Squatters

Dave, our mortgage officer at Cyprus, left a message on Ty's cell phone today.

D. E. N. I. E. D.

Yep, denied for our final financing. Apparently they didn't like the HELOC we had on our Stansbury home of $95,000.

 Nevermind that that home is up for sale and will sell eventually and the HELOC will be paid off (hopefully in the next couple of months).

 Nevermind that we have the cash to pay off that home if we wanted to right now. We would just be short on cash for the downpayment on our Lake Point home.

 Nevermind that we got approved for our construction loan through Cyprus and that was $36,000 more than the loan we're trying to qualify for now . . . WITH ALL THE SAME PARAMETERS!
 

 I haven't dared to hang pictures on the walls until I know we own this house.

Faith. We will sell our other home when the time is right and right buyer comes along. We will be able to finance this home, maybe just not the traditional way. It will all work out. It always does. And, looking at the bright side, we haven't had two mortgage payments to worry about yet.

We are indeed squatting in this home and loving every minute of it. But, if we end up moving back to Stansbury, at least I'll be moving into a VERY clean, fixed up house.

Sabbath day notes

Here's just some ideas from today's meetings, thoughts I had, and notes I came across as I keep plugging away as putting my physical house in order.

• Eternal life is a choice. Our choice. (2 Nephi 2:27)

• Ultimately we are the final judge at the judgment day. Kind of like when you have a temple recommend interview and are asked if you are worthy to have one. Our choices on this earth will affect where we eternally end up. In my opinion Christ isn't going to sit at the judge's bench in a long black robe and pronounce judgments of one kingdom or another. Instead, I think it will be more like a father/daughter interview where we sit together and discuss my life here on earth, and at the end of the discussion I will know where I belong without being told.
  
  
• Tithing is a commandment but also a choice. It is also a hard commandment for many to follow, especially when finances aren't in the best shape. It's easy to say I'll catch up next month, but so hard to do. When you make the decision to pay tithing, NOT KNOWING HOW YOU'LL MAKE ENDS MEET, that's when the blessings come. Blessings come after the trial. Like Malachi admonishes: PROVE THE LORD, try Him out and see if He won't send the blessings. Miracles happen when the Lord is involved.
  
  
• You can't borrow your way out of debt. (Proverbs 22:7)
  
  
• To get out of debt, to improve finances, pay more fast offerings, one that is a sacrifice to you. It isn't a sacrifice if it doesn't hurt and you make you stretch a little.
  
  
• We are commanded to love the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. Heart = emotionally, mind = mentally, might = spiritually, and strength = physically.
  
  
• We had home teachers for the first time in 5 years. I think my kids were a little unsure how to behave because the boys took off upstairs to play on the computer before I even realized they were gone. I had to apologize and get them back for the lesson which was on being a missionary. How thankful I am for home teachers.
  
  
• Nate partook of the wheat bread for the sacrament today and then kind of moaned. So I looked over and asked him what was wrong. He said, "It isn't white bread." My kids cherish any kind of white bread, so much that that's what we got them for Christmas . . . their own loaf of white bread.

How am I feeling today?

Uh, really sore. I mean really sore. You should have seen me hobble around the store. I felt like I had aged 50 years and I was even good and stretched after running yesterday. Definitely need to run more.

My one and only resolution for the year

I used to love to make new year's resolutions, but I made too many and rarely accomplished them within the year. Therefore resolutions have slowly gone out the window. I tend to make them when I need to; and so today when I woke up and the sun was shining and the air wasn't bitter cold, I resolved to start running again. It has been many months since I've been and I even surprised myself by doing 3 miles: it felt great.

Last August my mom and sisters went to Logan to support my sister Katie in running a half marathon. It also gave us a good excuse for a girl party. Judging from this photo, I need to be running. I knew I put on a lot of pounds with Alex, but I didn't realize how fat I looked. I remember running about a month after Alex's birth and thinking how much harder it felt with all that extra weight on. I had greater sympathy for fat people who are trying to work out. It is much more difficult. Five months later I've lost the majority of my baby weight, but there's still a few pesky pounds that don't want to leave. I'm hoping that starting to run again will help with that problem.

 Resolution for Year 2011:

Run a half marathon.
Whew. I've said it.

And after today that's only another 10 miles.