Conclusion..The House Saga

After all was said and done, we decided to forgo buying the home.

The final decision was made about 2 weeks ago. At the time we had 2 solid reasons to say no. Since then, I have discovered a handful of more reasons that our decision was the right one.

Hindsight really is 20/20. Especially right now.

The night before we had to make our final decision, David and I did the math. We included living expenses as well as "house expenses" (all the fixing and TLC the house needs). It just was not looking so great. The down payment was high and the numbers weren't where we wanted them to be. So, we said no and I almost waited for that "oh we should have just done it" feeling. It never came.

In fact, I couldn't be more thankful to be where I am right now.

During these past few months, David's job has not been as stable as we'd like it to be. It would not be wise to take out a loan for a house, without the reassurance that we will be able to make the payments on it, right?

There are many more reasons which are in the works as we speak. Without spilling our financial guts out on this blog, lets just say, if we would have purchased that house, we would be in a very sticky situation right now. But, even just a few weeks ago we would not have known that.

So, the new plan?

Find a place to rent, and move out sometime this summer. Pay other things off and buy a house in a year or so. Oh boy does that plan feel wonderful. I am so at peace :)

One more wonderful thing that came from all of this...

David and I have had in the back of our minds the fact that we need a car with room for 2 car seats by September. Quite frankly, I just thought we'd have to get really squishy in our current car and make it work somehow, because I couldn't see any way that we could afford to get a decent, inexpensive car right now (or anytime soon for that matter) without taking out a loan. That's the last thing we need right now. I HATE dealerships and buying cars. There's just too many unknowns and its just more debt!

Well, I'm very happy to say that the money we put aside for the down payment will now be used to purchase a vehicle fit for a family of 4! What a blessing. We would not have had that money set aside had it not been for the house. Heavenly Father is really carrying David and I through this tough financial time in our lives and it really shows. I am so grateful that I can look back and really see that. The whole house situation was very stressful and many tears were shed over making the right decision. How wonderful it is to look back and see that it was all for a reason. Each time David and I are faced with a life changing decision we turn it over to the Lord and it not only brings us closer to Him, but it also brings us closer to each other.

And so the next chapter isn't all that certain, but I know that we'll have a car, a place to live, a family of 4, and the rest will all fall into place as it always does.

4 Years

Exactly one week ago, David and I celebrated 4 years of marriage. I wanted so badly to post something the day of, but I figured spending time with him was more important than talking about him on my blog. . So, you get to hear about it now :)

We had a WONDERFUL (all caps) weekend! All I wanted was to get away over night. I just wanted to have a room with just him and I. We agreed to skip the gift giving part and put that money towards a memorable weekend away.

Excited to rediscover us :)

We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot in Kirkland. (it was about a 20 minute drive, but it was perfect)

We checked into the hotel and about a minute later, my stomach was growling. Luckily Olive Garden was literally right across the street. So, we ran over there and shared a delicious dinner.

Afterword, we came back to the hotel for some swimming and relaxing time. It was so nice to not have a schedule and just do whatever we felt like.

That same night, we had tickets to see Avitar in IMAX 3D in Seattle. The show started at 10:45 pm and it was sold out! We reserved our tickets online the weekend before. That was the only time open. Crazy! We didn't have a schedule. So, we said why not? We can sleep in :)

It was a great movie. Even if it wasn't, it was just so nice to sit there and hold hands with no distractions.

The next morning, we woke up and went down to the lobby to find a breakfast buffet unlike anything I've ever had. David said "now this is my kind of vacation". I agree.

After we checkout out, we headed a mile down the road to the Kirkland waterfront. It was a little chilly, but it was so peaceful and beautiful.

Thank you self timer :)

Later on that day, we went to Seattle to see the Ballard Locks. By that time, the sun was shining and it was a gorgeous day! This is where the ships come in from the ocean and they raise the water level to let them cross into Lake Washington. It was pretty amazing how fast they can fill it up. Pretty neat learning experience.

David is standing my the dam at the locks.

Proof that we were there. haha

I can't say enough, how wonderful it was to just enjoy us.

Here's to year 5!

Two Ten

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2010 has some very exciting things in store!

Here's just a few of the things I get to look forward to:

a 4 year anniversary

a two year old

a wedding

a new niece (I'll be an aunt for the first time!)

a few graduations

a new home

quite a few trips this summer

a missionary homecoming

and this :) !!!!!!!!

Click here to view this video

Details to come :D

Snow Leopard

We had a BLAST at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle today. I am WAY too tired to post a the 100s of moments that were captured today. So, I will leave you with this sweet reminder of our day.

Adoring

I woke up far too early this morning considering how late I went to bed. The main reason is that I've had this on my mind since attending a beautiful wedding last night. Just thought I'd share my mess of thoughts....

*Lake Tahoe July 4th 09*

Every woman wants to be adored by their husband. That's so important in a marriage! Here's the part where I come in. Every man (even if he doesn't say it) needs to be adored as well. Sometimes I am so critical of David. I act as if my love is conditional, when it's not. I want him to treat me like a princess, but I never stop and think if I'm making him feel like my prince charming. The bride at this wedding was just beaming. Just from the sweet smile on her face the entire night, there wasn't a shadow of a doubt how much she loves her new husband. Does my smile and countenance really show the love I have for David? More often than not, the answer is NO. Starting now, I am going to adore my husband. He is an amazing man. There are so many wonderful things about him that I love. Sometimes when you want to feel more love from someone, the best place to start is by really unconditionally loving them. I haven't been very good at this lately and I can tell it's wearing him down. I want to be the supportive source of love in his life. That's what he needs me to be. He doesn't need me to critique or try to change him. He just needs me to really love him. That will give him the strength to get out there in the world and live up to his divine potential. Madisyn is such a perfect example of a girl who really loves him unconditionally, and you can tell by the look in their eyes how much they adore one another. I want that. Life's to short to sweat the small stuff. I am going to do my best to give my all every day. I have got a gem of a husband and I am going to show it.

I Am Officially The Mommy Of A Toddler

....see for yourself!

....My Love My Valentine...

Have a happy weekend!

What A Wonderful Man

The Lucky 3

January 21st 2009

Today David and I celebrated 3 wonderful years of marriage! 

I love to look back and remember where it all started, so I thought I'd bring you along for the ride....

David and I met through by dearest friend Tricia, who also happens to be David's cousin. December 2004, Tricia was at his house for holiday break. He saw a picture of me (that I had never seen before..it's a long story. If you want to know about the picture let me know) and later that day, when I called Trish to chat, he answered the pone and said he was her "secretary". Before she left WA he got my phone number from her phone. On Jan 1st 2005 he sent me a text message that said "4 sizzle dem waffles turned out all messed up". I know it sounds so eloquent. I should have gotten the clue just from that alone, but no I wanted more! As crazy as it sounds I text messaged him back. It must have been love :)

 In February, he flew down to CA from WA to meet me. This is our first picture together on the day we officially met! It wasn't really a date, it was more "hanging out". (sorry I had to scan most of these old pictures in)

On March 28th he came back to CA to take me on our first date. Let me tell you he swept me off my feet. The night started off with a limo ride to the bowling ally. After which we came home, got all fancied up and hoped back in the limo. We had dinner at a beautiful restaurant on the Berkley pier. Then we came home, grudged down a bit and played pool. Remember he planned all of this from two states away! Yes, he was a charmer! 

From then on, we talked on the phone 24/7. Thank goodness for mobile to mobile! He would fly to CA about once a month and I flew to WA for his birthday in July. We had a wonderful long distance relationship. It made it so exciting ever time we got to see each other we'd make the most of it. We never really had time to take each other for granted. This pic was taken in July 05 at the beach trip David's family does in so cal every year. 

On October 29th 2005 David and I were in a corn maze, dressed as a witch and a baseball player. He asked if we could "go the wrong way" so we'd be away from everyone we were with. I said ok and we only got a few feet from the group when he bent over and pulled "the ring" out of his baseball sock and said "even though you're a little witchy tonight, I'd be honored to be your husband". I was in total shock. All I said at first is "are you sure?" Then, Of course I said YES!

We were sealed in the Oakland California temple Jan 21st 2006. What a wonderful day!

Off we went to honeymoon in New York! It was a complete surprise to me. I didn't find out till we were at the airport...I'm not kidding! I thought we were going to some cabin in on the coast. It was the most busy, but fun filled vacation I've ever been on. I love New York! We stayed right in downtown Manhattan. We saw everything from the statue of liberty, to the empire state building, the 9/11 site, lots and lots of amazing restaurants and shopping areas. We rode the subway everywhere, but hailed a cab once just to say we've done it. My all time favorite part of our trip was when we saw The Lion King on Broadway!!! That was so incredible! 

Ever since then we've shared  joy, laughter, trial, moving!, jobs, school, becoming parents, and so much love.

Today was a wonderful day. David woke up to this trail of rose petals which led to his favorite treats. We had a busy day with school and other things, but at 5:30 it was our time. We dropped Madisyn off to play with some friends. Then, we went out to a lovely dinner and came home to enjoy this delicious SNICKERS cake and some kisses! (my favorite)

I'm so glad we have a day like today to celebrate us! It's so important to remember where it all started. In the misted of everything that's going on, it's nice to know I will always have My Love to share it with.

The Little Things Make The Biggest Difference

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how my marriage isn't as "happy" as I know it could be. The thing is immediately after that thought comes "why isn't my husband more romantic, or why doesn't he try harder?" It's so much easier to blame him than to step back and look at what I can do to show my love for him. When we first got married I got up with him early every morning because I wanted to spend time with him. I made him a lunch and wrote a little note on his napkin every day. When he got a job that didn't allow him to be home for dinner, I would make dinner, bring a blanket and we'd eat dinner together on the lawn outside of his workplace during his break almost every night. I can't think of much that I do now that takes that extra bit of effort to show my love and appreciation for my husband. I just sit around wondering why he doesn't do those kinds of things for me very often anymore. If I spent less time being sad about that, and more time doing sweet things for him, I know without a doubt that he would notice it and in turn do the same for me. How can he fill up my cup, when his has only a few drops in it? Starting today, I'm going to do something every day, whether big or small, to show my wonderful husband how much I adore him. Women love to be adored, and even though they don't always admit it, men need it just as much. I think by focusing on what I can do, it will leave less time to think about what he doesn't do for me. I love him more than I can ever express on this blog, I just don't show it as often as I should. Tell me, what do you do to make your other half feel special? I'll keep everyone posted on some things I do and the difference it makes. Now I'm going to get off the computer and adore my hubby!

All About My Other Half

I've been tagged! This came at a perfect time. It was David's birthday yesterday, so I was going to post pics of that today anyway...Here's a few fun things about my hubby.

#1 What is his name? David Reid Greenwood

#2 Who eats more? I would say David, but if I'm in the right mood, I can eat just as much.

#3 Who said "I love you" first? David! We had been dating for 8 months. We were in Utah for General Conference in Oct. 05. We were at the visitor's center at temple square, sitting in front of the Christ statue and he told me. That's when I knew I would marry him.

#4 Who is taller? David

#5 Who is smarter? I would have said me, when it comes to book smarts, but the more classes he takes the more he absorbs and he's so darn smart! He also has a lot more street smarts than me.

#6 Who is more sensitive? When it comes to his loved ones and his testimony, he is so emotional. You would never know that unless you really got to know him. That's what I love so much about him :)

#7 Who does the laundry? I go to the laundry mat once a week usually, but he'll help me fold and put everything away. It's a team effort.

#8 Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do, but that's only cus Madi's crib is there and guess who wakes up to feed her every night...yours truly. We've switched several times since we've been married though.

#9 Who pays the bills? David takes care of all except my medical insurance bill.

#10 Who cooks more? I'd like to say I do, but it's almost equal. He loves to cook and is so great at it. We've been BBQing a lot this summer and that's his specialty.

#11 Who is more stubborn? We both have our moments, but I'd say he is and he'd say I am ;)

#12 Who is the first to admit they are wrong? It's a toss up, but I would have to say more often than not it's me.

#13 Who has more siblings? David has 4 and I have 3.

#14 Who wears the pants in the relationship? David more often than not.

#15 What do you like to do together? We love to watch a good movie, have BBQs and make smores while the briquettes are cooling down, drive around town and check out all the streets where we live, play board games and wash the car together.

#16 Who eats more sweets? David wins this one for sure!

#17 Guilty pleasures? EBay, his flight simulator program (he's getting his private pilot's license), fast cars, motorcycles, and his own future business plans

#18 How did you meet? My best friend Tricia is David's cousin. That being said, our paths crossed many times and I just knew him as "Tricia's overly confident cousin" and he didn't even know I existed till Tricia was at his house for christmas in 2004. She had brought a small photo album and I happened to be in it. A certain picture sparked his interest, so every time I called her while she was visiting him, he answered the phone and said he was her secretary. Before she left he got my # from her phone and started calling me...the rest is history!

#19 Who asked whom out first? I have to set this up...David lived in WA and I in CA. We had been talking on the phone since January. David sent me package that had a trucker hat that said "You Me Dinner?" and a tee shirt that said on the front "Heck Yes March 28th" and on the back it said "Better Luck Else Where". In the letter he sent with the package it said that I had to wear the shirt with the answer in the front when I first saw him, once he arrived in CA....SO CUTE! I said yes of course, and bought a dress, he was in a tux, he picked me up in a limo, took me bowling, then to the Berkley pier for dinner. We came back to my house, and changed, then we went to billiards and played pool till I was too pooped to move. I'll never forget our first date!

#20 Who kissed who first? Ok another very cute story...David was quite the romantic while we were dating. He really swept me off my feet :) We had been dating for 6 months and no kiss..lets just say I was getting a little anxious, but I played it cool. He took me to San Francisco on a cold rainy day in June. We walked all around and we were soaking wet, but it didn't bother me one bit. We had a very fun, full day, but there was one more thing David wanted to do. He said he wanted to throw golf balls off the Golden Gate Bridge...odd I know, but I went with it anyways. We walked some ways and we were almost halfway across the bridge when he said "this spot is perfect". So, of course I'm expecting him to take some golf balls out of his pocket and after a few minutes of him standing behind me, he takes a red rose out of his jacket, turns me around, hands me the rose and gives me the sweetest peck on the lips (it was so quick I almost missed it). Then he grabs my hand and starts running. It was a kiss and run. He ended up giving me a piggy back ride to the car. That was the best first kiss ever!

#21 Who proposed? Ok, one more very cute story. We had been dating for 8 months and had talked about getting married, but since we lived two states away from each other, I thought I wouldn't see him again till Christmas. Out of nowhere, he decided to come to CA a few days before Halloween, cus he couldn't wait till December. We went to the corn maze with Tricia and her fiance, and Kristin and a guy she was dating at the time. I was dressed as a witch (that's what David said he wanted me to be), not an ugly green witch, a pretty good looking one! David was dressed as a baseball player (there's just something about a man in uniform). We almost didn't get into the maze cus they were about to close, but David talked the to guy in charge and came back to tell us we were in...I kind of wondered what he had said to convince the guy to let us in, but I didn't suspect anything. He had told the guy that he flew here from WA to propose. That did the trick. So, we got half way through the maze and David said, why don't we go the wrong way and find our way back (he just wanted to have a minute alone) but I was still oblivious as to why. First of all it's like pitch black and I could barely see him...we only walked for about a minute and he stopped to bend over and I thought he was itching his leg, but he was pulling the ring out from his baseball sock..sly dog. He stood straight up and said "even though you're a little witchy tonight, I'd be honored to be your husband"! I was in complete shock and I said "are you sure?". He just looked at me like say yes! I finally spit the words out and he put the ring on my finger and carried me on his back, till we got back to the middle of the maze where there was enough light to see the ring! I love our engagement story. My guy is so romantic.

#22 His best features and qualities? His two best physical features are, his big strong hands and he has nice lips...great for kissing. I love his drive. When he puts his mind to something he gives it 100% and just goes for it. He is very organized and loves to have things neat and clean. He also has a great sense of style. He has a great love for learning and is so good at applying what he learns in his life. He dreams big and I know he'll be very successful at whatever he persues. He has a deep love for his family and he is so good at making anyone feel like they are very special. David is a wonderful husband and most of all he is an amazing dad. He has such a tender love for his little girl and it grows more every day. I love you David!

#23 Tag you're it! Who do you tag? Sam, Stephanie & Tasha