Joke Of The Day

Here's today's Joke Of The Day. I thought it was kind of fitting considering all the mortgage crisis and credit crunch that has been going on for almost a year now. Now, the feds are talking about overhauling the financial system of the country to give the feds more power over the financial markets. I'm personally against this. Having the government in basic control of the financial markets of the country is just asking for something to get screwed up. When has the government ever done anything right by overhauling a major component of the US economy? Anyway, thought this joke was kindof fitting considering how mortgage company execs are getting paid major bucks in bonuses while at the same time, their companies is going bankrupt and their customers are losing there houses.

Joke of the Day

Okay, I've been trying to think of other things I can do with my blog to get it to be more popular. The thing I would like to do, starting with this post, is publish a joke every day. My work does the same thing with their internal website homepage and it's just a good thing to do to pick someone up everyday. The jokes for my joke of the day won't all have the same. I'll try and diversify the jokes so everyone can enjoy this. Joke 1: Why did the chicken...no, just kidding. Here's the real joke:

Buy.com Rocks!!!

We have this great big plasma tv that I found at Walmart on clearance. It is a bit temperamental, but getting it at $900 makes me less likely to complain about that. The problem now is, what do we do with this great big tv? Thanks to Buy.com, I can do all kinds of things with the tv. Let me explain to you why buy.com rocks.

They have all kinds of things for rock bottom prices. You can get electronics, like the Nintendo Wii or games like Guitar Hero. Great stuff for our great tv. You can also get other things, too, like computers, laptops, and even jewelry. Thanks to Buy.com and how much they rock, our tv will have a very fulfilled life. Check out the video showing how much life Buy.com has added to tv experience.

Friday!!!!!

Hooray, it's finally Friday. It seems to take forever to get here and never seems to stick around long enough. Actually, this week seemed to go rather fast. I honestly think if you're not thinking about how slow the week goes or how far away the weekend is all week, the week will go much faster. That's what I did this week. Instead of thinking about the weekend, I just focused on the week at hand and the week went so much smoother and quicker. Now that it's Friday, I can finally sleep in, at least on one day. Good 'ol Saturday. How I have missed thee.

Friday Feast

Appetizer

What does the color dark green make you think of?

- Grass in the summer time

Soup

How many cousins do you have?

- Oh geez. I think by my last count I had over 50 cousins.

Salad

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?

- About a 9. Things would be so much simpler and less convoluted in this world if everyone simply just told the truth.

Main Course

Name something that is truly free.

- Air

Dessert

Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.

- Sunny People Really Irritate News Grumpies

Almost Unpacked

It's crazy, it's been nearly 3 weeks since moving in and we still have boxes to unpack. I think as you go through life, there will always be boxes that you pack up once and never actually unpack. And, yet, you still carry them with you wherever you go. I actually only have three more boxes to unpack and the house will basically be box free. The next thing to tackle would be the garage. That one is going to need a weekend of it's own in order to get that unpacked.

From Grass To Cement

When we bought our new house, the first thing I noticed about the yard is how small it is compared to out last yard. The lot size is half what it was in Idaho and the house is twice as big. You can do the math on that one to figure out how small the yard is here. What is really funny is the fact that what little yard we have is covered in cement. They must have really not liked doing yard work. Honestly, mowing the grass at the new house is supposed to take just fifteen minutes and I believe it. I do wish our yard was bigger. I miss the big yard we created at our last house. It was huge and had all kinds of room and potential. So it is definitely a switch now to be taking care of cement as opposed to taking care of grass.

Sleeping on the couch

One of the things I missed most while living at my inlaws was being able to sleep on the couch. The couches they have are all worn out and if I fell asleep on them I would wake up with a horrible pain in my neck and back. But now that we are in our own house and have our comfortable couches back I find myself falling asleep on them all the time. No, my wife doesn't make me sleep on the couch, I just fall asleep very easily and happen to like how comfortable our couches are. It annoys my wife that I sleep on the couch instead of coming up to bed, but it's so nice to have a quiet comfortable place to just fall asleep in front of the TV.

Go Volt Go!!!!

I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of paying out the nose each time I go to the gas station now. Even filling up my little Cavalier costs almost 45 dollars where 5 years ago, it only cost 20, and that was using Premium Gasoline. I'm tired of this. Where does it end? It can't end because everyone right now needs oil. There isn't another option, at least not yet. Say hello to the Chevy Volt. Finally, a car that will make buying gas 'an' option, not 'the' option.

When I first heard that Chevy was developing an electric car, I thought it was going to be one of those weird looking cars you see when they display concept cars. But when I saw the first picture of the Volt, I fell in love with it. Look at this thing!!! It is a mean looking, electric car. When you dive into the specs of it, you fall even more in love with it. For one, to charge it, you just plug it in to a regular outlet. It takes only a few hours to fully charge. Then, it can go nearly 40 miles on a charge. That's less than my commute to work each day. That means I would never have to buy gas again to go to work. Also, it has a small gas engine to allow it to go hundreds of miles more before finally running out. I love it. If GM prices this thing right, we can say goodbye to high gas prices and dependency on oil. We as the United States can produce all of our electricity. With this car, we won't need as much oil and there is more than one way to produce electricity. Slated to come out in 2010, I'm crossing my fingers that everything goes as planned and that it's affordable. If so, I'll be the first in line to get one.

House Fixtures

I love the many bathrooms that are in our house. Our last house had only two bathrooms. Our new house has nearly four bathrooms. I love it because there is so much we can possibly improve like by replacing the sinks with Blanco sinks, or updating the light fixtures, or adding wall items. I love it. Since we put so much work in the landscape of the last house, perhaps in this one, we can put that much effort into the house itself.

It's So Easy Now

I'm still amazed at how quiet our new home is. When we were living at the inlaws, it was so hard to fall asleep because the place was so busy. People were always going in and out. Now, in our new house, I'm finding it too easy to fall asleep. More than once, I've fallen asleep around 8:30 and other times I just want to sleep the whole day away. I don't want to do that because then we would get nothing done. I'm finding myself wanting to invite people over all the time just so I don't sleep all my free time away.

Another Man's Treasure

When we moved into our new house, there was a dumpster out front that the previous owners had used to throw away garbage when they moved. However, when we started looking at what they threw away, we found door hardware like hinges and door handles, all brand new. We also found end tables, food storage, fishing poles, and even a huge mirror. We still don't know why they threw this all away, but, hey, one man's junk is another man's treasure.

So Much Room

In our last home, we had very little room for moving around once all of our furniture was in there. It felt like we had so much stuff. Now that we are in our new home, we have a whole front room that is completely empty. We need to go to a place like directbuy to get more furniture. The best things we would need would be another sofa and loveseat and a couple of cabinets for display items like pictures and collectibles. Hopefully, when we have more spending money, we can begin to fill in that room.

Cable Internet

When we were looking at our new home, we asked the owners if it had cable. They said the whole house was wired for cable. When we moved in and signed up for cable Internet, we found out that there was no actual cable going to the cables in the house. We had to wait nearly a week before having Internet access. We felt so cut off. Now, we finally have the Internet back, although I wish we had fiber cable instead of regular cable because fiber cable is so much faster. Oh well, beggers can't be choosy.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter. We got our easter baskets this morning. I would like to thank my wonderful wife for putting those together last night. It's funny because we bought the candy for those baskets two days ago and when we did, the store shelves were nearly empty when it came to easter candy. That was two days before easter. Crazy. Anyway, we are having dinner at my inlays today and having an easter egg hunt before that. It's going to be a fun day.

Back To Unpacking

So we are all finally over being sick. Well, I should say we are all to the point where we are able to get stuff done again. Now, we can start unpacking our stuff again. For example, yesterday I started hanging things on the walls and getting things vacuumed. We still need to do a little work on our bedroom. The next thing to start on is getting the basement all unpacked. Right now, there are mostly just the boys' toys down there, along with our food storage. Once the master bedroom is all put together, we can put the basement together. Then, it's on to the final porgject: the garage.

Already??

It's been nearly a week and a half since we moved into our new home. It doesn't seem like that at all. In fact, it seems that just yesterday we were still at the inlaws talking about how it seemed to be forever before we could have our own place again. What's really weird is that it doesn't seem like we spent over a month at the inlaws. It's just a memory. Even after a week and a half in our new place, we still only have about half of our stuff unpacked. We haven't even started unpacking the downstairs yet. One of these days we'll get to it. Hopefully, before the new baby comes.

More Costs

I guess there are a few more hidden costs when it comes to moving to Utah. For one, we have to get our vehicles safety and emissions tested. That is nearly 60 dollars each. You have to get that before they will even think of registering your vehicle. Luckily, I'm only going to do our van right now and wait for our car insurance to renew before I register our car. If paying for those inspections is not enough, registering you vehicle in Utah is expensive because they make you pay property taxes on your vehicles here. I hate that. I've never had to pay property taxes on vehicles my whole life except when I live in Utah. Last but not least, West Jordan wants us to pay to register our cats with the city. It's 30 dollars each and they want us to do it every year. What are they, cars? Why would the city care about you having pets? Grrr, as if the taxes in Utah weren't high enough, we have to fork out money for other things as well.

I Hate Being Sick

I came down with bronchitis this last week and I hate it. I can't stand being sick because I have no motivation to do anything. The really sad part is that my wife and kids are also sick. It makes things a little dreary around the house when everyone is sick and miserable. In addition, medication always makes me drowsy. It doesn't matter what kind of medication it is, it makes me sleepy. Right now, I'm having a hard time staying awake at work because my antibiotics just kicked in. I just wanna go home and crash on the couch. I'm very glad I only get sick once in a blue moon.

Bad Memory

My memory is not that great anymore. I blame my LDS mission, college, being married, and having 2 toddlers for that. I used to be able to just look at something for a little while and then recall exactly what it was later. I just can't do that anymore. I thought I still had that gift in college, but when I would try and remember something on a particular subject, the data just got convoluted with data from other subjects. I'm just glad I have my wife around. Her memory tends to be stronger than mine anymore.

More Luggage

I've always wanted some really nice luggage. I used to have a big piece of luggage when I went on my LDS mission, but it has since been sold. Now, we just rely on my wife's luggage. I'm not sure what kind of luggage it is, whether it's Johnston and Murphy or some other kind. I'm not even sure where she got it or what for. I just know that down the road, we may have to look into getting some more luggage.

Friday Feast

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?
- 7

Soup
Do you prefer baths or showers?
- Showers

Salad
What was the last bad movie you watched?
- Across The Universe. What a waste of time.

Main Course
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.
- Mountain Dew. I always need one in my hand or in the house

Dessert
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?
- The guitar.

Travel Deals

It's funny. Almost every year we get an offer to go to a timeshare company and listen to the hotel deals they are currently having. I don't mind listening. Some of those deals sound really good. In addition, even if we don't buy anything, they give you a trip just for coming in. the last time we went, we got a trip to Hawaii. We haven't used it yet and I'm not even sure we have registered in time to take it, but all we have to pay for is the flight. Not cheap, but still it's a trip to Hawaii. We also never seem to have time to go. I guess we'll just have to plan the trip a weekend in advance. At least that way, we might actually go.

Let The Move Begin

We get the keys to our new house tomorrow at 2. You know what that means? It's time to pack everything into the moving truck. We've been getting stuff in there since about 6 tonight. The trick is to get everything in there so we only have to make one trip with the truck. That's why it's taking so long. I'm exhausted and we're only about halfway done. However, from what it sounds like, we are going to have quite the crew helping us unload. Once we are unloaded, that's it. The transition will be over and all we have to do is unpack and settle into our new house. Well, I gotta go. Gotta get more stuff into the truck.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?
- Steve Carrell because he gets to play all kinds of different characters

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?
- 5 I can tolerate it, but at the same time don't hate it

Salad
Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).
- We donate to our church

Main Course
What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?
- Subway subs :D

Dessert
Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?
- No, but it sure has felt like it.

The Waiting Game - Again

We turned in the last two pieces of our home-closing process today. The wire transfer of the rest of the downpayment went through this morning and the fax of the last paper we had to turn in also went through this morning. Now, provided nothing else was forgotten and everything was received okay on the other end, we are just waiting from the all-important phone call from our Realtor saying funding went through. Once we get that call, we can celebrate like crazy and get the keys for the house. We can also start calling people to give them the official word of when moving day is. I hate playing the waiting game, though. It just makes me a little nervous. I can't think of anything else that would hold up the closing process anymore. Just gotta play the game. I hate this game.

A New Addtion

As if buying a new house and getting a new job was not enough change for one person, we decided it was not enough for us. We found out yesterday that we are going to have another addition to the family. We are very excited. What is also great is that we can afford this one because of the great insurance that comes with my job. The Lord truly is blessing us. New job, great insurance, new house, and now a new baby. It will be a little different because we have had just the two boys for nearly a year and half now. It will be a little weird to have more than that. We are crossing our fingers on this one that it's a girl. It truly is an exciting time for our family. The Lord makes good on his promises. If you trust in him and obey his commandments, he will bless you. It's guaranteed to happen.

Just About There

We are one paper away from owning our new house. That last paper is going to be faxed down from our Idaho title company tomorrow morning. Once that is done and the funding goes through, we will own our gorgeous new home. I'm very excited. Also, if the house funds tomorrow and everything gets done, we can move in on Saturday in stead of Monday. That would be two less days we would have to wait to move in. It's very exciting. I haven't shouted for joy yet because we had such a horrible experience last time we signed papers to buy our last home. I don't want to get my hopes up until everything is done. Last time we did that and it was a nightmare. I am confident that everything will be just fine, but I will be very comforted once it is all said and done. Just one paper away.

Holding Our Breath And Crossing Our Toes

The big day is tomorrow. After tomorrow night, we are one step closer to having our own place again. The only thing left after we sign is for the sellers to sign. We are all just holding our breath and crossing our fingers and toes that everything will be ready. It sounds like we are still waiting for the underwriters to sign off on our paperwork. Our mortgage broker says to not worry. We have met all of their conditions so it's just a matter of them signing the papers. Once they have signed off, the docs can be printed up and we can sign them. I just hope we don't go through the same things we did with buying our old home. There, we waited two days for the monkeys in the bank to get the papers over to us to sign. Not the same situation here, but we are knocking on all the wood we can find hoping history doesn't repeat itself.

Like Sardines

Man, I thought the house here at the inlaws was crowded before. I was way off. Tonight, we had a birthday party for Henry and man was the place packed. Almost all of my wife's siblings were here with their significant others. Henry also had a few friends over too, so that just added more sardines to the can. Plus, the party all took place in one room. Whew, I was getting claustrophobic sitting in there. We did get fed dinner and cake, but I think I'm regretting the dinner or it's regretting me because I am not feeling good after it. The party is still going on in the other room and there is no volume limit here so I can hear just about everything that is going on. I honestly can't wait to get into our new home so we can have some peace and quiet again. I'm almost forgetting what that feels like.

Our Bed

I love our bed and the bedding that is currently on it. I definitely miss it when we spend the night at someone else's house. For one, our mattress is a pillow-top mattress, so that's a big plus. In addition, we have a memory foam mattress on top of that. It makes sleeping on it very good for the bad. I don't believe I have woken up with a bad back since we have gotten our bed that way. The bedding on it also makes it look very classy. Three cheers for great, comfortable beds.

Hotel Fire

Did anyone see the fire at the Las Vegas hotel called the Monte Carlo? It was the craziest thing I had seen in a long time. From what I hear, the Monte Carlo is one of the priciest hotels in Vegas. So I can't even imagine how much that fire must have cost the hotel. I just hope the hotel had good fire insurance because that fire did a number on that hotel.

Commercials

I love commercials these days. I think the best commercials are still the commercials during the Super Bowl. They actually did a decent job on the commercials this year. They were funny and not too racy like they've had in the past with hot lingerie commercials. It's funny because when lingerie commercials come on tv, I turn to my wife and smile. She just rolls her eyes and turns away.

Buried Treasure

I am still digging on this bug that I have been working on at work for nearly a week. And today, we may have hit the buried treasure. You've seen the movies where someone is digging for treasure and then you hear this load 'Clunk' signifying that they have hit the treasure chest. Well, I think we hit our treasure chest as far as finding the root of the bug goes. We are just now in the process of digging the rest of the treasure chest out, hoping we don't cause a collapse of the hole we dug to get here.

One Hurdle Down

We have officially sold our house. The buyers signed the papers this morning. I was a little worried because yesterday our Realtor called and there were some things not working. But they ironed themselves out and the house is now just awaiting for the funding to come in. The buyer also mentioned that he would for sure take care of the yard and not let it go to waste. Apparently, he loves the fact that he has a huge yard and will take care of it. That makes me happy knowing that all that hard work will not go to waste. Sad to see that house go, but I'm also glad that it sounds like it will have some good owners. We now look forward to signing on our new house on Wednesday. As far was we know, that is all going to plan. So, one hurdle down and we are coming up on the next one. Here's hoping and praying that it's a smooth jump.

What A Ride

The weekend is over and what a weekend it was. It was so long and yet it flew right by. Friday night, we drove to Idaho to sign papers to sign over our house. That whole process took about 30 minutes. We then drove to Idaho Falls to attend a wedding. After that, we drove to Rexburg to attend the reception. Then, Sunday morning, we drove back to Salt Lake to end the weekend. We are now crossing our fingers that everything will continue to go as well as it has. We are crossing our fingers that the buyers continue to sign on our house and that everything will be ready for us to sign on our new house. It is all coming together and has done so very well through this whole process. It is almost over. I'm just hoping we are already past the climax. I have a feeling we are.

The Beginning Of The End

Today we made our house sale officially, at least on our end. The buyers are actually going to won' be signing their papers on Monday morning. It wa really sad to see all of that go: the house, the backyard, and all the memories that were there. It was wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but it was still hard. I walked around the backyard one last time last night. Over the last year and a half, I had spent hours upon hours working on that thing and now it would no longer be mine. There was already some evidence that the melting snow had started to eat away at the edge of the slope, causing ruts and a big hole. That was always a main concern of mine. I'm really hoping that the new owners take care of that backyard becuase it would be a horrible waste if they didn't. I also hope they will get with Rod Pierce to finish the work on the slope so it is more stable and maintainable. That way, they won't have to worry about what the rain is going to do to the backyard. Anyway, it was really sad to see all of that go. I will miss that backyard and I will definitely miss mowing it. Mowing the backyard was nearly therapudic. The next step is for the buyers to sign their papers and then it's on to us signing the papers for our new house. The transition is nearly over. It's been a really smooth one, but not entirely an easy one.