Quite a Year

It's been a little over a year for us in Michigan, and the start of year two has been quite the whirlwind!

When we moved here, we moved for my job.  We moved because we thought that all the cities and universities close by would create a great number of opportunities for J, as long as we could be patient.  We made the decision early on that he did not need to get a job, just to get a job - we wanted him to find something that was a career.

To say the year was a challenge is an understatement.  The year that we've been through, and specifically J has been through, has shown me over and over that I married the right man.  I am very confident that I'll never know what the year was like for him, but I can definitely say that my admiration for his attitude and approach to such a tough year is so high.

A few weeks ago, J started a new job - a new career, in a field that he has never experienced before, but I am so excited because he is working for a great company and so far, he feels like he will really enjoy it there.  Once the job offer came along, so did the opportunity to purchase a home.  We have lived in an apartment for the past year, and while we have been very happy with the place we are living, it's hard to go from an 1800 square foot home to a 700 square foot apartment.

After looking at 15-20 houses, we found one that we felt like we could grow in to - one that has the potential to be everything we could want in a home and a chance to FINALLY live in one place for more than 2 years, which is something that neither of us have done since leaving home for college.

We are working hard to close on the house on September 5 and we are SO excited!  We are excited to move in, we are excited to make it our own, and we are excited to (eventually, but maybe kinda soon) start a family!

Home Sweet Hoosier No More...

My blog has a new look and a new name, but it's time for the .com to change, too.

www.loveinthemitten.com 

(or www.jasonandlexi.blogspot.com)

I hope you'll still visit, even though the posts have been minimal - now you can also subscribe via email in the top right corner.  One of these days, something is going to come along and it's going to bring back my passion for blogging.  I don't when or what that's going to be, but I feel like that will be the case.

You can also find me on Pinterest and Twitter

Thanks for reading!!

America the Embarrassing

I didn't watch the Miss America pageant last night - it's not something that I really care that much about, but when I saw on Twitter that this year's Miss America is has an Indian heritage, I thought it was great that the Melting Pot that is America was highlighted!

THEN, I saw some of the comments that were being made and I was totally embarrassed by the fact that people in this country are (a) so completely ignorant, (b) so incredibly mean and (c) so quick to share their stupidity from behind their Twitter handle.

Miss New York - now Miss America, is beautiful - and that's what it is... a beauty pageant.

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No, her parents were not born in this country, but she was, or she wouldn't be eligible for the pageant.  She grew up here, she went to school here and she has been a citizen of this country from the time she was born.  Had her parents emigrated from Italy, would this conversation be happening?... probably not.  It is so disappointing and totally embarrassing to know that Americans are still so racist, still so ignorant and so closed minded to understand that the color of her skin, her kids skin, her grandkids skin and so on will likely never be "white".  There are a number of Americans with a different color of skin who are generationally more American than I am.  My grandfather wasn't born here - he was born in Greece, but he immigrated here, established himself as an American and proudly bought in to what American stood for.  There are people in this country whose skin is darker than mine, but whose families have been here longer - does that make me less American than them?

My hope is that the children of those people making negative and racist comments about our new Miss America can rise above the hate that their parents were taught and become better people than their ancestors, which is ultimately what we should all do - work to be the most accepting and united America that there has ever been.

9/11 - Always Remembering

It doesn't matter that it's 12 years later - every year on 9/11 I wake up and think about the day that I experienced on 9/11/01.  I woke up this morning and showered and as I got out of the shower, I looked at the clock - it was about 7:50 am, which is just about the time that my college roommate and I were awoken by her dad calling to let us know he was ok.

Her dad was a pilot for Northwest at the time, and when he called and woke us up, we had no idea what was going on.  We turned on the TV to see this site...

We sat there, still half asleep, but completely in shock and watched as the second plane hit the other tower.  From that point forward, we were glued to the TV - we sat there all day and watched... went downstairs and got food and brought it back to our room to watch more.  We watched the attack on the Pentago and sat both terribly sad yet extremely moved by the actions of the passengers on the plane that was diverted from its intended target and downed in Pennsylvania.  We were so lucky - her dad was not on any of the flights that day.

My mom worked at a high school in Texas where a number of the kids had parents who were either pilots or flight attendants.  They had a number of tense hours of trying to get a hold of parents and parents trying to get a hold of their kids.  They were lucky - no one was on any of the flights.

4 years later, as troops were still deployed, a friend of mine who was a Marine reserve was informed that he may be called overseas.  We were so hopeful that it wouldn't happen, but it did.  He was sent to Afghanistan to work with a very specialized unit, and not a day went by that I didn't think about him and pray for him.  We were lucky - he returned home safely. 

There were so many that were not so lucky - so many who were lost and whose friends and family are so greatly affected by that day.  So many families return to the site of the attacks each year to celebrate and remember the lives of the ones they lost.

I never understood what my parents felt when they talked about knowing exactly where they were when Kennedy was shot, until I experienced this day 12 years ago and I remember this day more vividly than I do most... I remember what we ate, what we talked about and how I felt as we watched and watched and watched.  I know I am lucky - that my memories, no matter how vivid, are memories of relief.  So, as I remember what my 9/11 was like 12 years ago, I pray for those whose days did not end in relief.

ONE WEEK until the start of school!!!

Schools in Michgan don't start until after Labor Day, which is awesome for me as I see all of my friends already heading back to school and being immersed into Welcome Week events and I have one more week to try and create some sort of organization in my life!

I have one more week to get this ready...

By the time this week is over, this calendar will be full of the fall semester events that my students have going on.  For the first time in a couple years, I'm feeling more excitement than dread for the start of the school year.  I haven't felt dread because the students were returning - I just dreaded the first few weeks of school and all of the crappy repetitive stuff that came with it.  My new job is a lot different and it's going to be an exciting opportunity to get to know the students I'll be working with all year.

For those of you who have already started the world of Fall semester - hope it's started off with a bang!!

Selling a House - What We Wish We Would Have Known

We OFFICIALLY closed on our house yesterday (HOORAY!!!), and we have had a lot of really important insights that we wish we would have known as a first time home seller, so I thought I'd share them and hope they help someone else!

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Do your research ahead of time

• Know what the market is like in your are
• Look for comparable houses - see what's available in your house size as well as in the same schools (these can be separate - if you are the only 4 bedroom house in your school district, that's a big deal)
• Look at the finishings in those houses to see how yours compares - if your house is more move in ready and needs less updating, that's a reason it should be listed for more
• Know what you think your house should be listed at and see if your realtors' market value is similar - this should be a factor when deciding which realtor you want to work with

Interview multiple realtors

Just because you like the first realtor you meet doesn't mean you should stop there.  Talk to a couple of others and if you still love the first, it should just confirm to you that they are your best choice!  Once you have chosen, be ready to give reasons to the others that you did not select - they will ask and it's nice if you can give them something meaningful.

Ask who you'll REALLY be working with

When you are interviewing realtors, you are going to get to know the person whose face will be representing your house - that doesn't mean that you'll have much access to them, or that they will actually be doing most of the work.  Ask them who schedules their appointments, who draws up their paperwork, and who answers the phones.

After the interview, our realtor was the person who contacted us about 10% of the time - the others in the office were the ones we had contact with 90% of them time, and we didn't get to meet them ahead of time.

Don't accept contingencies

Unless of course you have all the time in the world!

We were supposed to close on July 26 because that's when our buyers were supposed to close on their house.  It's now almost a month later and their house buyer's loan has still not been signed off on by the USDA - don't even get me started on the USDA writing home loans.

Next time, we will not accept a closing contingent on another closing - we will set a date and after that date, there will be a charge for every additional day that goes by that we haven't closed.

Know how offers and counter offers work

If you get an offer on your house, and you want to counter, you have to be sure EVERYTHING written down - if you are removing something from your counter, you have to put it in writing - an example:

OFFER

$100,000 purchase price

$3,000 in Closing Costs

$500 for a home warranty

If you want to counter at a price of $105,000 and you don't want to pay closing costs, you can't just counter with this...

COUNTER #1

Purchase price $105,000

You also have to say Seller will not pay closing costs.  If you don't wan to make any changes to the home warranty, then you don't have to mention that.

We had a situation like this, and we didn't know that our realtor's office had screwed up our counter, but they did and we were FURIOUS - as first time sellers, we didn't know how that worked and we almost got screwed by it (we also almost fired our realtor because that's their job and you should be able to trust that they are doing it right)

Don't show your hand

Your realtor doesn't need to know what your bottom line is, so don't share it with them.  Yes - you should know in advance what you'd like to make on your house and where you're willing to give, but that doesn't mean you need to share that information.  Realtors want to make a sale because they want their commission - that's their job - so giving that information to them could make them push you to make a deal that you don't really want to make because they are trying to seal the deal.

Selling a house is stressful - most people are on a timeline when doing so, so be prepared when choosing your realtor, listing your house and going through the process.

I'm back... and I have big news!!

I am back from Greece, and before I get into the trip recaps, I have big news to share.  I haven't even shared this with Facebook yet, so you're not the last to know...

WE ARE MOVING!!!

I love Bloomington, and there are a lot of things I'm going to miss here, but we are moving, to Ann Arbor, Michigan!

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We came here two years ago for my job, because it was a chance to be closer to family, and with the hope that J would find something in his field.  We thought that IU would be a great place for him to do that... it turned out not to be the case.

We are moving again because I got a new job, but we are so very hopeful that this time will prove to be a better chance for Jason to get back to what he wants to do.  U of M has a much larger athletic department and there are universities close by that could present additional opportunities.

If J gets back into athletics at Michigan, I can see Ann Arbor being a place that we would stay for a long time and have a good chance of really putting down roots... something that we though Bloomington would be.

SO - our house is on the market and we will be downsizing temporarily - back to an apartment.  That will probably be the most difficult part of moving because we have done so much to the house and it's going to be hard to go back to white walls and a kitchen that hasn't been upgraded.

One of the best things about this move is going to be how close we will be to my family's lake house.  Right now we are about 4 hours away - now we will only be an hour away - HOORAY!!!!

So I have one more month here in the state of Indiana, but won't be changing the blog name  :)

GO BLUE!!

Well, what do you think?

Hopefully you've noticed today that my blog looks different than it did last week.  I'm no longer the long distance bride for two reasons... I'm not a bride anymore, AND I now live less than 200 miles from the place I got married, instead of the 1,000 miles that I did during planning.

So, it was time for a change.  There will be a few changes to the content as well.  Wedding Wednesday is still happening... I love it too much to not keep looking at wedding stuff.  It's also going to change to more info about what we are doing to our new(ish) house that is definitely still a work in progress.  I think I'm also going to add a "menu" section to the week... maybe Monday, since I love alliteration   :)

Hopefully I won't lose any readers... I don't really have any friends here yet, so for right now, you're all I've got!!!  I promise I'll also do a better job of consistent posts... 2 or 3 a week for sure!

Happy Monday and welcome to the next chapter of my story!

ABC, All About Me...

Get to know me ABC's.

You may know all about my wedding, but here are a few things you may not 

have known about me!

Age: 28.

Bed size: Queen, but I'd move down to a full if it meant we could get a Tempurpedic... ok, maybe not a full... that's really small. 

Chore you hate: Putting laundry away. I don't mind putting it in the wash or in the drier and I don't mind folding.. but I absolutely HATE putting it away. 


Dogs: None... and no other pets. I love animals SO much, that I would feel bad having to leave a dog home with no one to play with all day. I know... I'm a little ridiculous about it.

Essential start of your day: COFFEE!!! Just one cup, but I love the taste!

Favorite color: It's a tie between Purple, Green and Burnt Orange


Gold or silver: Silver 


Height: 5'7"  


Instruments I play (or have played): I used to play the piano and so wish I would have continued... I love the way a piano sounds... so simple, yet so powerful. I may start taking lessons again if I can afford it. 


Job title: Assistant Director of Campus Recreational Sports for Informal Sports and Student Personnel... yes, it's a long one and yes, it is as confusing as it sounds. To sum it up, I supervise a lot of college students in the hopes that one day, they will become real people instead of get stuck in the transition from kid to adult. 


Kids: None and non coming in the near future! I'm never going to be one of those people who tries to plan conception, which is so not like me because I'm a planner... I'm just going to have to let God do his thing and I'll get excited when he does.  


Live: Indiana... just moved here from Texas not too long ago. 


Mom's name: Sue   

Nickname: Lexi (my real name is Alexis), Lex, Lexo and Girlee (that's what J calls me)

Overnight hospital stays: No, but I have had a few surgeries... knee scope, gall bladder removed, LASIK 

Pet peeve: Oh there are SO many... one of them is that I hate when people say words/phrases wrong... It's especially, not "expecially" (I have no idea how people turn the S into an X) and it's "Up and at em", not "Up and Adam", unless you're name is Adam, which is the only time that would be an actual phrase. I shudder when I hear things like this.     

Quote from a movie: 

"Now let me say, without hope or agenda... that you are perfect" -Love Actually

"You stink... you smell like beef and cheese... you don't smell like Santa" -Elf 


Right or left handed: Right.     

Siblings: None.

Time you wake up: Usually around 8:00 am 


Underwear: Yes??? 


Vegetables you dislike: Cooked spinach    

What makes you run late: My hair... it can definitely be cause for a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!

X-rays you've had done: Lots... probably just about every bone in my body! Well, maybe not my arms... I've never hurt my arms before. 


Yummy food you make: LOTS! I don't really bake... there's too much attention to detail required... but I really love to cook! One of my favorites is Cilantro Lime Chicken 


Zoo animal: Giraffes and Elephants.Hope you're learned something new about me today!!!

Hope you learned something about me today!!!

Now What???

Well, the wedding is over... the honeymoon is over... our life has just begun.  I still plan to do some wedding related posts, but probably just one day a week... we'll call it "Wedding Wednesday"  :-D

So, starting tomorrow, this blog will be transformed, slowly but sure, to match the newly started chapter of my life.  I'm working on a new title and possibly a new look (we'll see about this one) and we'll be moving from "recaps" to "real life".

Stay tuned... we're just getting started!

Grandma

Sorry for the lack of posts this week... it's been a hard week for me.  Last Sunday, my Grandma passed away.  The only grandparent I had left, the only grandparent who was at my wedding, and my Grandma who I was pretty sure was going to live forever.

She turned 83 on August 1.  Just the day before we were all in Indianapolis.  My cousin was playing a basketball game there and everyone went.  Grandma was her normal self... walking, climbing stairs, talking with everyone and cheering on her granddaughter.  The week before that, she had two of her great grandsons at her house for the week and took them all over the city.

She turned 83 on Monday, August 1 and just a few days later, she was in the hospital.  She had a stroke and although her motor function was not affected, her speech was.  Her sister called a couple of days late to wish her a Happy Birthday.  She was not talking right so her sister called my aunt, who called my mom.  My mom took her to the hospital where she went through tests and continued to have trouble finding words or speaking correctly.

I got to see her on Friday afternoon... I wish I had been there sooner.  I think she knew who I was... but I can't be sure.  We spent the next two days in the hospital and family members came from all over to be with her.  On Sunday, at exactly 9:00 pm, she was gone.  It was peaceful... she had sons, daughters and grandkids all around her bed.  There were a few people who didn't make it back, but who said their goodbyes on a phone held to her ear.

My mom told me that the doctor told her on Wednesday that she could no longer live alone.  I'm pretty sure that this is when she made up her mind that she did not want to live if it couldn't be how she wanted.  I am very lucky to have great memories of her from my wedding week.  She was at my parents' house every day helping me with things... she saved the day by re-making the bottom layer of our groom's cake... and I have these great pictures of her (thanks to Catie's Captures) that I can always remember her by...

 Putting Grandma's corsage brooch on her

 Mom, Me and Grandma

 Grandma arriving at tea after saving the groom's cake

 Bridal Brunch

Grandma with her brothers and sisters