Slackin Lately!

Okay, sorry I havent been on here in 10 days or so... :) Life has just been one big bottle of stress lately and I think I see the light finally.

Just to run through this quickly, we didnt get the loan (of course not) from the lender that screwed us on the appraisal. We did get qualified for an FHA loan with the previous lender we had been working with but after an hour of discussion last night with Derek and an hour today of calculating ALL costs on this new loan in Excel here is what we found.. In order to save ourselves $150/month, it will cost us $20,000 in loan fees (which will take us 10 years! to recover on a 30 year loan) and after 30 years with this loan, we will have saved only $37,000 total.. Hell that is hardly worth it.. who knows where we will be in 10 years, eventually I'd love to get more property, although I love my place..

So the solution for now: Eliminate our escrow payment from our loan which will save us an immediate $585/month! Yes we will have to find $2000 in 3 months to cover our property taxes, but we'll make it work and find a way. From now on, we'll pay our property taxes with our income tax return and not have to worry about escrow. WHAT A F*ING RELIEF to finally figure this mess all out and find some room to breathe...

Maybe now that this will be behind us, we can get back to riding! I rode a week ago with Wendy, went and explored the trails off Dubuque Rd and found the largest pile of Bear Shit I have ever seen!!! Made me quite nervous actually for the ride, there were lots of piles, but that one pile really had my head spinnin :)

I camped out Friday night by myself (well okay, there were other people camping as well) but Derek and the dogs were at home. There was a regional prize ride (screeeeech.....) sorry, we couldnt call it a prize ride, it was a Ride Challenge Fundraiser with Donations. lol I helped all day in registration, got to talk with a lot of people. The ride was to raise money to maintain the trailhead there outside Sedro Woolley at Harry O. I've only ridden there a few times, it had been atleast 5 years since I had been there last. The ride challenge seemed like a GREAT idea and everyone seemed to really like the change. I had wished I was riding it, but I was needed in registration so I felt good that I could help out.

As I drove home, I realized how much I missed horse camping! I havent been in almost 2 years, the last camping trip I did was with Carrie when we went to Easton in Oct 07, just a month before she died. With building the house last year, it just was not really an option, plus my head was not in it last year, actually it is amazing to think back to the building process and although it was almost exactly a year ago that we finished with everything, I dont really recall that summer/year much. I wish I had started blogging earlier in the year last year, so I could go back and remind myself what that year was like, it is all just a blurr to me now. It is weird to think back like that and feel like you have lost so much time, but yet I was so busy. I think the busyness helped get me through.

Okay sap sap, I will move on... ;) But back to where I started, I realized while camping that I missed that feeling of being independant and going out for a weekend and having it just be "me" time again. Not that I dont love camping with Derek, dont get me wrong, but it felt good to remember I can do things on my own and I feel pretty darn good doing it!

My parents bought a boat, a little fishing boat... We have had such bad luck with our boat as far as NOT catching any fish, I told my dad that if we, my parents and Eric/Andrea all go out to the same lake and they all 4 catch fish while we get skunked again, I'm throwing someone overboard, I think I'll go postal.. lol I'm actually excited to get out and do some fishin with my folks, it is something we have not done together as a family in... oh man, I dont even know how long its been, probably atleast 20+ years! I'd love to get them out camping as well, it would be fun for the 6 of us to go out, maybe invite some other friends, but not sure my parents are up to camping in a tent!!! I have a cot my dad could use, or they could get an airmattress, those are pretty comfy.. they even make those ones that are super tall so it's easier to get in/out of.

Oh and my brother and Andrea are official homeowners!!! YEAH.. I am over my jealously of their new place.. okay well not quite. But I'm working on it. They have a GREAT level 5 acre partially fenced property, a rental apartment, a barn (although gutted but easily reconverted) and then the main house is very charming.. :) Apparently too they can walk down their road to a nice manicured trail down to the river! and they'll get a key to a gate so they can drive to the river bank which is supposedly sandy and very nice.. I know their 2 dogs will LOVE going to the river.. I think we'll have to invite ourselves over often.. lol But all jealously aside, I am VERY VERY happy for them, this is a great house. It is big enough for children down the road and many farm animals to come.