April 15, 2008

• Reassessing

   

  Thank you for all your kindness and prayers as we've gone through the ups and downs of working through our housing hopes and disappointments.  I have to say that I was beyond discouraged yesterday when I got done with the mortgage conversation.  I was left with the impression that unless I had $60,000 to bring to the table I might as well go back to looking at 2 br condos.

  Today, I spoke with my realtor, and she gently suggested that it would be good for me to speak with a different mortgage lender, so I did.  He did my application on the phone, pullled my credit and emailed me a letter within 20 minutes.  He offered me suggestions for how I can get into something right now and what I'd need to get into a more ideal home within six months. 

  I told him about the issues that were disqualifying me from various programs and yet none of that showed up when he pulled my credit from all three bureaus, so I don't know what the previous underwriter was looking at.  But he saw what I had expected.   

  I'm still out of the running for the "perfect" house.  At least for today.  Maybe in six months the buyer will have lowered the price to fit what I think is more in line with the market.  Maybe it will sell next week.  But one way or the other, I feel that I now have solid information and a plan. 

  All, is better. 

  I get paid next week, I'll be depositing another 2 square feet into the account and making due in the meantime.

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  Michael has his social skills group tonight so Tucker and I will have a "date".    I expect it will be a cheap date because he's kind of a chicken nuggets kid. 

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  We have to do a term report.  (And yes, I know only one of the boys has this for his assignment, but you might as well say "we" because something this big involves everyone.)  The topic is "The Bataan Death March".  As I was growing up, I had the opportunity to meet and hear the story of a man who survived that horrific event and even more horrific conditions in the camp that followed and then the sinking of the "hell ship" on which prisoners were being transported to be used as slave labor. 

  I'm doing all the reading and then presenting the boys with the edited version and it's still hard for us.  Reading all this gives me an even greater respect for Cletis.  One thing he says he learned during his captivity was the value of hope.  Prisoners who kept hope in something, anything, survived.  The prisoners who gave up their hope literally perished.  That's a lesson that has stood us well this week and one that I want the boys to remember.

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  I haven't been around to visit your sites for a couple of days as I've been pretty well consumed with this house business.  But I think I should be back on track tomorrow.  I'll catch up with you then. 

  • 5:56 pm
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