouldst have her to thy wife, Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails … and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.”

–Deuteronomy 21:11, 13

It's that simple.

The Holiday Rut : Identifying What's New

I seem to have resolutions all year. But around the New Year, I always look forward to what the next twelve months will bring in the way of new experiences and learning opportunities.


Even though the date has changed, there isn't a whole lot of difference in my goals or my daily activities. Or is there?


ʘ I am scheduled to give another Toastmasters speech in a few days.

ʘ My sister and nephew are living with us indefinitely.

ʘ I'm beginning to chip away at my last math class with the help of a tutor.

ʘ I've been escaping into the Sims 2 a lot more often because it's just so fun.

ʘ We are moving into our first home at the end of this month.


It seems that I enjoy very much being in control of situations. Which is why I become frustrated when people ask for my help but don't want to take my advice. Which is why I react somewhat angrily over obviously self-inflicted patterns of victimization. Which is what I have noticed in myself a long time ago and since have been struggling to break the bad habit.


Communication is something we all need to be working on. Perhaps this is one of my New Years resolutions. Perhaps better getting my advice out in the open will help me feel like it's being considered. Perhaps 2009 is a year of improvement, like every year.

Super Holiday Fun Time

A lot has been going on during the holiday season. Here is a quick picture summary.


In a contract to buy this house:



Taking CJ home from the hospital:



Nephew requesting "up-down":



Dusty hanging Xmas lights at my grandparents' house:



Dusty & I at Wilkerson Pass:



Me at Mt Princeton:



Me and 2 sisters at the Hot Springs:



Nephew begging for a tickle:



CJ and Nephew eating yogurt Xmas Eve:



Grandparents' Xmas Tree



Talking to Grammy Xmas Day:



Colorado Springs from the Zoo:



The Fam at the Zoo