Like just stated above, August and McKendra came down for a weekend and brought us a gift. A special gift. It was a vintage suitcase and when we opened it, we saw ALL.THINGS.BABY! Dad and I were shocked! We just stared at each other - LOL... Then there were cheers and congratulatory squeals of delight from everyone! McKendra also hand painted a beautiful piece of artwork depicting a mother and baby (it's pictured on the upper part of the suitcase in the photos below). We are so very excited for March 22, 2020!! You'll also see that they filled the suitcase with "old" things like a cane, crocheted blankets and old spectacles! Haha
August, McKendra and Joseph came down the weekend after the Fourth of July (speaking of the 4th... we spent it with Stephanie and the whole Perry clan at Helen's house in Boise. We had a big potluck dinner and then played games and set off fireworks in their neighborhood). Anyway, so when they all came down from Rexburg, we went to the Temple together to do Sealings (more about that in the Spiritually Speaking) and we also went to Jump Creek.
In the middle of July, we were super excited to have Grandma and Grandpa Carlson come to visit! BIG NEWS: They are Missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! They have been called to be volunteers for Family Search and go around to all of the counties in Nebraska and try to get permission to get all of the records they have to be digitized so they can be searched online. We are so proud of them and so excited for them also! They had to go to Salt Lake for some training and since they were so close to Idaho - they detoured up to Nampa to see us on their way home! Sadly, their trip got cut short as Hope's grandmother passed away and really wanted them to attend the Funeral. But we loved every minute we had together! We followed them down to Albion and visited Lee and MaryJane Jolley before heading up to Howell Canyon and having a picnic lunch at Bennett Springs.
When Aunt Kathryn and her boys came down for a week in August, we had a great time together! The week flew by way too quickly but we were able to spend an afternoon at the Lake, an afternoon at the MK Nature Center, and also an afternoon working on finances! Before they headed back home, we were able to give them a tour of our new home.
The 2nd weekend of August was our Ward's Youth Conference. Friday night we met all together at the Watson's house and had delicious dinner followed by an incredible Fireside presented by Christy Watson all about STANDING (in the gospel) FOREVER! She did a phenomenal job. Saturday morning we met back at the church at 9:30am and then headed to the Lake for a day of BOATING!! Dad was dubbed "the Captain" and drove the boat the entire time. We broke the kids into 2 groups and rotated each hour between riding in the boat/tubing and being on the shore (where we had lawn games set up, lots of food for snacking and then of course the beach area to relax and swim). It went soooo well and everyone had a blast! I didn't get too many pictures but did get these 2 of Ben with some of his friends. FUN!
Mom turned 44 on the 26th of August. She was spoiled! When she woke up and went downstairs, she was greeted with a SPOTLESS house AND birthday decorations set up by the girls! It was lovely! She didn't cook or clean at that day. In fact, she didn't lift a finger! We also went out to the Farm the day before to celebrate with grandma and grandpa Vogt. We had a BBQ and enjoyed a scrumptious homemade cake from the girls! Then the next day, they made a "Cookie-Cake" for mom's birthday and McKendra made a Cheesecake! SPOILED!
And then all of these big events were sprinkled with "everyday" life! Lots of baking from the girls, the ward Campout, a Pirate Play that the girls performed in as part of Drama Camp that they participated in, High Adventure for Ben and the kick off to school!
Spiritually Speaking...
We put an offer on a house. An awesome, beautiful, perfect-for-us house! A house that we are super excited to move into - and can't wait for October 2nd to close on it and get the keys into our hands! Heavenly Father has been with us every step of the way! We've been looking at houses since May and after some emotional roller coasters early on, we decided we'd "casually" look throughout the summer but would wait until the VA disability determination came in so that we could waive the VA funding fee that is associated with VA loans. There were a few houses that piqued our interest but nothing ever felt right. We then kept thinking that maybe we should just continue to rent and move next year after Ben leaves on his mission - but that didn't feel right either. At the Temple after praying about what we should do, I got the answer that we would be moving soon and that our time in Nampa was over. I then got the distinct impression that "my heart would sing" when I walked into the house that was meant for us! We looked at several more house but there was no singing of my heart!
Then one day (the beginning of August), John called me and asked how I felt about the Belau's neighborhood (dad's best friend is Bill Belau). I told him it was really nice and I liked it! He then asked how I'd feel if we lived there and close to Bill. I told him, that'd be great! He then asked "How would you feel if it was right next to Bill?" After just a slight hesitation, I replied that I'd be totally fine with it and thought it'd be awesome! He then told me that the house next door to them had just come on the market and Bill had texted a picture of the listing agent's sign so we could contact them. Dad happened to be out of town for a few days so he wanted me and the girls to go walk through it and more importantly see "if my heart sang!" Honestly, I had no doubt that it would! The more I learned about this house (3000+ square feet, 5 bedrooms, 3 separate living spaces, 3 car garage with RV parking and a covered 50 foot deck in the back!) what was there not to love and sing about! The girls and I get an appointment and arrive and I just know that my heart is going to sing! I can just feel it! And then... it doesn't. I wanted it too! I wondered why it wasn't! Wouldn't this just be the most amazing house for us? Sure, it had some projects that needed to be done along with some updating, and it didn't have much a kitchen pantry and only a 1/2 bathroom on the main floor (and I'd really been wanting one with a bath or shower on the main)... but there was lots going for it! I chat with dad and let him know that my heart didn't sing but that I still thought it'd be worthwhile for us both to see it together when he got back into town. The problem was, the day he got back, it was our Youth Conference (and grandpa Vogt, our Realtor, was going to be busy cutting hay) and so we figured we'd set something up the following Monday.
During this same time, I went and perused on Zillow and a house that we'd seen about 2 weeks prior popped back up! It was one that we had originally been interested in (similar specs - 3000+ sq. ft, 4 bedrooms, 3 separate living spaces, 3 car garage with RV parking) and when we couldn't ever find it again online, we weren't surprised that it had been snatched up so quickly! So when we saw it again, we were intrigued and decided we'd like to see both of the houses on that Monday. Well... it rained really hard on Friday night and so grandpa called us and said due to the weather, he wouldn't be cutting hay and he could show us these houses that night after we finished up with Youth Conference. We were excited. We told him to set up the house next to Bill's last as we figured we'd probably stay at that one longer and then could visit with Bill and Jill afterwards.
So we meet at the 1st house located on Big Creek off of Ten Mile and as we enter the subdivision the girls and I comment on how nice the subdivision is. Then as we pull up to the house, we comment on how cute it is and how much we already like it! And then, as we walk through the front door, something unexpected happens... MY HEART SINGS!! and the more I walk into/throughout the house, it's singing louder and louder! I loved everything I was seeing and felt giddy! Additionally, everything I didn't quite like about the house next to Bill's, this house had - like a walk in kitchen pantry, a shower with the bathroom on the main floor, more updated and... $30K cheaper! Dad and I BOTH loved it! However, he still really wanted to see the house next to his best friend... so we head over there next and while it truly was a lovely home with an amazing backyard and the benefit of sharing a property line with his best friend, we both felt that the house on Big Creek was ours!
We take the next day and really pray, ponder, and discuss if we are truly ready to put an offer on a home - with the biggest factor against it being that the VA disability determination hasn't come through, but as we prayed about it, we both felt we should move forward on it. This was scary for me and I somewhat questioned the Lord on the timing and was immediately given the thought "This is about my timing... not yours." That was all we needed (well, that and a good dose of FAITH!) and so on Monday morning, we headed out to the farm to write up an offer for the Big Creek house! After a little bit of back and forth, we finally went under contract two days later and we couldn't be happier! As I write this, the home inspection has been completed and the VA appraisal of the house has been scheduled and things are well on their way to being ready to close on October 2nd.
The next BIG tender mercy of the Lord came in the form of switching lenders and locking in at a rate of 3.25% for the length of our loan! This turned out to be a stressful few days as we perused this lower rate but in the end was (and will be!) such a tremendous blessing! The original bank we had started the process with (back in May) quoted us a 4.6% interest rate and after doing the math - the savings is close to $300 a month! Or $108K in interest over the life of the loan (if we kept it and paid on it for the full 30 years)! So, no small potatoes! As I pondered over things recently - moreso in regards to the timing of our upcoming move and if the VA determination will come through (and result in waiving the $6K funding fee) and I was asking questions (to myself) about IF the determination doesn't come through, wouldn't it have been better to have waited to buy a house, etc... and immediately as I thought this, another thought came straightway to my mind. That thought was: "Interest rates are already going back up. You've locked in at an incredible rate that will save you an insane amount of money over the life of the loan. Would you rather have only saved $6K on the funding fee OR $108K of interest!?" Wow. I was pretty much just shocked into silence because it was a no brainer! And so even if the determination doesn't come in before our closing, I feel confident (and totally at peace!) about buying this amazing home!!
And one additional item with the house that we feel truly blessed with - we'll have to purchase a new refrigerator. We know this is a major (and expensive!) purchase. With the Labor Day sales going on this weekend, we thought this would be a great weekend to shop. The rest of the appliances in the new home's kitchen are Stainless Steel, so we started doing some looking at all of the sales going on. During this time, I discovered that we have a Sears Outlet store here in Boise (think of it as a "scratch and dent" and overstock place for major appliances) and so we headed over there to check out their inventory. I knew we wanted one of the newer fridge models where there's the french doors on top and the freezer on the bottom. We were able to find a beautiful LG model that had the slim ice maker in the door (so it didn't take up any space inside the fridge or freezer part!), loads of space, great features, had the ice and water output in the door, had the freezer on the bottom AND had a 4.6 out of 5 star rating from over 124,000 people! The original price was $2,700! Yikes! You know mama's not paying that for a fridge! There were a few minor cosmetic flaws (all of which wouldn't be visible when it's pushed into place in the kitchen) BUT it did have a noticeable dent on the freezer handle. We looked online and saw you could get a replacement handle for $60 and so didn't let that deter us! Our final price, you ask? Well, we were able to get it for 60% off and paid $1,219 for it! The best part is that they're able to just keep it there in their warehouse for the next month and will deliver and install it the day after we close on the new house. Yay!! We felt super happy and blessed!
Here are a few pictures of our NEW HOME!! yippee!! October 2nd can't come soon enough!!
An exceptional time at the Temple - by John
Shandy and I had spent a lot of time, very diligently working on Baptisms, Confirmations, Initiatory, and Endowments for our Ancestors. We finally had a list of 42 ancestors who were ready to be sealed to their spouses and/or families. We were so excited! We made arrangements to schedule a session for a time when we could have August, McKendra, and Joseph all come down to join Shandy, Seth, and I. As I stepped out of the changing room, I was greeted by a sight that I will never forget - There in the hallway stood, August, Joseph, and Seth, all in their Temple Whites and with their packets under their arms. It was a sight that absolutely melted my heart. I felt the Spirit and a sense of satisfaction/pride/relief. It was so amazing to see these boys (now men) in the Temple. I had a feeling that we were all doing alright. We made our way to the sealing room with Shandy and McKendra and were able to get the work done for 30 of our ancestors. It was such a wonderful experience to all be kneeling around the alter, standing in as proxy for our family as sacred ordinances were completed. This was definitely one of the top experiences of my life. Shandy and I were able to finish the other 12 family members the next week.
And last but not least, Mom and Dad have been able to attend the Temple every week during July and August! We did mostly Endowment sessions, but also did some Initiatories along with 3 Sealing Sessions! Lots of Temple Work getting done - yay!! We feel very good about this weekly Temple goal that we've been able to do this year! I know we have seen countless blessings because of our service! 90% of the time, we meet on Thursdays at the BoiseTemple when dad gets off of work. This schedule has been working really well for us (especially since dad's office is just down the street from the Temple!)... I'm curious to see if we'll utilize the Meridian Temple more after we move since the new house is only about 10 minutes from that Temple.
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