There's No Place Like Home

Well we certainly are not the best at keeping up with this blog.  Things have been pretty hectic lately for us though.  As for a quick catch up on the lives of William and Amber Reed:

The house hunt is on hold for the time being.  The house we were trying to buy didn't work out.  The seller was getting very impatient, and when our bank didn't have an answer within a certain time period, the seller decided to go ahead and take up her backup offer.  Six tries later, she finally sold the house to someone.  The residents next door to the house are not pleased with their new neighbors.  I told them if they run the people off, Will and I will happily move in.

After that house, we found an even better house for an even better deal!  We found a foreclosure listed at $40,000...Less than half its appraised value!  It was 1500 sq ft upstairs (3 bd, 2 bath, kitchen, living room, dining room, and office).  The mostly finished basement was another 1500 sq ft needing flooring and painting done.  There was also an unfinished bathroom downstairs needing only a toilet and a sink.  The dining room had French doors that opened onto a large, beautiful covered porch.  This house was intended to sell in a silent auction, and we had about 12 hours from the time we looked at the house to put a bid in if we were interested.  So we did.  And our bid was accepted!  After much discussion on the location of the home (45-50 minutes away from my job) we decided as much as we loved the home we needed to walk away.  So we did.  We decided to wait till February to look anymore, but after recent discussion of a possibly soon promotion, we decided maybe it isn't the right time for us to get tied down to a specific location yet. 

As for our current living arrangement, we are anxiously looking for the day we can move somewhere else.  We've been stolen from, we've had someone attempt to enter our home one morning while I was home alone.  The neighbors are in and out of jail, the police helicopter makes frequent visits hovering over our neighbors.  The neighbor's trash is constantly in our yard, plenty of domestic disputes at all hours of the night next door, and oh....lets not forget every few months the neighbors set all their mattresses out in the yard to be thrown away, because they can't seem to get rid of the bed bugs they are infested with.  And heaven forbid we have a strong wind...our home starts rocking back and forth like it's going to lift off at any minute and head to Oz.  There's no place like home...there's no place like home...

Weekend Getaway

Will and I left town for the weekend!  Will's parents invited us to join them on their gatlinburg trip.  We are staying in a very nice three bedroom, two bathroom suite at the water park's resort.  


Schedule for this morning:


Guys: golfing 
Girls: shopping


It's great to get away every once in a while.  And after waiting anxiously for an answer on our mortgage loan, we could use a weekend to de-stress a little.

Waiting For Answers

Around Tuesday I got a call from our loan officer at the bank.    He said they never received my employment history for the past two years.  I reminded him that it was the first thing we discussed when we applied for the loan and that he already made copies of the supporting documents.  I had to give him all of the information again, but he was able to locate the documents.  


Wednesday is when we were originally expecting to have our answer so Will called to check up on how things were going.  Daniel, our loan officer at the bank, said the underwriters received all the updates and he suspected they would finish sometime on Thursday. 


Thursday we waited patiently till 4'o'clock,  When we still hadn't heard anything we called Daniel again. He didn't answer.


Friday we did get a call from Daniel.  He said our application was still with the underwriters.  He said now they were waiting on a manager to approve of my second income, and they needed in writing an explanation for my job changes over the past two years.  He said they actually were counting part of my bonuses at work in my income! (Along with my hourly pay, I am paid bonuses based off of our monthly loan volume and our total delinquency).  This gave me plenty of income by myself for the loan.  


The good news: Daniel said he thinks we pretty well have this one in the bag.  He is sure we are getting approved, because there are only four underwriters for seventeen loan officers.  So the underwriters don't have time to waste on applications that aren't going to make it. 


We are hoping we will get our answer Monday.  We can't think of any more hold ups we could possibly have.  But I tell you one thing for sure, I'm ready to start packing boxes!

House Update

We recently got an update from the bank.  My employment verification has been received.  They were still waiting for the certificate of completion for the personal finance counseling I had to do, and they were waiting for the appraisal value to be transferred to the right department.  As soon as they received those two things our application will go to the underwriters.  It is estimated that we should have an answer sometime mid to late next week.

Introducing the Beverly Hillbillies

My work takes me all sorts of places.  Some days it is just around town and others it's in the boondocks of a town twenty miles away.  Sometimes the roads are fine, other times a road is to be desired.  And the most exciting part is you never really know for sure if mapquest is taking you in the right direction.  You do know one thing though, never rely entirely on a GPS.  A GPS doesn't do you much good when it can't pick up any signal.


I was driving down one road and things were going fine.  I hadn't had any navigational trouble and the roads weren't bad at all.  It wasn't long before the road I was on began to deteriorate fairly quickly.  Within a mile of turning on the road it had turned into a very narrow loose gravel road.  Shortly after the road turned to gravel I noticed an ambulance and a pick up truck speeding up behind me.  I pulled off onto the narrow shoulder of the road to let them pass.  It wasn't much use though, because they couldn't travel the road much faster than I could.  After tailing the ambulance for a couple more miles it finally came to a stop in the middle of a bend in the road.  I figured the house it was going to must be on the side of the hill to the right.  I stopped a polite distance back to wait patiently till I could pass.  That's when a jeep showed up with another emergency person.  


I watched as they loaded a very elderly lady into the back of the ambulance.  There was quite a crowd of people there.  Many of them (men and women alike) sporting mullets.  To my surprise, the ambulance just sat there.  I was wondering how it was going to get turned around and where I was going to position my car so it could get by me.  But they didn't go anywhere.  They didn't even close up the back doors.  I sat there awkwardly not knowing if I should try to pass by, turn around, or just sit there and wait.  How long could they possibly take anyway? 


It wasn't long before I realized the customers I was on my way to visit were standing at the back of the ambulance talking with the emergency staff.  I suddenly didn't know what to do.  Should I approach them and deliver my demand that they come pay their overdue bill?  Or do I try to get by unnoticed and stick the letter on their mailbox?  I didn't want to seem insensitive but their accounts were only getting further and further behind. Letting the accounts reach the point of no return wouldn't help them deal with whatever they may have going on at the moment.  I decided to call my manager to get her opinion.  But of course, I had no cell phone reception.  It looked as though it was my decision to make.  One of the emergency guys walked up to my car and said there may be enough room to squeeze by the ambulance...I considered for a split second handing him the letter and asking him to deliver it for me.  But there was no way I could get turned around to flee the scene.  So I hung my head as much as possible and still be able to navigate successfully around the ambulance.  


To my surprise, there was no house where the ambulance had parked.  But it was clear to see the woman had been transported from her home (where ever that was) to the ambulance by horse and buggy.  I had to creep behind one man headed down the hill on his buggy until he pulled off.  The houses along the road looked mostly abandoned with random windows boarded over, doors hanging open, and furniture laying carelessly around the properties. I finally found the mailbox of the sought after customers.  There was neither door nor flag on the mailbox.  the numbers were faded, peeling, and barely visible.  I decided not to try and make my way up the dirt, rutted driveway to the shack that couldn't be seen from the road.  I parked in the middle of the road (because there was no shoulder to pull off on) and found a place to secure the letter in sight.  More cops had shown up by the time I got back up the hill to where the ambulance still sat.  What exactly happened to the woman, we may never know.  We have yet to hear from the customers. Looks like another trip to the hills may be in my near future.  I wonder what I'll encounter next time....

Anxiously Awaiting WInter

I was on the phone with Will while driving from one customer's house to the next.  My next stop was at a few trailers randomly placed on the side of a main highway.  As I pulled into the gravel lot, I told Will I had to get off the phone.  This place was rather trashy looking and I wanted to hurry and make my stop and get out of there!  The standard procedure consists of knocking on the door of the customers house and getting him or her on the phone with my manager.  If the customer is not home, I leave a letter for the customer and hope that it prompts him or her to give us a call.

I had to make my way through the maze of random mechanical parts, children's toys, forgotten trash, and abandoned scraps of clothing to get to the door of the trailer. I knocked on the door and was answered by an unknown number of dogs barking on the inside.  Shortly thereafter the door begins to open.  

I'm afraid the image thereafter burned into my brain will never go away.  In the doorway stood a woman of about 350 lbs.  She had one dog tucked under her right arm, another she was pushing back with her foot and yet another she was holding tight to the collar of.  She yelled over her shoulder for someone to come get the dogs before she lost hold of them.

Her head was about the size of a basketball.  She had salt and pepper hair that was falling out of a ponytail but still held stiff out of her face by the thick build up of grease that comes from far too few showers.  Her thick mustache stuck out from her top lip at a 45 degree angle, only slightly distracting from the few rotten plaque covered teeth she had left.  She was stylishly modeling a pair of stretchy shorts three sizes too small and a purple lace see-through bra.

I wasn't sure whether I was going to laugh, cry, or vomit.  Upon discovering that the lady I was after was not home, I handed the woman at the door the letter and hustled my way back to the car. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!" I yelled over the music as I drove away.  Needless to say, I hope the winter brings many many turtle necks and long baggy sweat pants.

New Title, New Duties

As before mentioned, I recently received a promotion at work from customer service representative to assistant manager.  This month I has flown by with my new job duties.  One of the responsibilities I've acquired is field calling customers who are behind on their payments.  My main focus as assistant manager is collecting from our bad debt.  I have been out on the road a lot this month.  It is not uncommon for me to spend 6 hours of my work day driving around trying to track down customers that owe us money.  The adventures have not been few!  Those who think field calling is a boring chore obviously do not have the same customer base that we have!  I have been enjoying it quite a bit!  I never know for sure what I'm going to encounter!

Home Sweet Home

A couple months ago my Aunt Becca referred us to a house that was for sale in Kingsport.  We weren't looking to buy at the time but decided to check it out anyway.  The house was cute, but not for us.  After mentioning it at work, a coworker suggested we go check out a foreclosed house on her street.  The house needed quite a bit of work, but we liked it!  We decided to call the realtor.  Unfortunately, before we could be shown the house, an offer was made on the house by someone else.  We took the time to look around at some other houses and talk to the appropriate people to find out the process of purchasing a home so when we were ready to buy we would also be prepared.  

Large shaded back yard

July 4th we spent with our good friends Evan and Leah and their two kids.  On the way to their house we noticed a cute little house for sale.  When it was still on our minds the following day, we decided to drive by and peek through the windows.  Big mistake!  We fell instantly in love with it!  We called the realtor that night and arranged a tour of the house for the next day.

To make a long story short, the following business day we contacted our own realtor and met with him the next evening.  At about 9:30 pm we finally left the house with a written offer to be submitted in the morning.  By early afternoon we had an answer....The seller had accepted our offer!  After a 4 hour visit with the bank this morning, we are hopeful and waiting to hear back about the financing.  We were told we should have an answer in about three weeks. Hopefully the process continues to go smoothly and quickly!  If all goes well, August 15th will be our closing date!

Our little house was built in 1940.  It is in incredible condition!  Someone has definitely been taking care of it!  The house was built well with sturdy materials that appear to be in prime condition.  The house is small, but perfect for our first home.  It is two bedroom, one bathroom.  The original hardwood floors remain in the living room, dining room, hallway, and bedrooms.  The kitchen has recently been tiled.  The attic is partially finished. We plan to eventually finish the attic and turn it into a master bedroom and bathroom.  The kitchen is quite small but sufficient for us.  Definitely a one cook kitchen.  Two would be a crowd.  Expansion is always a possibility for the future though!

Dining room

Living room

We certainly haven't been getting much sleep since we found this house.  Hopefully the bank hurries and makes it official so maybe we can get some rest!  We are very excited about the opportunities we have recently been given!  It is going to be so nice to finally have a home of our own...And what could be better than to have awesome friends just down the street?  And what better 1 year anniversary gift could there possibly be than a perfect little house?  It is hard to believe we have been married for nearly a year already.  Time has most definitely escaped us!

basement

Dewomanized

Earlier this year Payton and Kylie made the big visit to the vet together.  It was time to be spayed.  We were thankful they didn't have to be held over night.  When we brought them home they were the saddest sight to see.  Payton would try to follow us around the house as usual but couldn't quite manage it.  She wanted Will and I to stay in the same room and stay close to her.  Feeling bad for our little girl, we piled cushions on the floor, covered them with a blanket, and the three of us curled up together on the cushions and watched a movie.

Kylie was a different case.  She didn't want to be anywhere near anyone else.  She refused to leave her stitches alone.  By the following day, she had all of the stitches except two pulled out.  The incision was staying together so the vet said she should be fine.  It wasn't long before her stomach around the incision turned purple and began bulging outward about an inch.  

The following Monday we carted the babies back to the vet to have them looked at.  Kylie's stomach was terrifying us, and Payton had a lump on her side.  We learned that the lump was just a reaction to the shot she was given and it soon went down on it's own.  Kylie, however had daily visits to the vet.  She kept looking worse and worse.  The vet decided she may have a blood disease.  She ended up getting a shot of antibiotics and close observation.  She eventually started to heal and is doing great now...just as big of a pain in the butt as ever!

A New Year and New Opportunities

We've had a great start to 2012! Things have really been looking up for us.  We have been staying busy, which is a good thing but  makes it hard to keep the blog updated.  


I am no longer working at Pier1 Imports. In February I started working full time as a CSR at Regional Finance in Kingsport. As of this month, I was promoted to assistant manager.  At Regional Finance we  give personal loans as well as finance vehicle purchases.  As the assistant manager, my main focus will be collecting on accounts that are past due.  I will be spending a lot of time on the road going house to house.


Will is still with E. Luke Greene Company handling things in the shop.  After spending a semester thinking he wanted to change his major to Spanish education, he has decided to stick to nursing.  This fall he will be transferring to North East State for their RN program.

The other excitement for us this year is we traded in the 2004 Isuzu Rodeo we were driving for a 2010 Chrysler Sebring. In the short time we've had the new car we have already been able to save a lot of money in gas and insurance. We couldn't be happier with the change. My favorite thing about the new vehicle is the leather interior and heated seats! Payton likes her new ride as well.

On The Move

As before mentioned, our time living in the Jonesborough house was short lived.  The landlord had no interest in doing anything about all of the water intrusion issues and the mold was getting worse and worse as time went on.  Right before moving out of the house, we had someone come and do some mold testing.  He told us basically how it works is he takes an air sample inside the house and one outside the house.  If the levels are higher inside the house than they are outside, it is considered unsuitable.  We recently received the results.  The measurement per cubic meter outside of the house was 2,700.  The measurement inside the house per cubic meter was in the 23,000's. 

We are now living in Kingsport.  We have been a lot more content in our new home.  One of the best parts is we have been able to really make it our own place.  We have been doing a lot of renovations and personalization.  It all came to a hault during the holidays, but we have resumed the work.  Will and I have done lots and lots of painting.  We currently have 3 of 7 rooms painted, though one room still needs another coat or two.

For many of the rooms we decided to go bold.  In our livingroom we decided to do gold walls with red and brown accents.  When we started our first coat of paint in the livingroom we hated the color.  It wasn't at all what we thought it was going to be.  Instead of looking gold, the walls looked pumpkin orange.  But with another coat of paint and time to dry the color darkened quite a bit and we are now very pleased with it.  We were also able to pull up the old nasty carpet in the livingroom and hallway and replace it with wood flooring.  We still have some finishing touches to do, but it already feels warm and inviting.  One of such finishing touches is to make a collage of framed pictures on a large wall space above the couch.  This is where we plan to hang the temple picture my parents had framed for us, the Reed Family sign we received as a wedding gift, various pictures of our family, and a red and gold mosiac mirror Will bought me for Christmas.

The kitchen was painted a much quieter color.  We decided to go with porpoise gray with dark blue accents.  The kitchen is taking on a very country theme.  We are planning on sewing our own curtains for this room as well as making round braided rugs for the newly tiled floor.  Will's uncle Craig was kind enough to come lend a hand for a couple days to get the tile down.  The tile has really opened up the room.

Unfortunately, our refrigerator is too large to fit in the spot it is supposed to go.  So now it is where our kitchen table would belong and we have no room for a regular table.  My parents offered us a small pedestal table my dad built for their bridal shows, so we are currently using that.  We just have to decide how we want to fix it up.  Right now we are considering just painting it.  Our plan is to finish up all the last touches on these two rooms and then move on to the spare bedroom.  We have really enjoyed all the time spent working together on making our house into a home. 

The Holidays

Due to technical difficulties (aka a worn out computer that like to shut the internet down while I'm in the middle of a new blog posting), it has been a while since we've given any updates on life here at the Reed home.  Things definitely got busy thru the holidays for us.  It was exciting to spend our first Christmas season together as a family.

For Thanksgiving we were able to celebrate with tons of delicious food at Ryan's relatively new apartment in Johnson City.  We each picked a couple favorite dishes to prepare and bring.  After stuffing ourselves to the brim, the boys all settled down in front of the TV for a nap while us girls went to work on the finishing touches of my quilt.  It was a pleasantly uneventful and relaxing day with the family.

Hannah and Coatsy

The most exciting part of November was definitely the latter part of the month when Will and I had three house guests show up for the weekend.  Our amazing friends Jency, Joe, and their baby Coatsy came all the way from Randolph, Utah.  We spent the first couple days here in the Kingsport area and then for their last day we took them to the Vegas of the east, Gatlinburg!  The only thing that could have made the visit better is if they had time to stay a few extra days.  Despite mine and Will's best efforts to sell them on Tennessee, They packed up and headed back to Utah where they shortly thereafter purchased a ranch in Idaho...Maybe we should have skipped the tour we gave them of Eastman.  Will and I are hoping to be able to visit Jency and Joe soon and check out their new place!  Despite the slight grudge we're holding for them not moving east, we're still very excited for them!

December was quick to follow!  Being newly wed college students, money can certainly be short to come by.  It was no different for us in December.  We weren't complaining too much, however, because this made Christmas shopping quick and easy!  We spent the night Christmas Eve with the Reed family in Greeneville, and headed to Abingdon first thing Christmas morning.  We attended church with my parents, Hannah, Caitlin, and Ryan, then headed to the Hood house for presents and more delicious food!  We had turducken for the first time!  It was very interesting and very yummy. 


New Year's Eve was spent quietly at home this year.  Will had made plans to play an online game with some friends and I spent the evening writing the talk I had put off for the previous two weeks.  New Year's Day we went to church where I gave my talk and then headed to Greene County to Will's parent's. 


It is study time again for Will.  The new semester is here.  Will has decided to switch his major to Spanish Education.  We are hoping ETSU will allow him to test out of some of the required Spanish classes.  Last semester he was forced to take the most basic Spanish class because he didn't have three years of it in high school.  On his second day of class, his teacher heard him say one word in Spanish and asked him if he was in the right class.  After spending two years on his Spanish speaking mission, he pretty well mastered the basics of the language.


My education plans are still up in the air this semester.  I may, at some point this semester, start a program at a different school in Johnson City, but my main goal is to work as much as possible to help Will finish up his degree.

Payton is still queen of the house and ruler of our lives.  She has recently started her career as a model for Reflective Moments Photography.  She recently starred in promiscuous birthday suit Valentines Day shoot.  She proved herself to be as talented as she is beautiful!