April 25, 2006


Here's to me! Posted by Picasa

Cheeseburgers and French fries at McDonald's on my birthday! What fun! Posted by Picasa

Bring on the presents! Posted by Picasa

I'm one today? Really?! Posted by Picasa

I'm quite a dapper little fellow, don't you think? Posted by Picasa

Hello, Easter bunny! Thanks for the eggs! Posted by Picasa

Bottoms up! Posted by Picasa

One

My beautiful bouncing baby boy turns one year old today! He is truly a blessing to me and his Daddy, and we are looking forward to many more years of celebrating with him.

I can't believe it's been one year since Jonah made his appearance. The past twelve months have been amazing, challenging, rewarding, terrifying at times, and absolutely wonderful!

Happy birthday to my precious boy!

April 12, 2006


This is what happens when we self-feed mashed potatoes. Posted by Picasa

Hey, Mom, wanna share? Posted by Picasa

Self-feeding in progress - what a mess! Posted by Picasa

Caught in the act of exploring! Posted by Picasa

April 08, 2006

We Got It After All

Apparently the seller began to get cold feet over accepting a contingent offer and decided not to ratify the contract. So he came back to us and asked if we'd still be interested. Josh and I talked it over, asked for an extension of time for settlement, got it, and so decided to go for it. As of Friday morning, we have a ratified contract to buy the townhouse in Alexandria on June 7, which gives us two months to get our current place ready for selling and , hopefully, sell it quickly. It's going to be a hectic couple of months, so many prayers are needed. Thanks in advance!

April 02, 2006

52 Self-Revelations (from CEP)

1. FIRST NAME? Cathy
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Embarrassingly enough, I was named after a soap opera character that my mom really liked. My middle name, Le, is my mom's maiden name.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Today.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No. It's rather messy.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Salami.
6. KIDS? One adorable little boy named Jonah.
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so.
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I used to in high school, but I do not keep one now unless you can count this blog.
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Sometimes.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way, Jose! I'm too chicken, and I'll freely admit it!
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Corn Flakes. Boring to some, but I love 'em!
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes.
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Sometimes yes, sometimes not.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Some kind of fudgy swirly concoction.
16. SHOE SIZE? 6.
17. RED OR PINK? Pink.
18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I''m not always a very good oral communicator.
19. WHOM DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Probably my grandparents, my dad's parents, who both died when I was in my teens.
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I'd love anyone to do so, though it's not expented.
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? Shorts are mint green, and I'm wearing white slippers.
22. LAST THING YOU ATE? I'm currently eating some strawberries with a little sugar sprinkled on them.
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My computer and my tapping fingers.
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Is there a mint green colored crayon?
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Baking or freshly baked bread.
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My friend Greg.
27. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? The sound of their voice.
28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Very much, she's a dear friend!
29. FAVORITE DRINK? 2% milk.
30. FAVORITE SPORT? Cross country for participating, soccer for watching.
31. HAIR COLOR? Brown.
32. EYE COLOR? Hazelish, or so I've been told.
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.
34. FAVORITE FOOD? Con chua (a Vietnamese sweet and sour soup).
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending.
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? "The Bourne Identity"
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Mint green
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter, but only when it snows.
39. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs from most people, kisses from my husband or son (he's learning how to give kisses now! Jonah, that is, not my husband!).
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? McCormick & Schmidt's warm upside down apple pie served with cinnamon ice cream. Yum!
41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Lenise, perhaps, though she may have already responded to Christina.
42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Josh.
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Diana Gabaldon's "The Fiery Cross".
44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one.
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Nothing.
46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Jonah's laughter, church bells, monks chanting.
47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Not a big fan of either but probably more so of the Beatles if I had to choose.
48. THE FURTHEST YOU BEEN FROM HOME? Vietnam.
49. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Accounting?
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? November 14, 1975, on Andrews Air Force Base, MD.
51. WHAT CONDITION ARE YOUR HANDS AND FEET IN? Hands are a bit dry from the constant washing after diaper changes; feet have unsightly bunyans.
52. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR? Diana Gabaldon.

Outbid

Well, we thought we had a pretty good shot after the seller countered our $520K w/ $10K back offer with $539K w/ nothing back , and we countered again with $530 w/ nothing back. We were meeting him halfway, and we were even willing to move the settlement up 30 days to the end of May rather than June, which would allow the guy to retire sooner (retirement was one of his key motivators to sell this house and move with his new and retired wife to Fredericksburg).

Then on Friday, another offer appeared offering the full $549K.

We thought we still had a shot, though, because the new offer was contingent on the potential buyer selling their current house. Our offer had no such contingency; we were willing to carry two mortgages for a few months if we needed to. In this market, it's rather risky to accept a contingent offer, especially if you're looking to sell within 60 days, since a lot of houses are tending towards being on the market for more than two months.

We were wrong. Our offer was not accepted. However, and this is almost insulting, the seller wanted to offer to have us be a contractually obligated backup just in case the accepted offer did not pan out and the buyer could nnot sell their house. This would mean, that while we're waiting on pins and needles to see if we might get the house, we could not in good faith go out looking at other properties. As if!

Oh, well. All things happen for a reason, and God knows what He's doing.