Saturday, August 13, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Winning the Lottery
There has been a lot going on behind the scenes here lately. For those of you who don't already know, we are moving! Holy cow. We have lived in our current place since March 2001 (which is a lot of time to fill a place up). We have thought about moving several different times over the last 10 years, but we always stayed put. Always decided it was more trouble than it was worth.
We've been wanting to buy something for a long time and we thought we were getting really close (we still are, compared to where we were 4 years ago - Hello, Housing Market of Insanity), but with a static income and raising inflation in every other aspects of our lives (groceries, gas, health insurance, etc, etc), we aren't quite there yet. Neither Brad or I have any desire to be house poor. We know the right time to buy will come (heck its almost here!), but if we live where we can (almost) afford to buy today, we can't afford to commute to where the rest of our lives are right now. And if we buy where our lives are centered, we can't afford the mortgage. So we are still waiting.
BUT! That doesn't mean there aren't some interesting alternatives in the meantime! One of the (many!!) benefits available to Brad as a student at UCSD, is his access to student housing. We had talked about putting ourselves on (the very long) wait-list as soon as he was eligible and as the time came, it turned out having Elliott provided a perk beyond his cute personality and winning smile: Brad gained top priority in housing!
Now we aren't talking about dorms or on-campus apartments you share with other people. UCSD has an extensive 'affiliated housing' program for qualifying students and faculty. I always had called these units 'married student housing' when I was a student, because that's pretty much who lived there. The complexes are off-campus and depending on your circumstances you are eligible to apply for certain units. You are then placed on a wait-list and you get access to a spot based on priority, single people with no roommates have lowest priority and families have highest!
Most of the units in the complexes available to us are two bedrooms...but, there are also a few choice three bedroom units as well (think 9, 3-bedrooms compared to 678, 2-bedroom units). Brad was eligible for 2-bedroom unit almost immediately (0-3 month wait) and the 3-bedrooms had a wait-list of about a year for families. Unfortunately, it also turned out that the 3-bedrooms units are further broken down with priority given to applicants with 3 or more children, regardless of how long someone was on the list. So, if someone had 3+ kids, they always get first dibs, then 2 kids, then 1 kid, then couples. So basically, it was highly improbably to get one of these 3-bedroom units with 1 child.
Now, what is the advantage to living in one of these complexes, you might ask? It all comes down to money. The complexes are operated by the university. They aren't subsidized housing, but the university isn't in the apartment management business either, so they also aren't trying to make a profit. The rent taken in, is what they use to run and maintain the complexes (or at least this is what the official statement is). This means, that Brad and I can afford to live close to campus (AND close to my office!!), without having to pay the premium of living in the area. A comparable (non-affiliated) unit to what we live in now, would probably go for about $400 more a month than what we are paying currently. A 3-bedroom would probably go for about $1000+ more than our current rent. However, the affiliated housing rents for a 2-bedroom are currently $200 LESS than what we are paying and the 3-bedroom is $100 less! Add in gas savings and convenience (there's a shuttle stop within the complex that goes directly to campus!) - talk about a difference!
So we decided to go for it. Despite turning one 2-bedroom into another (something we NEVER intended to do), we thought it would be worth it to move...then camp out on the wait-list for a 3-bedroom unit. It was very nerve wracking to know you were going to be moving, but not know when. We could have got a call anytime. We were really hoping it would be before school started for Brad and before school started for Elliott (!! - more on this in another post!). I was dreading a move right after Brad's first quarter begins, since I knew that would mean so much more stress for me and loss of focus for Brad. And despite knowing what our chances were of getting a 3-bedroom, we still listed it as our bottom preference (out of our three preferences) on our wait-list application. What the heck, right?
So, can you guess where this is going? :D The day we came back from vacation, Brad got a voice-mail. He was in the other room and I could here this "HUH! OMG! Um...O - M - G!" Then he came into where we were with wide eyes, trying to fumble with his phone to get it on speaker and replay the message. I was like "WHAT? WHAT?" And then it dawned on me what was happening...and I said "NO! YOUR KIDDING!"
WE GOT A 3-BEDROOM!!
And we took it - more or less sight unseen. And as I am writing this, we still haven't been inside. We got the address, so before we turned in our acceptance letter, we did see the unit from the outside. It's downstairs (I was petrified of living with a running toddler - and I do believe toddlers should be able to run around in their own homes - over anyone without kids), which was a major relief. We were also able to look into a couple windows: the kitchen (I can't tell you how happy I am to have a window in my kitchen - and the window trumps the fact that there's even darker (what!?!) butcher block laminate on the cupboards than what we already have) and two of the bedrooms. The two bedrooms were good sized, so even if the 3rd is smaller, it will all be fine. I have no idea about anything else. I don't know anything about the living room or dining room, but I think that they may be on the small side from what I saw of another unit's open window while we were there.
What I do know is this:
a) there is grass...everywhere.
b) there are families, something our current complex is lacking.
c) we have our own playground.
d) there's walking trails throughout the complex.
e) we have our own community garden.
f) we have our own coffee shop.
g) electricity comes with our rent.
h) Elliott will have his own room :)
i) which means, mommy and daddy will have their own room!
j) we are ecstatic!
We've been wanting to buy something for a long time and we thought we were getting really close (we still are, compared to where we were 4 years ago - Hello, Housing Market of Insanity), but with a static income and raising inflation in every other aspects of our lives (groceries, gas, health insurance, etc, etc), we aren't quite there yet. Neither Brad or I have any desire to be house poor. We know the right time to buy will come (heck its almost here!), but if we live where we can (almost) afford to buy today, we can't afford to commute to where the rest of our lives are right now. And if we buy where our lives are centered, we can't afford the mortgage. So we are still waiting.
BUT! That doesn't mean there aren't some interesting alternatives in the meantime! One of the (many!!) benefits available to Brad as a student at UCSD, is his access to student housing. We had talked about putting ourselves on (the very long) wait-list as soon as he was eligible and as the time came, it turned out having Elliott provided a perk beyond his cute personality and winning smile: Brad gained top priority in housing!
Now we aren't talking about dorms or on-campus apartments you share with other people. UCSD has an extensive 'affiliated housing' program for qualifying students and faculty. I always had called these units 'married student housing' when I was a student, because that's pretty much who lived there. The complexes are off-campus and depending on your circumstances you are eligible to apply for certain units. You are then placed on a wait-list and you get access to a spot based on priority, single people with no roommates have lowest priority and families have highest!
Most of the units in the complexes available to us are two bedrooms...but, there are also a few choice three bedroom units as well (think 9, 3-bedrooms compared to 678, 2-bedroom units). Brad was eligible for 2-bedroom unit almost immediately (0-3 month wait) and the 3-bedrooms had a wait-list of about a year for families. Unfortunately, it also turned out that the 3-bedrooms units are further broken down with priority given to applicants with 3 or more children, regardless of how long someone was on the list. So, if someone had 3+ kids, they always get first dibs, then 2 kids, then 1 kid, then couples. So basically, it was highly improbably to get one of these 3-bedroom units with 1 child.
Now, what is the advantage to living in one of these complexes, you might ask? It all comes down to money. The complexes are operated by the university. They aren't subsidized housing, but the university isn't in the apartment management business either, so they also aren't trying to make a profit. The rent taken in, is what they use to run and maintain the complexes (or at least this is what the official statement is). This means, that Brad and I can afford to live close to campus (AND close to my office!!), without having to pay the premium of living in the area. A comparable (non-affiliated) unit to what we live in now, would probably go for about $400 more a month than what we are paying currently. A 3-bedroom would probably go for about $1000+ more than our current rent. However, the affiliated housing rents for a 2-bedroom are currently $200 LESS than what we are paying and the 3-bedroom is $100 less! Add in gas savings and convenience (there's a shuttle stop within the complex that goes directly to campus!) - talk about a difference!
So we decided to go for it. Despite turning one 2-bedroom into another (something we NEVER intended to do), we thought it would be worth it to move...then camp out on the wait-list for a 3-bedroom unit. It was very nerve wracking to know you were going to be moving, but not know when. We could have got a call anytime. We were really hoping it would be before school started for Brad and before school started for Elliott (!! - more on this in another post!). I was dreading a move right after Brad's first quarter begins, since I knew that would mean so much more stress for me and loss of focus for Brad. And despite knowing what our chances were of getting a 3-bedroom, we still listed it as our bottom preference (out of our three preferences) on our wait-list application. What the heck, right?
So, can you guess where this is going? :D The day we came back from vacation, Brad got a voice-mail. He was in the other room and I could here this "HUH! OMG! Um...O - M - G!" Then he came into where we were with wide eyes, trying to fumble with his phone to get it on speaker and replay the message. I was like "WHAT? WHAT?" And then it dawned on me what was happening...and I said "NO! YOUR KIDDING!"
WE GOT A 3-BEDROOM!!
And we took it - more or less sight unseen. And as I am writing this, we still haven't been inside. We got the address, so before we turned in our acceptance letter, we did see the unit from the outside. It's downstairs (I was petrified of living with a running toddler - and I do believe toddlers should be able to run around in their own homes - over anyone without kids), which was a major relief. We were also able to look into a couple windows: the kitchen (I can't tell you how happy I am to have a window in my kitchen - and the window trumps the fact that there's even darker (what!?!) butcher block laminate on the cupboards than what we already have) and two of the bedrooms. The two bedrooms were good sized, so even if the 3rd is smaller, it will all be fine. I have no idea about anything else. I don't know anything about the living room or dining room, but I think that they may be on the small side from what I saw of another unit's open window while we were there.
What I do know is this:
a) there is grass...everywhere.
b) there are families, something our current complex is lacking.
c) we have our own playground.
d) there's walking trails throughout the complex.
e) we have our own community garden.
f) we have our own coffee shop.
g) electricity comes with our rent.
h) Elliott will have his own room :)
i) which means, mommy and daddy will have their own room!
j) we are ecstatic!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
More from the Kitchen
I've been meaning to share this video for a while. Elliott was gifted this little kitchenette from our friends who saw it in a neighbor's garage sale and thought of him :) Needless to say, he's put it to a lot of good use. Pooh is usually very full. And everything takes "4 minutes"! This particular video also cracks me up, because he had to stop for a 'poop break'. heh.
Its also funny because this video was from June 13. I already see so many changes! He talks so much clearer now (and more, too!) and he looks so young! Hopefully this will teach me not to doddle too much in the future!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
First Family 'Vacation'
I had mentioned in a previous post that we were looking to take a little family vacation this summer. Well an opportunity came through one of those 'daily deal' emails for a two-night getaway to Oxnard. I didn't even know where that was, but the reference to 'Channel Islands' caught my attention. It ended up being about an hour outside of L.A. and close to the water so it fit the bill perfectly for what I was looking for: beachy, not too far away, and someplace we hadn't been before.
Overall the trip was really nice. We went up on a Sunday and met up with our friends in LA, which gave Elliott a chance to stretch his legs.
Our kids haven't been able to spend much time together (even less so since they've been old enough to interact with each other), so it was nice for them to have a chance to play. Lucy even let Elliott borrow her car...which I'm pretty sure has never been honked so much in its entire existance.
We also took the opportunity while we were in LA to visit one of Brad's favorite places to eat: Phillipe's. Shan had never been either so she joined us for dinner, too! It's one of those places, where I never want to go, but I'm always glad Brad makes me. It is so delicious! I just have to get my head around driving into downtown LA first :P
The harbor was beautiful - so many boats! And the beaches were really great. Tons of sand, sand dunes and no body around!! My kind of beach! We walked around the beach in the late morning, then headed to the wharf for lunch.
The wharf was actually really sad. There was pretty much just a couple places left besides the maritime museum. We ate fish and chips and looked at the crabs...so many crabs!
On our way out we walked through the maritime museum where they had the most amazing boat models I have ever seen. The detail was extraordinary. The man who built them all for the museum made them from the original plans and hand fabricated EVERYTHING. There was also a few things Elliott could touch and the host even let Elliott ring the bell :) (He was a funny, piratey old man, who surprisingly enough had heard of Elliott's namesake, and seemed to think Elliott was about 5 years old - he was always surprised when Elliott didn't laugh at his jokes.)
We then spent a little time at a really nice pirate-themed playground, then headed back to the beach for a little time in the sand.
It was pretty windy by this point, so we didn't get too close to the water. Elliott wanted to make 'castles' which he remembered from going to the beach with Aunt Karen, grandma and grandpa. I felt bad, because I knew nothing would hold its shape when we dumped over the bucket, but Elliott didn't seem to mind. He still exclaimed 'castle!!!" when we ended up with a lovely sand pile ;)
As for the practical aspects of out first family vacation, well, it was challenging to say the least. The hotel room was beyond anything Elliott could comprehend. It was full of new things to mess with and he pretty much ran around the room getting into anything and everything he could find. The first night was tough, too. He cried on and off pretty much all night and asked to go home :( (Needless to say, mama made have teared up a bit herself at this.) He ended up sleeping with us, so I was really glad we had that king size bed! Then being overtired, made for even more hyperness the next day. Unfortunately, we also had a neighbor downstairs the second night who didn't take kindly to toddler footsteps and actually started banging on the walls after Elliott made a couple passes around the room. He tried really hard to not run. He would make these exaggerated tip toe steps (ha!), but then something would catch his eye and he was off! Ugh. Note to self - request a downstairs room like the family checking-in in front of us did (and now I know why!).
Despite the above, I'm really glad we went. I loved that we were able to see so much in such a short amount of time. And I also love that I took another day off work after we got back (to celebrate out 14th anniversary!!), which meant we had plenty of time for normal errandy stuff before going back to work.
Overall the trip was really nice. We went up on a Sunday and met up with our friends in LA, which gave Elliott a chance to stretch his legs.
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| Motorcycle Riding |
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| Playing with Lucy |
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| Waiting for dinner at Phillipe's in L.A. The next day we took our time getting our bearings since we really had no idea what was in Oxnard other than the beach and a harbor that takes you to the Channel Islands. We would have gone out there if we had stayed one more day, but we didn't want to be super rushy or planny, so we skipped it this time around. |
The harbor was beautiful - so many boats! And the beaches were really great. Tons of sand, sand dunes and no body around!! My kind of beach! We walked around the beach in the late morning, then headed to the wharf for lunch.
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| Sand Tractors - these things were huge! |
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| Walking the dunes |
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| Elliott kept reaching under my sunglasses to use my eyes to hold on! |
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| Looking at the boats |
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| Resting |
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| "Sail Boat!" |
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| We saw a seal swimming in the inlet, so we had to take a picture to commemorate. |
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| At lunch, deep in conversation :) |
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| crabs - need I say more? |
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| This sign is for you, Auntie Meagan! |
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| One of the many extraordinary models at the maritime museum and E's 'only with your eyes' hands :) |
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| The sad state of affairs at the wharf. One of the many long-closed businesses. |
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| Playground fun! |
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| Building castles |
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| Fortunately mounds of sand satisfied his 'castle craving' - heh |
Despite the above, I'm really glad we went. I loved that we were able to see so much in such a short amount of time. And I also love that I took another day off work after we got back (to celebrate out 14th anniversary!!), which meant we had plenty of time for normal errandy stuff before going back to work.
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