Family Reunions

Posted on July 25, 2010 by janet

Today, my mother-in-law called and asked us if we could come and visit her.  One of Ed’s sisters is coming for a visit and my mother-in-law was planning an impromptu family reunion.  It’s been quite a few years since Ed’s family has all been together.  Ed told his Mom that we couldn’t come because he can’t get away from work right now.  He’s in the middle of a project.  It’s true, Ed’s job is extremely busy.

I told my mother-in-law I was sorry that we couldn’t come to see her and that it would be nice if she could have all of her kids together.  I told Ed he could go if he wanted to, but that besides not being able to afford a trip, I did not want to go and have to “put on a face and pretend that everything is OK.” He said the same thing.

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July 24, 2010

Posted on July 24, 2010 by janet

Today Ed and I met with my friend who is also a realtor.  We walked the house discussing what we need to do to prep it for sale.  We also went over the foreclosure notice and current mortgage info.  I shed a few tears.  I cry so easily, but I managed to keep myself together.  In a way it felt good to finally begin the steps to move on.  She was encouraging, but realistic, too.  We’re going to go ahead and try for a loan modification.  Our chances are extremely thin, but we’ll try anyways.  And, we’ll keep prepping the house for sale.

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July 23, 2010

Posted on July 23, 2010 by janet

Tomorrow we meet with my college friend who is a realtor.  Time for me to get my head out of the sand and face the reality that we really do have to sell our home.

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Coyotes at play

Posted on July 21, 2010 by janet

Tonight we stood outside for awhile watching two young coyotes play out in the field.  They were so cute and playful.  Chasing each other, looking for gophers, rolling around in the grass.  This is another thing we will miss when we move.

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What else can go wrong now?

Posted on July 19, 2010 by janet

We’ve had a string of events in which after each one Ed and I are tempted to ask one another, what else can go wrong now?  But, we know better than to ask that question since we really don’t want to know how bad things can get.  Yesterday morning our son noticed that the cat had a puffy cheek.  For you pet lovers, yes, it was infected.  And, yes, it was after our vet had closed for the day.

Ed and I both knew that the cat had an infection and needed surgery and we could not wait until Monday.  Ed asked, how are we going to pay for this?  Our credit card limits have been lowered, we have little cash, what are we supposed to do?  I called the emergency clinic and payment was by either cash or credit card.  Darn, no checks, which we could have paid in full.  I checked our cards and found one that had available credit.

So, on Saturday afternoon Ed went to the emergency vet with the cat.  Total cost, just under $500.00.  Ed was able to charge it thank goodness.

The cat is doing fine.  He is a “cone-head kitty”, is housebound for a week, and needs antibiotics for ten days.  Darn cat, we’ve always told him, if he wants to go out and fight, fine, he just needs to win and not get hurt.

What else can go wrong now?  Oops!  I’m not supposed to say that!

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My kids get it.

Posted on June 30, 2010 by janet

My kids get it.

While watching Oprah’s debt diet today, during a segment in which they gave advice to a single Mom drowning in debt to sell her home, my youngest said to me, “So that’s what we’re doing.”  Yes, my kids are smarter than I give them credit for.  They get it.  With just a few words they understand why we have to sell our home and start over.  My children constantly amaze me.

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June 30, 2010

Posted on June 30, 2010 by janet

The mail

The vultures came by mail today.  Two letters offering to sell our home.  Ugh.  Oh, and another credit card has decreased our credit line due to our current credit report.

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Where we were

Posted on January 16, 2010 by janet

My husband and I have been married for nearly twenty years.  We have worked hard for what we have, but we have experienced several knocks along the way.  Before we were married we bought our first house; a small, two bedroom home in San Jose.  We bought less than we could afford, but it was a struggle.  Prices were so high in 1989.  People were buying houses left and right.  We were grateful we could even afford a home.  But a few months after we bought our house, the real estate market dropped, and so did the value of our home.  One advantage was that our property taxes were lowered due to the decrease in value of our house.  Two disadvantages were that one, we were never able to refinance that house in order to lower our mortgage payments, and two, when we sold the house, while some areas were experiencing bidding wars, our home had barely reached the price for which we purchased it.

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January 15, 2010

Posted on January 15, 2010 by janet

We’ve been dreading today.  We have always paid our bills.  A few times late with a credit card payment.  But, never, never miss a mortgage payment. We have decided not to pay our mortgage today.  We just can’t afford it anymore.  Ed called me today from work.  He asked me if we really wanted to do this.  I said, no, but we both agreed we didn’t have any choice.  We are out of money.  For the first time ever, we do not pay our mortgage.

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