Our Jeep died. The engine seized and Tim suspects it blew a gasket (like I actually know what that is). Our 1989 Honda Prelude is, shall we say, less than reliable so we have to get another car and we have an EXTREMELY limited amount of money to spend. We just bought the 2001 Jeep Cherokee in January from our friends, and its been running fine all this time. 
I know we can’t afford to buy a new car right now, because neither of us would be able to make monthly payments, so we’ll have to take the limited funds we had set aside for some house upgrades and get another used car.
FML FML FML.
We’d better be able to move on Wednesday or I might stab my toes.
One problem follows another, like a trail of ants.
Wednesday we were told that the lingering issues (all caused by the title company) were taken care of, and that they were sending a rush on the recording for Thursday afternoon, and we’d get the keys that day. Thursday arrives, and we get a phone call in the middle of packing up the rest of our toiletries from Bekah. The title company didn’t get the money to the sellers on time, so the sale won’t be recorded until Friday morning. Good news is, we can have the keys to the house to start cleaning and painting, but we have to promise that we won’t move any personal belongings into the house until Friday. Unfortunately, Friday was not a fortuitous day for the move as we were unable to secure help. We scheduled the move for Sunday and figured we’d be able to have everything out of the rental by Tuesday. Tim called our landlord and let her know that Tuesday she could have the keys.
Yesterday we cleaned most of the house and started painting our bedroom. We spent a total of $400 at Home Depot on paint and supplies, new heating/air conditioning vents and some electrical supplies. A little scary, especially since our door project is going to cost another $400 next week. The listing agent for our house stopped by and took the lockboxes off of the front door, and removed the “For Sale’ sign off the front lawn. We left our house in Napa around 8:30 and when we were about fifteen minutes from Calistoga, I received a phone call from the Calistoga Police Department. Apparently the milk cartons of old motor oil that Tim had put in front of our house for the recycling deparment to pick up were run over by our neighbors and dragged halfway down the street. Luckily, none of the oil got into the sewer system. However, the fire department had to clean up the oil and throw down sand on half our block. We didn’t receive a ticket or any fines, but they wanted to let us know and make sure we hadn’t done anything on purpose.
I go to bed feeling tired, achy, and a little worried about money but completely excited to get a start on moving our mountains of stuff. Tim and I woke up early this morning and went to Home Depot AGAIN to get another can of White Truffle paint for our bedroom and a few things we’d forgotten Thursday. Bekah let us know at 11am that we would hear from her as soon as the sale was officially recorded, probably around 3 or 4. We managed to get our bathroom and the hall bathroom painted before we needed a break at 3:30pm. Then we get THE CALL. Bekah informed us that the sale did not record today and would not record until possibly Monday. The underwriter at the title company decided that the $2000 credit towards our down payment we received from our realtor was not put into our contract to their satisfaction EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DONE EXACTLY AS THEY REQUESTED. So, the underwriter decided not to send our transaction to the county recorder.
Not only that but we are NOT allowed to move anything until this sale is recorded. I can do all the cleaning, painting and repairing that we want but the move is off until next week.
and NOT IN OUR HOUSE.
We were supposed to get our keys at 1pm today, but there’s been another holdup. I even woke up early this morning to pack up my clothes and toiletries, then we get a call saying that the seller hadn’t confirmed receipt of the sale so it wasn’t officially recorded with the county. After several conversations (mostly sobbing in the fetal position on my end) we’ve managed to get confirmation that the sale will be recorded tomorrow and we will get the keys tomorrow. HOWEVER, instead of by 1pm, it may not be finished until 4pm. There goes our plans for moving day! Tim and I had been back and forth trying to pin down a date and time for the move, and then had to push it to Thursday. Now, we’ve got to do it Friday, and possibly without help. I can help Tim with a lot of the heavy stuff, but the bookcase was difficult enough for Tim and Justin when we moved here to Calistoga, so I know I wouldn’t be able keep my end up.
One thing that has put a smile on my face is the new ice cream/frozen yogurt shop that opened this week in Calistoga, called Scoops & Swirls. On Sunday evening I had nonfat raspberry frozen yogurt (it was delicious), last night I had the rainbow sherbet ice cream (not as good as the fro-yo) and tonight I had coffee ice cream (awesome). I gotta back off but I can’t help myself.
LOL of the week:
Our realtor, Bekah, is fantastic. Thursday afternoon, after much haggling and weedling, she managed to get the title company to agree to let us sign our closing papers Friday. We had to drive two hours to Downtown San Jose to the title offices, but we met with a notary and signed our closing contracts! It was so exciting, but it definitely made me a little nervous. Especially when we see that if we continue to pay our mortgage as is, we won’t pay off the house until the year 2039! I know we’ll probably pay it off before then, but to think we’ll be in debt until I am 55 years old is daunting.
We’ve set the big move-in for Thursday. I CAN’T WAIT!! I’m so excited to get in there and make it ours.
My birthday is only three weeks away, and I still haven’t done any planning. Initally, I was thinking of a huge soiree to toast my 25th, but since our disposable income has shrunk I’ve decided to scale back. Most of my family is located in the South Bay, and my friends are scattered all over. I usually try to have my birthday celebration in San Jose to make it easier for everyone else. Last year the dinner was at A Bellagio in Campbell, the year before was California Cafe in Los Gatos and 2006 was at Gordon Biersch in Downtown San Jose. I’ll have to research to find a good spot.
Just a note: English Cheddar Cheese with Caramelized Onion from Trader Joe’s is FANTASTIC! My love of cheese combined with my adoration of onions…LOVES IT!
After several days of scrambling to get our loan docs re-finalized and re-sent to the title company (because our escrow agent is a stupid liar that should be fired), we received confirmation from our loan officer that it was delivered this morning. Tim calls them to confirm and, lo and behold, our escrow agent has TAKEN THE DAY OFF. Not only that, but because she was assigned to our case no one else can process the documents and get the closing papers to the notary. We cannot close today, and will most likely not close tomorrow. If we sign Monday, they won’t ‘record’ the sale until Tuesday and we might get the keys Wednesday.
FML.
If you are a title company and you are reading this, just visualize a certain middle digit sticking up at you!
Last week, our lender finalized all our paperwork to send to the title company. We sent in our contingency deposit and it was sitting on the escrow agent’s desk on Friday morning. We didn’t receive a call to tell us where to go to sign the closing papers. Okay, so we’ll sign Monday, get the keys Wednesday and do the full move-in on Saturday.
I am scheduled to work Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, so we’d have to wait until next Wednesday if we can’t do the move on Saturday. I’d really like to avoid this, but as long as we can clean and paint before we have to move things in, we’re all good.
Monday morning arrives, sunny and lovely. Tim hasn’t heard from the escrow agent by 1pm, so he calls and calls. Leaves 2 voice mails and finally she calls back to tell him that our papers have been put ‘in queue’ and we will find out Tuesday where to sign. Well, that is f$*#-ed up, but, as long as we can have the keys by Thursday, we can clean Friday, get some of the painting done on Saturday and Tim can finish it up on Sunday. We’re looking at a tighter schedule than we wanted. We want to be into our house by the 31st. Tim can’t take too much time off from work, so we’ll have to scramble a bit. It’s still feasible. No need to panic.
Tim called the escrow agent today to find out where we can go to sign the closing papers. She asks for the address to the house and says its not in the system, and that the lender hasn’t sent the papers to them. WHAT!? Yesterday she said everything was fine and we were on our way. Now she tells us that there is paperwork missing? Further, she reminds Tim that its a 24-48 turnaround after she gets the papers from the lender. Tim frantically calls Roger, our loan officer. Apparently, the title company requested the incorrect fees, and sent the paperwork back to be changed. Roger has sent them three messages asking for the correct fees, but the title company just sends back the same numbers. Our entire request is in limbo. Somehow, the papers have to get back to the title co by tomorrow and our stupid escrow agent won’t answer her phone.
What we’re looking at now is POSSIBLY getting the keys on Monday. This means we won’t have time to clean up and paint before we have to move everything in, and we still have to wait until Wednesday to do it. Tim can only take off one day during the week so we have to wait until the following weekend to finish things up. DAMN IT.
STUPID STUPID STUPID.
DO NOT become so anxious and bored that you allow yourself to watch five episodes of Cake Boss, because afterwards you will not be able to do anything other than think about cannoli and buttercream frosting.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Nothing to say but curse words, and most of them are aimed at the title company. A few at Tim, which maybe he doesn’t deserve but he’s getting them anyway. I’m cranky.
Earlier this evening Tim and I went to a party for hospitality and wine industry employees at August Briggs winery. It was so much fun! August (call him Joe) barbecued burgers and sausages, and there was plenty of fruits, cheeses and bread for me. The wine was fantastic. I loved the Carneros Chardonnay. They were offering a barrel tasting of 2008 Zinfandel, which normally I wouldn’t like (I’m not a red wine girl) but I decided to try…WOW. It was so good that Tim and I went for a second pass. 
During the party, they held a free-throw contest and Tim won a bottle of 2005 Cabernet by sinking four shots in a row! Who knew Tim had basketball skills? Anyway, I highly recommend checking out August Briggs if you are ever in the Calistoga area.
Our lender says we can probably sign the closing papers tomorrow! I hope it works out, so we can get the keys next week. I want to start cleaning up so we can be moved in by the end of the month.
We had to go to Napa to get the cashier’s check for the title company, so we swung by Home Depot on the way back home. After raiding the Behr paint samples, we’ve managed to pick out colors for the trim, front room, library, guest room, hall bath and master suite. I’m thinking Fuschia Kiss, Black Suede and Snow Fall for my library. I don’t want to pick a color for the future-kid’s room yet, and we won’t know what to paint the hallway or living room until we have couches and the dining room set up.
Also, my birthday is in 1 month and 1 day…
Taking a break, and needed something to do to waste time. Thanks, Adrienne!
Watching: Gilmore Girls rerun on ABC Family
Reading: ‘Middlesex’ by Jeffrey Eugenides.
Listening: The Decemberists‘ The Crane Wife has been on constant play in the car, but last night I had a hankering for Hank Williams! “Hey, good-lookin’, whatcha got cookin’? Hows about cookin’ somethin’ up with meeee?”
Cooking: Its been a few days since I’ve cooked. We had salads and cherries for dinner last night. I found an amazing recipe for Carmelita bars that I can’t wait to attack!
Wanting: to pick out the paint colors for our bedroom and the guest room. I think I know what color I want for the hall bathroom. This weekend we’re going to Home Depot to peruse the paint samples. 
Promising: Tim that I will get more boxes packed today. 12 boxes down, a trillion to go.
