I know that it has been some time since I posted about anything. What was shaping up to be a quiet summer has turned anything but that.

I’m thrilled to say that we are officially buying a house. A few weeks ago our offer was accepted, inspection and appraisals both completed and now we are in the final process before closing. Currently the seller should be making all the arrangements for the repairs following the inspection. Our closing day is set for Sept 11. You can view pictures of the house, taken by us during the inspection, on Richard’s website Fenchurch*org.

The whole process started when Richard’s mom asked us if we were still considering purchasing the house we rent. Feeling as though it may be our only chance to buy a house in the next 5 years, we said sure and went mortgage loan shopping. We booked appointments with a couple, had a phone conversation with another and was ready to see what kind of loan we could get when things changed. Nothing serious, simply that she decided not to sell the house. She encouraged us to keep our appointments, if anything to see what options are out there for us to be aware of. We had previously also decided that no matter what, we still wanted to go. The last time we looked for a house was close to the height of the housing bubble, what we could afford was not much, but after everything that has happened it didn’t give us any insight into today. As it happens we do qualify for a USDA guaranteed home loan. Our income is close to the top for a family of three, as long as I’m not working.  While it did shatter my hopes of finding a job this summer, we would both rather buy a house.

As some may or may not know, Richard’s grandma has passed away. Both of us have an odd sort of calm about this event. The day after Quince’s birthday we went to Port Townsend, as the night before we got a call saying she was checked into the hospital there. Richard was already taking most of the day off for something else, so he decided to take the rest off and went. While we did physically see her, we didn’t see her. By the time we arrived she was in a sleeping state and hadn’t woken since sometime in the middle of the night. I’m sure she knew we were there. Together in the room with Richard’s mom and two uncles, we all watched as she took her final breaths. It was weird to see her body turn an almost ash grey color, then move to a nice flesh color after she was gone. I’ve seen plenty of live births but it was the first time I saw someone die and I’m unlikely to forget it.

Grief tends to hit me at unexpected moments. For a number of months we were going down to Quilcene about every week to have dinner with her. Sometimes I’m sitting at home and suddenly feeling the urge to cry, other times I’m driving. Mid-May we held a public memorial for her and the day before the party family members got together to spread her ashes.

The family 4th of July party was held over the weekend(July 6th in fact). And it was a good party but odd. The beach was quite hot this year, since I wasn’t feeling too well I spent part of above hiding in a shady area(very weird for me I know!). Luckily I wasn’t up there alone, Colin and Shelley came up not long after I did. Richard took Q out into the water, sitting him on a water noodle for the ride. He seem to have mixed moments of scared and fun. Out of nowhere he would go from laughter to yelling for mama and crying. While I haven’t seen how they turned out, I feel like I may have gotten some fun photos of it. Last year we spent the fireworks show inside the house with Grandma Shirley as Q was scared. This year, he spent them with Uncle Chris. The two of them laughing maniacally together at each one.  It was an awesome sight. Afterwards, Q then went on to tell Chris all about them with arm motions and everything. I’d like to think he was saying which ones were his favorites. 🙂

Photos coming soon.