Life as a McClellan: MUCH Needed Updates!

Oh my gosh - I was thinking I would be so much better at blogging than I am at journal writing - TURNS OUT I WAS WRONG!! Ok here is the last year of our lives summed up!!

We bought a house!!!!!!!!! We absolutely love it - we live in the Highlands development in the Ranches, which is in Eagle Mountain haha. We have been here since the end of July and just love it. Prior to buying our house, we had been waiting for another home (a short sale) in another part of Eagle Mountain for 4 months. After all our slightly impatient waiting, we found out that the waiting had been in vain and they were going to have to start the process of selling that home all over again. Gotta admit, I was devastated. ABSOLUTELY loved the house - had a view right on Utah Lake, 2 story 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house, but we had to move on. Our amazing realtor Joanna Williams found us some options and we liked them, but I was so stuck on the other house that nothing compared. Then, one brisk June day (it was a cold start to summer this year), we came to see this house in the same neighborhood our realtor lived in. We got to the house, and there was already someone touring it (without an appointment, mind you) so we decided to be polite and wait until they were done. 20 minutes later, they are still in the house looking around and another car pulls up in the driveway and more people get out and start to walk up to the door.

At this point, we decided to stop being so polite and walked over and said that we were waiting to see the house too and we all walked in the house at the same time. While we were starting to look around, the first people left and 2 more realtors and their clients showed up (making a total of 4 realtors and 4 separate clients in the home). It was a foreclosure that had just been re listed because the buyer backed out last minute, so apparently everyone wanted to see it! The house was extremely filthy, with really bunchy gross carpet and some major paint needs and a slightly different floor plan than anything else we had looked at. I was starting to think "yeah not so much" when we walked into the master bathroom - HOLY BANANAS!! It is fit for a movie star - humongous counters with mirrors on 2 of the 4 walls, with a separate tub and "party shower". But still, I wasn't sold on the house. So we walk into the kitchen, which is gorgeous and very open but has less counter space than the house we had waited so long for, and at that point I had ruled it out - there was no way we were getting this house. So, being a good wife, I look at Jake and say "so babe what do you think?" and he goes "I absolutely love it - lets put an offer in on it tonight." I pulled him aside, away from other clients and our realtor, and had him explain, or try to explain, why he liked it so much when I really didn't. He proceeded to talk about how he loved the floor plan, the rock wall floor to ceiling fire place, the yard, the golf course just past our back yard, the square footage, how open it was, that it was a rambler, etc. At this point I am thinking "Heavenly Father knows which house we should move to and this isn't it, but I will go along for the ride and something will fall through and we won't end up getting it and it will all be good and we'll find another house." Our realtor drew up the paperwork at her house, 2 streets over, we signed it and sent it off, and were told by the selling realtor no one had submitted an offer yet or really called on it. He was optimistic that our offer would be reviewed by the selling bank the following morning (a Friday) and that we would have our answer by the weekend. Jake & I were stunned!! After waiting 4 months on the one house, here we are being told that we might know within 24 hours!

But I still wasn't in love necessarily with the house, just the idea of being a homeowner so quickly, and thought it would all fall through. Next morning comes and we find out from our realtor, who found out from the selling realtor, that there was a lot of offers put in over night (I want to say including ours there were 5 or 6 offers). I called Jake and we decided to raise our offer by a few thousand, to make it above list price, because Jake was so adamant about getting this house. By the end of the business day, nothing had been decided and we were going to have to wait through the weekend. I hate waiting - that was so hard for me!

Monday comes along and we find out by the end of the day that we are 1 of 2 offers being considered in the final phases and that the selling bank had asked to see all of our letters of pre approval (otherwise known as "our file"). Both our realtor and the selling realtor felt this was a very good sign that our offer was selected, but we wouldn't know until the next day. Ever the skeptic, I still was thinking it would fall through. But first thing Tuesday, we find out our offer was submitted and we are set to close in 3 weeks. Only problem is, we are leaving on vacation to San Francisco in 2 days for a week and need to have the home inspection done before the end of the following week because of our due diligence time frame. Frantic, and still skeptic, I voiced my concerns to my realtor who promptly used a favor from an inspector she frequently works with and got us our inspection set up for the NEXT DAY! The inspector came, everything looked good (a few little cracks and things but there weren't from the foundation) and no signs of water damage, so Jake still was gung-ho to get this house. We go on our vacation, only to be plagued the entire time with thoughts of our new home and all the things we need to be doing back home to prepare to move and to make final arrangements with our bank for our mortgage loan. We left our trip 3 days early so that we could come home and get things squared away. Trip was so fun - a few of the pictures are posted below.

So we get home, talk to the bank, get everything set up, and because of the amazing communication between both banks and realtors and title company, we ended up moving the closing date up a week! We closed on July 15 (a Friday) and went home ready to puke - we had just bought something that would take 30 years to pay off - after we were debt free!! (Oh yeah, forgot to update you on that - we are debt free! Paid off the Jeep by Thanksgiving!! WOOT!!!!) We got the keys the following Tuesday and went to look around by ourselves - no realtors, no parents, no other clients - just us. We made a short list of things we wanted to work on and then left. Over the next 2 weeks, we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned (I decided to be a chemist and mix cleaning chemicals and had swollen eyes for 2 days!) and then painted (huge thanks to my family) and cleaned some more! We weeded the back yard (huge thanks to my amazing sisters!!!) and Jake and his AMAZING dad built some shelves in the laundry room, fixed the stairs in the garage, installed smoke detectors, etc.

July 30 we moved in (and when I say we, I mean Jake & Brynne & Blake & Danny & Dustin && not me - I was at work haha). I got off of work and went straight to our old house, where my sisters met me, and we made sure we were all moved out and cleaned and scrubbed the basement. That took a few hours (mostly because we were singing so much we got distracted) and then we left to go to our new house!!!!!!!!!!

I parked in the garage, and then walked in through the front door and oh my!! It was a mess, but it was our house with our stuff in it!! My mom and sisters helped me unpack for the next few hours while Jake & Blake made some Home Depot runs, and then we decorated!! There was quite a few things I didnt know where to put, but everything that did have a place got hung up that day. The dishes were unpacked and put away, clothes hung up in the closet, bed made, washer and dryer all hooked up, etc!! Then we took a much needed break and went to Chili's with Blake & Brynne and then came home and watched a movie :)

The last few months haven't been quite as eventful but still very fun! Jake & I are loving our house, and have made some fun improvements - we mounted the TV above the fireplace which REALLY opens the room. Jake has GREEN thumbs and brought our grass back to life! It looked beautiful all summer and was soft to walk on, almost weed free!! We have found a place to hang almost everything else, and I have put up a few vinyl letterings, and have a few things I want Santa Claus to bring me to decorate. I have really gotten in crafting lately too, and have put up a few things that I made myself. So far though, most of the crafts I have made are for other people (Mothers Day & Christmas Gifts mostly). I will post pictures of the crafts I just finished tomorrow hopefully - they are on another computer and its midnight and I have to get up at 4 AM so I am not switching computers haha.

And last but not least, I am getting ready to go through the temple to receive my endowments! Brynne is receiving hers this week and to prepare, we are going to the temple everyday to do baptisms in the dead in the morning before my sisters have school. We are going to do a different temple everyday and tomorrow is Provo - at 5 AM. YAY!!! Lol I am so not a morning person - this should be interesting!! But I am so excited :)

And here is the last year summarized in pictures (except there aren't any pictures of the house...)

New Years Day 2011 @ Chuck & Sally's