Altivo and Tulio

I realized after my last post I haven't posted any pics of the pups yet, so here they are! Altivo is the black one and Tulio is the brown one. They're 4 1//2 months old in this pic.

Alot of NEW can be exhausting!

So we officially closed on our first home August 18th! It was such an exciting day. Malone and I have been living in one bedroom apartments for two years, and now we have a three bedroom house! I never thought it was possible for people in our circumstances to have the opportunity to own a beautiful home like ours. I have felt so overwhelmingly grateful and blessed. It makes me want to do everything possible to continue receiving such wonderful blessings. We were also lucky to have family around that could help us move in! That helped out TREMENDOUSLY! Within two hours, we were moved in thanks to all those helping hands. Thanks guys!

Since Malone and I knew we'd be closing, we have been searching for a little someone to be in our family... a new puppy!! We had decided on getting a certain breed, Miniature Pinschers, for sometime. The other day I just so happened to stumble across a woman who was selling some pups for a really great price right here in Rigby! Malone and I went over there, and I instantly fell in love! They were 41/2 months old, which were a little older than we had wanted... but they were so sweet. I couldn't choose between two of them, and then the woman gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. Two for the price of one! Without thinking, I said YES. We brought home two boys, Altivo and Tulio. We got the names from the movie The Road to El Dorado... lol.

Now that it's been about a week, I've been reminded of how much work puppies are. I have to keep a constant eye on them so they won't mess on the floor, or chew on something they shouldn't, or keep them off the furniture, etc. It's been hard getting any unpacking done because I'm so stressed about them making doo doo on my brand new carpet... I'm starting to wish I had thought this through more before we got them. But, then again, they have their sweet sides too. When they are ready to relax, they are great cuddlers. Not to mention, they tend to do the funniest things. They like to sneak up and attack each other, like a pouncing cat. Pretty entertaining. I just hope that they'll calm down eventually. I worry that we may have taken on too much all at once, and we'll end up having to give one of the boys up. I'm not sure how happy they'll be once school starts and Malone and I are busy with our schedules again. We won't have as much time at home with them. **sigh**

It's been a stressful week to say the least. First the dogs, then moving, then trying to settle in the house with dogs. But I did get to celebrate my 24th birthday Thursday! After work, my mom took me shopping and out to lunch. She got me some much needed shoes and some school clothes. That night Malone had to work and I didn't want to party without him, so we planned on a real party for Sunday when my brother and his family could come also. So that night my sister Ashley made me some delicious blueberry cheesecake ( my favorite!) and we played Settlers of Cataan. Malone was able to get off early which was a nice surprise. Sunday everyone got together and we played games and had steak and funeral potatoes ( also my favorite) with some delicious banana cake (yum

We're getting a HOUSE!!!!!

It's true! We close on the 18th (Wednesday). Malone and I have been looking into getting a house for about 2 months now. We've been throwing away thousands of dollars a year in rent and we just couldn't help but wonder if there was a better alternative... turns out, there is! We were able to talk to a broker and a lender and we were able to get an affordable loan on a brand new townhouse! We got a loan through USDA. It's a subsidized rural development loan. So basically, our payements are dependant upon our income. Since we have a lower income, we were approved for a $157,000 loan. We found a townhouse in Rexburg and got a great deal for $143000. The government helps pay our mortgage, so we only have to pay $518 a month! That's lower than RENT! We have to pay an HOA, which bumps payments up to almost $600, but still, that's a good deal. Our interest rate is a fixed rate at 4.6%, which is a great deal. Long story short, we are closing on this townhouse on Wednesday and we're completely stoked!! It's a brand new home 3 bedroom 2.5 baths, 13,800 sq feet, and includes an attached garage, stainless steel appliances, knotty alder cabinets, tiled bathrooms, tiled kitchen floor, walk-in closet, master bath with double sinks, a laundry room, and more! With the purchase of the townhouse, we also receive a free flat screen TV!

I never thought it'd be possible for a young married couple like us to have such a great opportunity to have a beautiful place of our own so early on in our marriage. I feel so blessed! Malone and I are planning on having some kind of party once we're all moved in...since we'll have ROOM to invite people over now!