Daddy's Belt

Caleb L.O.V.E.S. Jes' belt and buckle from his childhood. He wears it all over.

The other day he found some shorts that had no belt loops...

so he improvised:

Instead of holding his pants up...

It's holding his shirt down!

Bwahahahaha

Taking it one day at a time...

Wrapping one's mind around the game that mortgage lenders play is super tough to do.

We have decided to start looking for another place to live, pack our home, and be ready just in case Wells Fargo actually is continuing to lie to us this time, and the miracle we pray for is not meant to be. We will rejoice greatly if we get to stay - but are going to follow the Boy Scout motto and "Be Prepared" - just in case. LOL

To document where we are at - I called W.F. again yesterday. They FINALLY have assigned our case to a processor - something they promised would take only 24 hours back on the 13th (yes... 2 weeks ago). We have called and harassed them over and over about it... but we got the same answer: There is nothing we can do until you have a processor assigned. HUH. Funny how they want our info and docs YESTERDAY, but can drag out something as simple as handing someone a file for 2 weeks!! That leaves us 2 weeks and 3 days until the Sheriff's sale date and the loss of our home. Nice.

So I asked if I could speak with our new processor. Nope. There is no number listed for this new person who holds our family's home in their hands - could you call back in 24 hours - that will give her time to review your file. Maybe they will have a contact # for her for you then. Really?? Are they going to give this new person a whole new phone line just because OUR file is now in their hands? *sigh* Right. Stall. Delay. Lies.

They want our house.

And really... why wouldn't they? Our second mortgage has charged off their portion. There is no value in the house for them because of the housing market. So W.F. (our 1st mortgage) now has a home that we owe about what it is worth. PLUS - they get their government kickback for "having to foreclose", they get a tax write off, they get the $20-30k in interest we have paid since we lived here, AND they get to sell our house. Duh. They have NO desire to help us keep our family's home. And they have set us up.

We have been trying to modify for over 2 years now, since the economy slowed and we were trying to keep afloat with our business JWD Electric. March of last year, they said we were approved, but needed to make "trial payments" for 3 months to prove we could handle the amount. We were completely faithful in paying those trial payments - for EIGHT months!! We would call and call and get no response. Then they would want our paperwork all over again because the dates were passed 30-60 days old. So we would send them again. Next they called Jes and asked for some obscure paper from our 2nd mortgage company. He explained it to me the following day... but I had no idea what they were talking about. I called. And called. And called. No return phone calls to clarify. So... near the last day I could send the paper they wanted, in desperation, I sent a copy of our 2nd Mortgage statement. We received a letter stating we did not return the correct paperwork in time and that we were now declined. I called up, rip roaring mad, and was told that really... we had not qualified because we were not behind on our payments. HELLO?? I asked for clarification, which they gave, saying, we were now declined for the last type of modification, but if we missed a payment we would qualify for another type. We could in no way catch up the $6k we were now behind (due to the trial payments that were less than our regular mortgage payment) - so we missed a payment to qualify for their next program.

The following month we received notice that in 7 weeks time (Jan '11) our home was going to be sold at auction. We were in foreclosure. Wells Fargo had taken our ONE missed payment, added it to the 8 months of trial payments, and counted us as 9 months behind! Wha...??? We fought and argued with them. They no longer would accept payments because we were in foreclosure.

I had a stroke the first part of December.

Our sale date was looming. W.F. kept telling us to not worry - they were still working out a modification for us. But we were leery. We checked into our options, between physical therapy sessions, and realized that if our home was sold at auction, we would have 3 days to get out, in the middle of January, a family of six, with my recovering from a stroke. We were SICK. We trusted. We waited. We prayed really hard.

2 days before the sale date, when they told us they had NO answers yet, but they "might" be able to stop the sale - we filed for bankruptcy. It froze the sale of our home. But it also cost us Jestin's business, his work truck, many of his tools, our family's camping trailer and our credit. Wells Fargo had given us no choice. We found out later that they STILL would not have had our modification done and we truly would have had to move in the middle of winter.

So we worked hard with them - gave them every paper they needed. Then Jes got a job.

We were informed they needed 3 pay stubs to be able to process a modification. (ugh) So... on May 3rd, when I had 3 stubs in my hot little hands, I faxed them to them. And I called and called and left messages. No responses. I wanted to be sure they had received them and that we were good to go. No answers.

On May 13th... Friday the 13th at about 2 pm... I received a knock at my door. It was our sweet mail lady. She had certified letters for me. Our home is slated to be sold on the June 14th. Officially 31 days away. To qualify for ANY options to stop the sale (other than being at the whim of them "possibly" processing our modification) we needed 30 days. Honestly - they gave us 30 days and 10 hours (3 hours if you go by business hours). And it was a Friday afternoon. They had tricked us. Again.

I called and yelled. (Imagine that though... now we have been served and painted into a corner I can get an answer on the phone??) I was told they "never got the pay stubs". When I called BS and told them I had a fax confirmation right  in my hand - suddenly he looked and sure enough! There they were! But now we would have to wait for our case to be re-opened and assigned to a processor. And as I mentioned previously... you can see how well that has gone over!!

SO. Where does that leave our little family? It leaves us looking out for OUR best interest and being prepared.

This week has been H.A.R.D. I can't even describe it.
I would rather have another heart surgery or a stroke... then take my family down this path.
But... here we are.
We will get through.
One tiny baby step at a time! :)

The whole house has been cleaned up and organized to take photos of each room. This little home of ours is full of great memories and I wanted to preserve them. The only rooms left to document are the upstairs hallway and the laundry room. Then I will post them on here.

I have packed 2 boxes. (I know... tons huh?) Now that I am done getting my photos taken of the house... I can start being serious about it. And maybe find the emotional ability to look for a rental as well. Wish us luck!!

And... if we happen to get to keep our house... I will get to "move into it" all over again! ;)

Inactive Realtor detests rental home shopping...

WOW. What a day. First and foremost... let me say with a HUGE "thankyou, I love you, you are da bomb" to Suzie!! She was so kind and took me to look at rentals today. (Can I just say how much I miss my car? ugh.) You rock Suz for spending your day driving me around! We are on the hunt!

But. Nothing good. There was one that is so-so, but tiny here in town. It was clean and they handled the story of our situation ok and seemed accepting. But there is NO storage. And it is squishy. And well.. I know I am spoiled because of my home now... but waaaaaa only one person could stand in the kitchen at one time! And there is NO where to put food storage!

The next home was one town over. It was a little bigger - unfinished basement we would have to immediately add a room onto - and a huge deck in the back with a great view. As we stood there talking, the train pulled by. The whole house shook and you couldn't talk over the whistle. It only lasted for about 2 min. The homeowner said it really doesn't bother them - ok - well maybe the one at 6 am does, but other than that it is just fine. : /

The rest of them were not great. One had so much cat dander/mold scent masked by paint and cleaning the carpet I wanted to barf. My throat burned, my nose itched. UGH.

I came home discouraged.

I want MY house.
I don't want to try and keep looking anymore.
I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE showing homes to clients.
Looking for myself? Not so much.
Add the ease of fatigue from my stroke and poor Suzie! By the time she got me back home I sounded like Eyore, felt like I wanted to bawl and sleep, and couldn't wait to stop talking and thinking about it.

I hope it gets better. I hope we can find the answer for our little family soon.
My heart and soul is tired today.
*sigh*
Tomorrow is another day....
right???

Update on us

So... we have not gotten our wireless Internet fixed so I can use the laptop and post pictures yet. And I am not sure how soon that will happen! But life is marching on at an incredible beat of the drum... so I thought I better post something to keep record of it all!


Biggest piece of news - is not so fun. We are loosing our home. Yep. Just like hundreds of others. Ours will be auctioned off on June 14th. The title company (not even the bank mind you!) sent us notice on the 13th of May. 31 days before the sale. In order to get any kind of help organized we need 30 days or we don't qualify. The 13th was FRIDAY the 13th, and we got our letters about 1:30-2pm... on a Friday. Nice. Convenient dontcha think?


We have done EVERYTHING they have ever asked us to do. EVER. We have met all their requests and jumped all their hoops - 5 times now we have started this modification process over again!! This last time, I sent in our documents 2 WEEKS before, calling and leaving messages the entire time! They didn't answer/return my calls until after the notice was served that our home was up for Sheriff's sale - when we can no longer do anything about it. I spent over an hour on the phone again today yelling/arguing/crying with Wells Fargo, to no avail. They told us they would have someone assigned to our case by last Monday. It's FRIDAY! They STILL have not!! And "there is nothing we can do Mam". We also can no longer short sale our home unless we get a buyer's offer by June 5th (2 weeks away??) and we cannot continue to work on a loan modification if we choose to try a short sale! And! by working towards still trying to modify we may, or may not, qualify for an extension of our sale date - which if we wait until that date we would have 24 hours to move our family of six if it sells.


All the uncertainty is maddening. And discouraging. And disheartening. I don't think, aside from being able to pay a lawyer big bucks to "maybe" help, we could have done anything else. The banks win. Our government has made it so they win. With our Fannie Mae loan, it is "insured" so they will get their $$ out of it, then they get the kick back from the government for having to foreclose, plus the tax write off, and then they get to sell my house!! And they get to walk away with the $25-30k we have paid them in interest since we lived here! DUH! OF COURSE THEY WANT MY  HOUSE!! Hello? It isn't rocket science!


Anywho... we are still "TRYING" for this modification crap - but I am packing too. Better to unpack later than have another stroke trying to move our little family out in 24 hours right??


The strange current of emotions one feels as your home you have worked so hard for is ripped from your life is very tough. I would almost rather have another stroke or heart surgery. It hurts. It is sorrowful. It is deflating. The feelings of failure, the feelings of being lost, the feeling of the unknown is just YUCK! But along with those emotions God has given us others as well...


Jes and I keep snuggling, and smiling, and loving on each other and our kids. WE are what matters. Not this place of bricks and beams. WE MATTER. We matter to each other. We matter to our families. We matter to our friends. We matter to God. So what if we don't matter to the bank? Have your stinkin' house Mr. Bank... we are "home" no matter where we go. *wink* So if anyone knows of a good rental - with no cat/mold history let us know... we are going to be needing something here right quick!! LOL


To add to the mix of crappy news we have had to wade through... Jes came home for lunch on Wednesday and asked  me to drive him back to work. A bearing in his front axle had seized. His truck was not drivable. Ah man! Really?? So I ran him back to work.


Honestly, I had needed to cry for DAYS - wandering around with a lump in my throat - so after I dropped him off, I pulled into the park parking lot and shed a few tears, and prayed, and told Father in Heaven that I didn't think I could take "one more thing!". Why I EVER do that to myself I will never know! (ha ha ha) I told him we need some guidance and answers, and we need it SOON. And that I was DONE.


I felt a little better - and though I was not super smiley the rest of that afternoon - I hacked it.


Later, I picked up Jes to have him drop me off at Cody's school so I could watch Cody's  play - so Jes could go get Caleb from school at the same time and take him to the house - so Jes could weld a part for his work with his welder - so he could come pick me back up at the school after the play- to have me take him back to his work - to go back to the school to pick the older kids up for the day - then back to Jes' work to pick him up once he installed the part... yeah... joyful. Fun!


So, that evening we started dinner, only to find we did not have any tomatoes. Not that it was THAT important... but it was hamburgers and we like tomatoes. Jestin offered to go to the store to get tomatoes.
Yea!
I didn't have to go out again. :)


He came home and was white as a sheet. He told me he would not tell me what was wrong until after dinner so I could enjoy my meal. Sweet of him - not!! I could NOT enjoy a meal knowing he was THAT upset!! hello?
So he tells me the dilemma...
He had come back out of the store to get in my car... and when he started it, it made this huge popping noise, rattling noise and ran terrible.         


My car has blown a spark plug into the head!!


He limped it home.
We were officially without a car.
We will be officially without a house.
Really??!?
*HUGE SIGH*
SEE???
THIS is what I get for murmuring!!
(LOL)


Jes took all day yesterday off... trying to get his ducks in a row for his plan of attack on the problem at hand (no cars) and decided to get to work on the truck. It was the cheaper and the "easier" to fix. It has been pouring rain and super cold for May - so it was NOT a fun day to be working on cars! He came in filthy, wet and COLD about 10:30 last night. BUT! He got the truck workable again. Yea!


My car is going to be a bear. He has to pull my whole engine to get to the spark plug's area. The car repair shop wouldn't do it because it was the furthest one in - and if they DID pull it the motor themselves they wanted $1400+++! Ouch. We are now trying to get the right tools gathered and Jes is studying it all out to tackle that project tomorrow and likely most of next week. Ugh.


We are SO blessed that Jes is smart/handy like this and can DO stuff like this! We are so blessed!! I won't deny it!


But... It has been A WEEK... let me tell you. But I will NOT say I can't handle "one more thing"... Bwahahaha... It is tough to get through when I say things like that! *wink* But *sigh* what a week!


So there is the basic update! We are swamped and drowning... but our little floating duck is still inflated... we are still hopeful to someday make it to the other side of this whirlpool. The key question isn't "if"... the key question is "when!"
*GRIN*

Buns - N - Theighs

OK... So I am totally mean (*chuckle*) but this still makes me just laugh out loud!

This is Caleb when he was little...

One day Jes quoted from that 90's show, where the two muscle builder's talk about "We are here to pump you up". He used their accent and said (kind of loud)

"Ya! Buns -n- Theighs!!"

Caleb's little body jumped and this darling pouty lip came out and he cried... 

Our kids thought it was SO funny! Caleb was a really good mannered little man... but if his Daddy did this quote - without out fail it would bring out the pouty lip and make him cry!

See aren't we mean?

But it was SOO stinkin' cute!!

*giggle*

Getting more and more behind...

Ok! I am just getting more and more behind! (tee hee) I have oodles of events and pics to post about, including Easter and beyond, but the laptop is the only computer I can download pics onto, and the internet is not working on that computer and well... it be jus' a mess! LOL

Things are going along ok. I think we have realized that the great relief of Jes finally having a job is not really coming. YES - we are thrilled to have health insurance. (of course of course!) but we aren't making ends meet with what he makes :( It's a little anti-climatic (if that makes any sense) after all we have walked through. Maybe we aren't done with this particular trial yet? Maybe there is more to come? Time will tell.

Today I have been particularly... troubled, I guess? A dear family in our ward, whom we have felt a special bond with, are loosing their home. We did a yard sale for them last weekend, and this week we are trying to get them packed for both a storage shed and living with family - their little family of 6. It is hauntingly real for me, and we are all really sad to see them have to move! Another instance of a big corrupt bank stringing a FAMILY along, with hopes up and down, and then dashing them on the rocks in favor of lining their pockets. The whole housing crisis is a SHAM. Pres. Obama's great "save the homeowners" hoopla has done nothing but given the big banks more money than they deserve. They have found so many loopholes it is not even funny! Families are suffering... while they get richer. Evil. Sad and Evil.

Anyway... enough of that... things really are pretty good! We are healthy. We are a family. We have the gospel. And that is what matters. The rest will work itself out.

I am just sad for this family.
Sad for our family.
It has been a tough week.

Jes is going to try and find someone to help us get our internet up on the laptop and then I will have posts like crazy... and lots happier sounding ones I am sure! *wink* Have a great evening all!

Fish Tank for Jes' Birthday

Jestin saw some fish at Walmart and he LOVED them!

We have not had our fish tank up and running for most of the year... I have been trying to sell it to make money. His excitement sparked the desire to nix that money making plan!

LOL

My sweet sister came down and we tackled the task of cleaning the tank all up. Jes was surprised!

Then for Family Home Evening we all went to pick out his fish.

 The kids wanted some cute fish too so we got these two little kissing fish. They named them Cosmo and Wanda.

And here is the fish that Jes wanted:

 Looks like an eel...

 Until it moves it's fins! Eeek!

 It's a "Dragon Fish"

LOL

It's a creepy little blind fish... but he sure keeps the kids interested!