Moving In: the new house

Sorry about the long break. We just got Internet set up Friday. We're now officially moved in to the new house. We closed on the condo on Friday the 19th and rented it back from the buyer for a week. We closed on the house on the 24th and did our big move Saturday the 27th. Thanks to all you who helped! It was done in no time.

It's kind of strange to think of this as a permanent home after living in the condo since February 2000. We were also lucky to move just in time for the economy to worsen. Everything came together in the end, so hopefully this is where we're meant to be, and we can be here a long time. We got our agent and mortgage through USAA. I'm so glad to be free of Countrywide. We got a 5.25% interest rate, but we couldn't avoid paying that dumb monthly mortgage insurance. You now have to have 80% down on a house to avoid that.

The house is really cute and roomy but not totally huge. We have a large master bedroom with a walk-in closet upstairs. Near that is a bedroom that we've commandeered for an office. Downstairs is a spacious laundry room, family room, bathroom, and girls' bedroom. They are using the bunk bed. Downstairs again, in the bowels of the house, is the boys' room. It's pretty big, too. Deven is sleeping on the toddler bed mattress until we buy him a proper bed.

We're discovering all its little quirks and getting things set up. Like the master bedroom light/ceiling fan has a remote control. I've never seen such a thing. Also, the shower pipes squeal loudly at full pressure, and we're an even house on the odd side of the street.

We bought a whole bunch of shelves to improve the storage capacity. We had to buy a new washer and dryer (which are totally cool, by the way), but all the other appliances were included. We had issues with the dishwasher at first. The disposal had gotten replaced just before we moved in, and the installer put a plug in the dishwasher.

Then we discovered we didn't have a mail key. (There's a group of mailboxes together for the houses across the street.) So for a week we had to either accost the mailman when he came or just wait for the key to get made.

Then we learned that DSL is not available out here, so we went with cable Internet. But the cable system around the house needed (still needs) some repairs, so that wasn't set up until Friday. It also meant we didn't get any TV at all since we don't actually own a TV antenna. As a journalist, I felt totally cut off from the outside world.

I can also tell you that we were immediately flooded with telemarketing calls from the minute we moved in, so I advise you, if you're moving, to get your new phone number early and register it at donotcall.gov right away.

The church is very close, and we walked there on our first day. But today it snowed, so we drove. Everyone seems quite nice. There seem to be a lot of other new people, too, plus a good proportion of Polynesians (which makes me feel more at home). It is weird to not have any callings at the moment.

The school is a mile away, so I drive Deven and Jaelyn there. It's a year-round school, which is kind of weird. My kids started on a day when their track just resumed from a three-week break. Then they have the week of Thanksgiving off all the way through New Year's.