I'm so dumb! (surprise!)

Oh my geez.  I changed the title of my blog, so changed the url....not realizing that other people have the previous url saved. So when you clicked on The Delhi Diaries...there was nothing there.  Oops!  Sorry folks.  So now I'm wondering if I just leave this one alone and start a whole new blog altogether.  Because it makes no sense to still have it labeled as Delhi Diaries when clearly, I am not in Delhi.  Any suggestions people?  Anybody archive and jump ship on an old blog to start a new one?  Blah, I feel like I can't get a hold of this stupid thing.  Since I took so much time off I am playing catch up on my layout and how this thing works again...notice how I haven't posted any pictures lately?  Blargh!!!  And while you are at it can someone give me a lesson on customizing my photos to have writing on it and then making it the title of my page?  Athena?  Summer?  You savvy bloggers, you.  

You are so patient.  And that is why you are my friend.

House hunting

We've begun the agonizing process of house hunting.  We returned to the U.S. nearly a year ago (already?!).  Originally we were going to buy right away but lo and behold the forces were against us and we had to resort to renting (blergh).  Glen earned all the money and I had the excellent credit but those two things combined were not enough to convince a lender to give us some money.  So we spent this year establishing Glen's U.S. credit and I got a job (until bambino came, of course).  Apparently having bad credit is better than no credit so here we are 10 months down the line and through some financial savviness, Glen has achieved a good credit rating.  So all the paperwork is turned over to the powers that be and our search has begun.  We have narrowed down the location we are searching in based on Glen's commute to work in Longmont and our proximity to Boulder and Denver, not to mention local grocery stores, the pediatrician, etc.  We have lived in Erie for almost a year and we have decided it is Dullsville for us.  We love our neighbors, we love the paths to take family walks on, we love the safety of our neighborhood, we love that Chris and Jenessa are 5 minutes away.  But when it is time to do anything at night like pop over to a yummy restaurant or meet up with other friends it is a commute.  And who wants to commute to dinner with an infant?  And the bigger problem is our ginormous rent payment.  I seriously want to vomit every time I make that payment.  I feel like it is just throwing money away and I can't help but think of how much of that we could put into savings.  When we moved back we had to get into the first thing we could and regretfully that came at a high price, literally.  Our lease is up at the end of the year but we have some very special visitors coming in from England.  So we either move now, like right now or wait until January.  Luckily we can go month to month after December so we shall see.  It's scary buying another house.  I admit I am a little gun shy after the last experience.  It feels like such a burden to me sometimes when I think of being responsible for the upkeep of a property.  I have to find a way to view this positively and make it a home for us, our tiny little family.  Wish us luck!    

You read it right folks!

I finally decided on a name change.  I'm not totally settled on it yet but it didn't seem fitting to still call this place Delhi Diaries since we're not telling the tales of Delhi living anymore.  So here the adventure continues.  This is a place to tell you what we're up to these days.  Maybe not as exciting but still an outlet for me to get things out there and connect with distant family and friends.  Can you hear the crickets chirping as I write this?  Yup, we're living in Dullsville.  Erie, Colorado to be exact.  

As soon as I clear out the cobwebs...there will be more to talk about!

I sold my first house!

What a relief!!!  In November of 2007 I bit the bullet and bought my first house.  I was so tired of throwing money away in rent and it seemed like a good idea.  Rates were good (too good for some), I had a great job and I figured the next adult step would be to tackle homeownership.  I purchased a house with a separate finished basement to use as an income property. Whoever lived downstairs would help me pay my mortgage.  I was so smart I thought.  It worked out great for a couple of years.  My good friend Matt rented the basement and everything was wonderful....that is until I met Glen and moved.  Being a full on landlord was the last thing I ever wanted to do.  Pressed for time, I decided I could manage a house all the way from India.  Dumbest idea ever.  If I had to do it all over again I would definitely use a property manager.  The stress of getting phone calls about water heaters bursting and carpets needing replacing is something I could have done without.  The house itself needed updating, which I had planned on doing as the years passed.  But I had also planned on living there.  And now it just seems like a waste of money since there was so much to do.  Anyways, long story short, I decided it was in the best interest of me and my family to sell the house since we weren't living in it.  With a minimal amount of effort to update and refresh its curbside appeal (thanks to Glen!), it sold fast.  Within a week of it being put on the market I got an offer!  My real estate agent is so good!  You have no idea how much relief I feel that I don't have to worry about paying a mortgage and rent at our current place.  Glen asked if I felt sentimental at all about leaving my first house.  And strangely I don't.  I am a crier and I thought for sure walking out that front door for the last time would bring on the waterworks.  I ended up walking out of there with my head held high, full of confidence that I was able to make it happen.  The best news is is that we were prepared to lose a little money...up to 5 grand.  I was crossing my fingers that we would at least break even.  We actually came out a little ahead.  Not rolling in the dough but at least we didn't take a financial hit.  That's the biggest relief of all.  Hmmm....now mommy needs a new purse....  

So with the stress of the property being sold behind us, we are faced with another decision.  Do we buy again or continue to rent?  We've been searching on-line for both and boy, it is daunting.  We are not even sure we can buy with Glen being a foreigner and all.  And if we can buy, what neighborhood?  And if we do buy, do we want to deal with the headache of selling again if we end up moving out of state?  Agh!  So many life decisions.  Stay tuned on this one.  Our lease is up at the end of December...yikes!      

Good intentions

I always get on this thing intending to write something clever, witty, or just to catch you up with my life.  But every time I get on, I end up reading what YOU, my fellow bloggers have to say.  By the time I'm done reading I have forgotten what it is that I wanted to say.  And then I get tired.  And when you're a new mama....sleep always wins.

Things on my mind:  All things mommy, the newness of it all.  Our California road trip.  What the future holds.

You have to admit, I'm pretty rubbish at this blogging thing.  Ahhh...tomorrow is another day.

Changes

Since I didn't know where to start, I'll start where I left off...

It's been quite the year with major changes.  Glen and I found out we were pregnant while we were in India.  Yup, we made a honeymoon baby.  Lucky us!  Getting pregnant wasn't all that easy so you can imagine our joy when we got the positive test result.  My first thought was "I can't/won't have this baby in Delhi"!  Though it could be done, I just didn't want to.  I loved my OB/GYN in Delhi but I couldn't face my first pregnancy with worrying about getting sick from food and water, mosquitos, and then having to worry about getting to a hospital in Delhi traffic...no thanks.  Nope, I wanted my first experience to be in the US or the UK.  So Glen got on the job boards at work.  I really thought we'd end up in the UK, either Aberdeen or Bristol.  Glen casually asked "Where's Longmont, CO"?  I replied "Apply for it, it's really close to Denver"!  Lo and behold, he got the job and here we are.  Fast forward a move back to Colorado, a relatively easy pregnancy, and BAM!  here we are a family of 3.  4 counting Kona.  Life is good to us.  We seriously get everything that we project out into the universe.  Sometimes I think it's too good to be true.  Somebody pinch me.  

I'm still thinking about which direction I want to project this blog.  At first it was about travels but my life has changed.  We're staying put these days.  Save for a car trip to California with a 3 month old.  Oh lordy....was that an experience!  So it might turn into a blog about us, as a family.  It sounds a little boring...but I think it will help us stay connected to our family and friends who are out there in other states and countries.  

Thanks for the encouragement!  To be continued...

I'm posting! Welcome to the bi-annual event!

Where do you begin writing when you've taken a 6 month hiatus?  When so much has changed.  When you have so much to say but don't know how or where to begin (but you just gotta get it out).   When you are suddenly short on time spent in front of a computer.  When you want to connect with people but feel like nobody wants to hear what you have to say.  When you're a better listener than a talker.


When your blog title says "Delhi" but you now live in "Denver".


Time to dust off the cobwebs...and transition from a travel blog to a daily life of me blog...