The day has come!!!

Quick update, Jimmy was invited to interview with Case Western Reserve in Cleveland!!!! (also, if you haven't heard already, he was turned down from UW) Our lease is officially up in March at which point we will be moving (because Seattle is very $$$.) Where we will go until med school starts in August, we have no idea (please share if you do!) If we've been accepted by that point we may just move there and get settled (depending of course on the cost of living) We'd like to move down to Olympia and save some money first and spend a little time with the family. We'll see. Other then that life has been great. We're broke but happy. Grandma Smith flew Ammon and I down to Salt Lake City for a week, that was alot of fun! (and if any of you need pictures take for a special occasion, I know that best photographer in the state of Utah!) We had some pictures of Ammon taken, and the weather was beautiful! I'm excited to see how they turn out. I hope all is well with you and your families! Say hi for us!!!

OK OK OK

So I know I said I would be blogging more, and yes, I'm aware that its taken me almost two weeks to write again. So I'm sorry. Anyway...Conference was AWESOME!!! I'll put links up of my fav talks when they are available online. I can tell you right now that Sister Beck's talk from Sunday morning and Pres Monson's from Saturday Morning are tied for first.

As far as family is concerned I have some news! Jimmy took the MCAT in July (I know, shame on me) and got a whopping 38! (for those like me who had no idea what that meant, its the 99th percentile) So he basically rocks. He's applied to med school and now we are waiting for invitations to interview. He started back at school and has a pretty laid back schedule (for once) Most of it is Lab work though so while he has no homework, he is still gone all day long. But the good news is, this is his last quarter before med school! YEA!!! So we will all be seeing much more of Jimmy after December.

As far as work goes, I sold my first house this summer, which was soooo neat. I have a listing in Lake City (if anyone wants a peek, I'd love to show you!) and I'm taking a listing in Olympia this month. Also, I'm now on the committee for philanthropic spending and activities with my office. I have loved this part of my job more then anything! We will be hosting a 5k in April and all the proceeds will go to Greg Mortensen and the CAI to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan! (He's the author of "Three cups of Tea" that we just read for book club.) I'll have more info on the race as we get further in the planning. And if you know anyone who wants to buy sell or know more about the market, PLEASE let me know! Referrals are the best!

Ammon is big and busy! He climbs now, so I'm always on my toes. He has shown his stubborn side alot more lately (I wonder where that came from) But he is still just as sweet and funny. His sense of humor has really taken off and everytime we take his picture its nothin but cheesiness!

I am writing today...

To beg forgiveness for my extended absence. I have no good excuse. I became lazy and careless and soon enough my blog was forgotten, until today! Inspired by a couple of good friends at church (who are new to the blogging world) I am writing today re-committed to the cause! No longer will you have to *gasp* call (or email) me for updates on our lives. I hope I can be diligent in my communication. Please forgive me, and if you like calling me, I don't mind either!

Let me take this moment....

To brag about my amazing husband. He has officially finished the school year with an impressive 3.84 GPA ending with the hardest quarter of classes thus far! His dedication and focus continue to leave me in awe. However, don't get the idea that the end of finals meant the end of study for the summer, oh no, Jimmy has diligently studied for the MCAT (which he takes July 13th) every day for 6+ hours! Incredible! After which he goes to work every night and works in a lab at UW on Thursdays. How does he do it? He worked almost 50 hours last week! And still studied everyday! Now before you start feeling sorry for me thinkin I must be getting no attention with all of this going on, He has also managed to make time for me and Ammon. He watches Ammon while I have appointments during the day, and makes dinner with me every night (even if it is at 10pm) I am just so proud of him and his accomplishments. For those of you who see or talk with him from time to time, take a chance to pat him on the back for his outstanding efforts! He's my hero, if only I was capable of accomplishing as much as he does!

PS keep us in your prayers on the 13th! BIG DAY! Isn't life great?

Renting vs. Owning

Although some renters believe that renting is “maintenance free,” they are actually paying for maintenance in their rent – whether they need it or not. Renting offers you no equity, no tax benefit, and no protection against regular rent increases. If you’re paying rent, you’re really just paying someone else’s mortgage. Let’s compare.*

Rent Vs. Own

Monthly Payment
$1,000 vs. $855
Insurance
$30 vs. $50
Taxes
$0 vs. $260
MIP Insurance
$0 vs. $45
Total Payment
$1,030 vs. $1,210


Savings

Interest Deduction
$0 vs. $175
Tax Deduction
$0 vs. $75
After Tax
Net Monthly Payment
$1,030 vs. $960

* Approximate Payment/Cost Comparison based on estimated annual tax results. Based on 2.5 tax bracket and on estimated first year interest and taxes. Recommend consulting with tax expert. Payment based on FHA 30-year fixed rate loan with 7% interest rate, sales price of $125,000 and a loan balance of $121,250. Interest rate/rental rates, prices, terms, and availability subject to change without notice. See a qualified tax consultant for more details.

Hello world!

Today I finally got my letter into the mail, for those of you who do not receive the letter, this means I don't have your current address. I would love to keep up to date so let me know where you are at! I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm now in real estate and very excited to get movin! Do you want to hear my funny story? I ordered my business cards a while back hoping that I could send them out with my letter of introduction (you know, put a face with the name kinda thing). So I've been putting off sending it in hopes they would show up. Finally, this morning I decided that I would just send it anyway and get my cards out on a later mailing. So off they went at about 1:30 pm. However, just as Murphy would have it, at about 4:40pm got a call from my office and guess whats there just waiting for me to pick up?...You got it, my cards!!!! They had just arrived this afternoon, conveniently, after I sent out my letter. So I apologize for the absence of my business card, you will be getting them shortly! Also, when you receive my letter please email me and tell me what you think! You can also comment here on my blog and be entered into a drawing for a fun little prize. Thank you all for you in-exhaustible support. It really has meant alot!

the numbers are in....

It's official, Ammon is HUGE!!! He weighed in today at 24 1/2 pounds! Whoa!!!! Not bad for 10 months. He's a little sick today which is why we were at the doctors getting weighed. (boo) However, with his pluck I'm sure he'll be feeling better in no time!

amazing feets of a 10 month old!

So try to imagine this, Bath time rolls around and I manage to bathe Ammon without getting totally soaked and still have a few minutes left to call my visiting teaching companion to make appointments before I have to put Ammon down for bed. As I was going over dates with my companion it was daddy time for Ammon. They were playing on the couch and being all sorts of wild. After a few minutes I realised it was strangely quite. Sure enough both boys were sound asleep, and Ammon was still only in a diaper. Well, I thought, I'll just give him his bottle and get him to bed since he's so sleepy, thinking about how un-happy he will be when he's woken up (he's not a fan of being interrupted in his sleep). However when I tried waking him up....nothing, not even a stir! So alright, I'll just change his diaper and put his jammies on, that will get him going a bit. I kid you not, I wiped his bum with a cold wipe, replaced the diaper, put a onsie and pants on him, rolled him over and pick him up without so much as a sigh. I couldn't believe it, he was totally out! And to top it off, he slept the whole night! I thought for sure he would wake up early with one thing on his mind 'must have bottle!' So either I'm just that good (unlikely) Or I should have Jimmy put him to sleep every night!

(the picture is of him completely crashed (and clothed) on the couch before I took his catatonic body to bed!)