Ugh......I hate moving!!

So I have been so stressed trying to find us a new place to live! Our lease ends April 1st, so we would like to move the last weekend in March....we are down to the wire!! Adam is at work and he doesn't really care where we live (he would be ok with the west side....Ugh, the horror!!), so I am looking every night after I get off work....I could not believe some of the rentals.....ghetto fabulous! We wanted to find a cheaper place so we could save money and pay off some bills. That doesn't look like it will happen! I refuse to live in Section 8 housing. I am really gonna miss this house....it is gorgeous!! The paint, the tile, granite countertops, the marble bathroom, the designer carpet, everything is high quality.....beautiful, large backyard. Even the lawn and snow maintenance was included....We really lucked out here. None of the other rentals will even compare! But our lease is ending and they want to increase the rent and they want to sell it!!
I have been looking in Sugarhouse, Avenues and Holladay. I am an East side snob....I refuse to live in West Valley.
I have looked at duplexes, the problem is that I am not a fan of sharing a backyard....I don't want the dogs getting out and roaming the neighborhood....and I don't want to have to deal with loud neighbors. I was hoping to stay in the same area that we are in now, I absolutely love it! I just haven't found anything I liked so far. I wish I wasn't so picky!!!
So the good news....I found a small house I like.....a beensy, tiny house. Its way over priced, but it goes with the area....what is it they say in real estate? Location, location, location! Its not super nice, but its not run down either. No garage, but there is a driveway. Its not the same area, as where we are at now, but its a good area, East side. I could walk to work. It would only take me 5 min to drive there. We will have to put some stuff in storage....its such a tiny place. So I'm not sure if I keep looking, or if I should take this place?!!
Yes moving will suck......but it might suck a little less if our friends came and helped with the move!! Free pizza!! We promise to help you move when its your turn!!

Renting AGAIN......

I am kinda bummed, because we will not be buying a home right now. I had been working with a real estate agent and looking at properties. I was getting really excited! I hate throwing money away by renting. I spoke with a mortgage broker and decided we would be really stretching our finances if we bought a home right now. Our lease expires April 1st and we have to find a new place to live. Ugh! I hate moving! I found a few rentals but they are vacant and want renters now. We won't be moving until the last weekend in March. If anyone knows of an available rental property, let me know! I am looking for a 2 bd home with a yard on the East side, Sugarhouse or Holladay if possible. Our current rent is outrageous, so we are looking for something more affordable. I am hoping we can pay off some bills and save up for a down payment. Maybe by the time we are ready to buy a home, the prices will have dropped. (P.S. the home prices have only dropped 6 % here in Utah compared with Vegas or CA which is much higher) We are gonna be so old by the time we buy our first home!! In reality, I realize that the first 10 years or so of a mortgage, we would only be paying on the interest. So I guess renting isn't bad, just disappointing. But it makes sense for us right now.
I will miss where we are living.....it is a great area, the neighbors are nice, the homes are beautiful, it is safe.....but we will not be able to find another home in this neighborhood in our price range! :(

Vegas trip

Chris, me, Mom & Dad

My Vegas friends

Last week I drove down to Vegas to meet up with my fam. My Mom was there for a conference and my Dad came along. Chris drove up from Santa Barbara. I was so glad the weather was ok, I didn't want to get stuck in a snow storm, I don't have 4 wheel drive!! It was a long drive (6 hrs ea way) but I listened to my book on tape (cd) and I was good to go! My lumbar was killing me by the time I got back to SLC....I am getting old! Next time I might consider flying....but I like road trips! And its good to have a car, so I don't have to feel stuck on the strip. I wish Adam could have come with, but he had school.

It was a little weird being a tourist, after living there....but it was fun. We stayed at the New York New York in one hotel room, me, Chris, M &D..... note to self, I am too old to stay in a hotel with my parents. My parents snored and my Dad was sick so he was coughing all night......good news he is feeling better. I got see old friends, so that was great. Me and Chris went to my fav restaurant Bahama Breeze and met up with some friends from my old work. I met up with my friend Ida and her daughter for dinner at CPK. My fam and I had dinner with Adam's fam, Joe & Geri. I spent one day running around town, going to Trader Joes, Ulta cosmetics, etc to stock up on the stuff they don't sell here in Utah. It was a fun trip and I'm glad I got to see a few friends & family. I don't really have a group of friends at work with this new job, so that is something I definately miss. It was great to see my fam, I am such a nerd!! I am looking forward to going home to CA in April for my sister in law's baby shower.

It has been an adjustment living in Utah after living in Vegas for 4 years. I love the change in seasons and the mountains! It is nice to have scenery instead of brown desert!! I am looking forward to a mild summer.....Vegas summers are dreadful. I am looking forward to Spring, I am done with Winter!!

To buy or not to buy?

So I finally updated my blog....it was about time! The Christmas & New Year's themes needed to go! I just barely changed my cell phone ringer from my fav Christmas song!
We have been looking at houses, deciding if we want to buy. Our lease was only for 6 mo and it ends in April. I talked to the landlord and we may be able to extend it until June, but its not a for sure thing. They are renting a home until April too, so it depends on their landlord as well.
I just hate throwing money away renting. I'm tired of it. We could have established a ton of equity with all the years of renting! Ugh!
Anyway, so I have been looking at properties in Sugarhouse, Millcreek, Holladay, etc. I wish we could afford a home in the area we live now, but they are too expensive.....they range from $350-$400 K. The neighborhoods are so nice. I love the older brick homes that have been remodeled, love them!! I don't want to be driving in a snow storm to get to work downtown either, so location is a priority. I guess if it was near Trax, that would be ok?
My agent took me to look at homes yesterday.....I saw a townhome in Holladay in the same complex I used to live! What are the odds of that? It was really nice but it wasn't an option because it didn't have a yard for the dogs.
The other homes were not possibilities either....they were on the west side, not great neighborhoods and located on main/busy streets. (Sally- you are so right, Vegas had much better options in terms of reasonably priced homes!)
So we are continuing to look....if we don't find something than we may have to find another home to rent! Ugh!

I heart my pugs

I was looking through some old pictures and found some adorable pictures of us & Harley. She loves to give kisses, beg for scraps & sleep in our bed. She used to be a tiny little thing, now she's a fatty! The first picture is of Harley dressed up for the Pug O Rama in Vegas....yes there are 200 pugs and their families every year in costume! The other one is Harley on Adam's shoulder, she can't fit there anymore, but she tries!! She still loves to sit on the highest point, usually its pillows or the arm of the couch.

A Las Vegas Tragedy......

Monday I got a call from my friend in Las Vegas......he told me my primary care physician, Dr. Edna Makabenta was shot and killed. An 80 yr old patient shot her at her office. He shot her in the head, then shot himself.
I was in complete shock. All day at work, I was in this fog just trying to make sense of it. I couldn't believe it. She is the nicest, sweetest person. It was totally unexpected. I'm still trying to make sense of this. I wonder if she saw the warning signs that this patient who killed her was unstable? I wonder if she knew this might happen?
She treated me like a family member. She told me about her daughter who was going to UC Berkeley. She had a sense of humor and a smile every time I saw her. She got me through some rough times. She came home early from her vacation because she was worried about her patients! That is the kind of doctor she was. She spent so many hours at her office, its a wonder that her family even saw her. She was the only physician in her practice so she never did get a break. Its not like we were best friends and we hung out on the weekends but she was my doctor for 4 years. Her patients all loved her because she was an amazing person.
When we left Las Vegas and moved to Salt Lake, I requested my medical records and went by her office to pick them up on my way out of town. I told her we were moving and she gave me a hug and said if I ever needed anything to give her a call. I never realized that would be the last time I would see her.
I hope that she is at peace now. I hope that her family gets through this and finds the peace that comes after the grieving.
It makes me think about working in the field I'm in, whether that's health care or social work. Working with people who are mentally ill we put ourselves at risk everyday. I work with people who struggle with mental illness and I never gave much thought to being in harm's way. I'm not gonna give up and change my profession....I certainly didn't pick this field for the money! I'm still gonna keep doing what I do every day which is help people. Are all people with mental health issues going to behave like that? Of course not. But it gives me something to think about, maybe I need to be a bit more cautious and aware that my clients are unstable and we don't know what they are capable of.

Winter is officially here.......bah humbug!

Our backyard covered in snow

Baxter covered in snow

Baxter and Harley playing in the snow

Seriously.... its STILL SNOWING! I am fine with a little snow, I just wish it would stay in the mountains...the skiers are happy and us non-4wheel drivers can drive with peace of mind. I am re-thinking my vehicle purchase....I should have gotten a Subaru! Course I didn't know I was moving to Utah when I bought my front wheel drive- push button start-shiny Nissan! Yesterday on my way home from work I was sliding all over the place on the roads....people were tailgaiting me cause I was driving so slow! I wish I lived a little closer to the Trax station. Instead we have to live the HIGHEST ELEVATION possible without being on the mountain. Sure its a great view of the city from our front window and a quiet,safe neighborhood....but I'm not sure the amount of snowfall is worth it! The funniest thing is the snow doesn't phase the dogs...especially Baxter. Everyday he is outside playing in it. He loves to dig underneath the snow and eat the grass...why? I have no idea! But he comes in soaking wet, covered in snow and then I have to wrestle him to the ground to wipe him off. We have off white carpet in the living room so that is the first place he goes. The funniest thing is that its like a Mexican stand-off, he is outside waiting to come in the doggy door and I am in the kitchen waiting with the towel. He knows I am there so he waits and then tries to make a run for it but I catch him everytime! His favorite thing lately is to bark at the snow plows driving by outside and the neighbor using his snowblower (great invention by the way, seriously saves you from killing your back when you have to shovel the snow to get into the drive way). Anyway, I guess I am a little extra grumpy today because I have been couped up all day sick with a cold! I haven't been this sick in a while....I thought after working in a hospital my antibodies would have been built up enough so that I was immune to this! I guess I should have gotten the flu shot!
I love living in Utah...it is a beautiful state! I just wish that it we could skip Winter....you know, go from Fall to Spring!