Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sheesh, Natalie needs to write on this thing more!

Well, life in Carrollton has been fine and dandy. We are all settled into daily routines and such, we made a friend in our apartment complex (how fun!, you say), my job schedule is perfect, Natalie only has to drive 10 minutes a day (as opposed to 90+), little Maeby is being allowed to stay out of here crate for 5+ hours at a time and she's almost not peeing anywhere, except for those couple little neon green surprise spots she left us yesterday.

So, things are going well. God is sovereign and we don't have much to worry about.

I think we have probably found a church-- Providence Presbyterian Church. It seems like a very good church. It's a 3-year-old plant church from Park Cities Presbyterian, like New St. Peters is. We'll see how it goes. :)

My job is amazing. I know I've said that about all of my jobs, but this one is really really great. The company is growing and after a year of doing business, we're close to breaking even, which I've heard is great for start-ups. It's like working at UNT, but on crack. More to do, more to learn, more to earn. I was very hesitant to take the job when it was first offered to me, but I definitely am glad I did.

We are saving up to buy a house now that we'd paid off all of our debts. Here's my plan for getting the house: 1) Save up a significant down payment until 2) We are able to make minimum mortgage payments that are less than our current rent then 3) continue the rate of saving, but put the extra cash toward payment of the principle of the mortgage.

So here's a little breakdown of that: If we were to buy a house for $140,000, which is a pretty stinking nice house in the Dallas area and at the high end of what I'm willing to spend for a house at their current values and considering Natalie's great credit score (we would probably leave my name off since I have next to no credit), we would aim for a down payment of $63,000 or 45%. Assuming a 5.8% rate, that would make our monthly payment ~$650. Having paid $25,000 and a year of tuition while I was still working my student job, I think we could reach this goal within 2 years, and probably surpass it.

So, why not get a full mortgage or only make a 20% down payment like everybody else? I could definitely put that money in a mutual fund and make an 11% return long-term and just eat the mortgage payments. But I've seen what monthly interest payments can do. The lenders want you to be stuck with them for 30 years. Heck, our student loans got to the point where they didn't want another payment from us until 2016-- they want you to only pay the minimum because that's how they make the money.

Thanks mom, for the inspiration to save up cash for a house. As long as I can remember, she told us to work for a couple of years after getting married and save save save. What an incredible idea. That's what I'm doing now. :)

Okay, phew. Sorry for all of the finance talk, that's just what I focused on when I graduated, so I've become a little obsessed. Here are some other things I want to learn:

1. Get a firm grasp on the concept of the Covenant of Grace. Be able to explain paedobaptism to Natalie, because she sure doesn't want our babies being sprinkled right now. I read a book on reformed theology, just a big overview, and it was really good... there's just so much to it and the concepts are very new to me.
2. Understand myself a little better. I've been feelling a little introverted lately, slightly overwhelmed in certain social situations, which is very unfamiliar to me.
3. Learn about the history of capitialism, consumerism. Any suggestions here? I've only heard of a book called "Jobs, Machines, and Capitialism" but I'm not sure of the content.
4. Learn how to troubleshoot/debug software. I'm getting much better at troubleshooting problems on computers, but there's always room to grow here. I'm such a nerd.
5. More job-related: Learn how a doctor's office works, from when a patient walks in the door to when the check comes from the insurance company. Maybe I could find some office manager training material.
6. More job-related: Learn about routers, learn how to do a CAT5 cable drop from start to finish, learn more about VBScript (sweet language, incredibly useful).

That's all. Thanks for reading

Oh, P.S...

My new favorite song:

(ruff ruff ruff ruff)
Dog Police! where are you coming from
Dog Police! nobody knows who you are
(ruff ruff ruff ruff)

Jumped in my car last Saturday night
Had a blind date she was out of sight
She was a chick from the canine scene
Her hair was blue, her teeth were green

Drove down to the Lone Star Bar
Scratched her flea as I parked the car
As the place was full of punks and minks
Got a little table and a couple of drinks

Went to the bathroom and combed my hair
Left my baby at the table there
Looked in the mirror and I wiped my nose
And when I came back, what do you suppose?

The boys in blue had my baby on the floor
They were asking her if she wanted some more
They pulled out a net, they pulled out a leash
They said they were the...

(ruff ruff ruff ruff)
Dog Police! (Bow Wow)where are you coming from
Dog Police! nobody knows who you are
(ruff ruff ruff ruff)
Dog Police! (Bow Wow)where are you coming from
Dog Police! nobody knows who you are
(ruff ruff ruff ruff)
(awooooo)

I guess I should have noticed that box of filled bones
She sniffed the cups in my stereo phone
She barked so much she was on fire
She wented outside and whizzed on my tire

Havin’ those puppies was a little insane
But boy she loved that gravy train
Next time you’re out with a real strange beast
Make sure she’s not wanted by the....

(ruff ruff ruff ruff)
Dog Police! (Bow Wow)where are you coming from
Dog Police! nobody knows who you are
(ruff ruff ruff ruff)
Dog Police! (Bow Wow)where are you coming from
Dog Police! nobody knows who you are
(ruff ruff ruff ruff)