There has been a red Chevy Corsica parked next to our car in our apartment parking lot for about 2 months. We haven’t seen it move for at least a month now. It’s there when we leave in the morning and there when we get home. We know that the person who owns it doesn’t actually live in the apartment building because when they first started parking in our parking lot, they actually parked in our spot. We left a note on their car and they moved–one spot over.

Well, when we bought the Pathfinder, we signed up for an extra parking spot. And guess which one they assigned to us? The one that the red car was parked in. Since it had worked before, we put a note on the car and waited for the owner to move. A week went by and still the car had not been moved. Our note was tattered and wrinkled from the snow that had fallen.

Finally, we decided that we had to have the car towed. There was no other way. So Travis called Coronado and told them about the car. Their response? “Yeah, the owner probably thinks that it’s no one’s spot. You have to call the towing company yourself.” Okay…it’s not like your the owner of the property or anything.

So yesterday we left work a little early to avoid the snow because we forgot to check the weather and drove the Focus. Whoops. As we pulled into the parking lot of our apartment, we gave our usual solemn, longing glance at our Pathfinder, parked way down in no man’s land for the time being. But this time, something caught our eyes. Something bright orange pasted onto the driver’s side window. We drove over and I got out to see what it was. A towing warning!

It was one thing that we couldn’t park in the parking space we were paying for and that Coronado refused to call the tow truck. But here they were, threatening to tow us! The nerve of some people! If I didn’t care about obeying social decency rules (and if the apartment office were open at different hours than the exact same ones I work), I would walk over to the leasing office and give them a piece of my mind.

But alas, the tow truck came and towed away that little red Corsica and we claimed spot 140 as its rightful owners. Now, instead of being scared that our new car is going to get towed, we’re just scared that it’s going to get keyed.

Travis and I got our new Pathfinder today. We went to work around 7, then left at 9:30 to drive down to Colorado Springs, where the seller lives. We got to usbank around 11:00 and quickly found out that the bank had just been expecting that we would sign the papers and leave–no check cut, nothing. WHAT!?!? We drove all the way down to Colorado Springs for the specific purpose of getting the car and then we can’t get a check cut?

Turns out it was the banker in Boulder’s fault. He didn’t communicate enough and didn’t fax over the paperwork that was needed to complete the transaction. So the people at the Colorado Springs usbank had to pretty much start from scratch on our loan. We were at usbank for about 1 1/2 hours and the loan we took out is a 4-year loan, not 5 like we had been hoping for. So our monthly payment is a little more than ideal. What should’ve been a very easy process was a long and complicated one. And we felt bad because the seller, his wife, and their 3-month-old daughter were there waiting too! But we got everything squared away and now we have a second car! Oh the possibilities that have been opened…

I got back to work around 2:10 and went straight into a meeting with my boss. Whereas before I had been really looking for work to do (and not finding much), the workload has finally picked back up. Yay! I finally left at 6:10 to go home–it was weird going home without Travis, something that will happen more often, now that we have 2 cars.

Travis and I also talked a little more about the whole housing situation. We are thinking about continuing to move forward with the house hunt. While it would be nice to have more money for a down payment, we realized that we would be spending $9,600 (conservatively) on rent for a year and have nothing to show for it. So spending an extra $15,000 on interest because of a smaller down payment probably isn’t that big of a deal. The thing that will make or break our buying a house, however, is if we can really afford it month to month. With a house comes more costs–not only is a mortgage payment more than rent but you also have utilities and all that jazz.

I’m not sure what will happen but it’s exciting to think of the possibilities!

Travis called about 1 hour ago and said that we did get approved for the car loan! YAY! Prayer definitely paid off. We are going to drive down to Colorado Springs tomorrow morning around 10:00 to go to the bank and do what we gotta do. I’m so happy that we’re going to have 2 cars at this time tomorrow!

I know that God is sovereign and good. He is able and willing to provide for His children and He does provide. So I’m trying to not be too upset.

But Travis and I balanced our budget the other night, refiguring how much money we need for all of our different categories so that we can start putting $500 in savings every month for buying a house. As we looked at the budget, we started to realize that maybe buying a house this spring/summer isn’t possible for us. Well, it’s possible if we don’t want to put much or any down and we want a higher interest rate on our mortgage (turns out my credit might not be so hot because of stupid mistakes I made in college). We might just have to move into another apartment in Arvada/Wheat Ridge. At least that way, we would be closer to work and our friends, even if it’s still not a permanent residence.

Adding insult to injury, Travis found out this morning that our car loan was denied. “What?!?!?” I said. The guy at the bank did NOT say that this happening was even a possibility. He said that we had been approved for ”x” at y% for a 2000 or older and approved for “z” at q% for a 2001 or newer. We were buying a 2001 so we thought we were good to go. Nope! I guess the bank sends some paperwork to someone else saying “We’re going to give these people this much money. Okay?” To which those people said, “NOT okay!” Travis said that the guy at the bank resubmitted the loan request, trying to appeal the denial. We find out this afternoon what happens.

God is sovereign and if He wants us to get this car, we will get it–of that I am sure. And if we don’t get the car, I have to trust that God knows what He is doing by not letting us have a car. He’s working something out and it is positively for our good and joy in Him. It just makes me a little frustrated at myself because I’M the reason why we’re having this trouble. I paid my car loan late just one time but it’s still a “discrepancy” in the eyes of the lenders. And since the car we want to buy is “borderline,” meaning it is right on the cutoff between the loan rates and amounts, the lenders denied it.

I’m praying every minute that God is delighting to give us the Pathfinder… it would be so amazing to have 2 cars again!

We looked at a car this morning at 7:15. It is a 2001 silver Nissan Pathfinder with 80,000 miles. Travis found out about the SUV on craig’s list. The owner, Bill (we think), lives in Colorado Springs but was in Boulder for an audit (he’s a CPA). We looked at the car and engine–looked great. We drove it around–drove great. We took it to a mechanic to get checked out–it checked out. So we’re going to buy it! We’re so excited!

The bank wasn’t open this morning (usbank doesn’t open until 9:00 AM–grrrr…) so we’re hopefully going to finalize the sale with the bank this weekend. We gave Bill $100 in cash as a “We’re really going to buy this” promise so that he would hold the vehicle. Travis and I had been planning on going skiing at Keystone on Saturday but we may either have to leave later in the day or go on Sunday instead. I vote for going later on Saturday but we’ll see how it works out.

Praise the Lord for His faithfulness! We prayed for a quick deal and He delivered!

Here’s a picture of our (almost) new ride:

So yesterday, I was almost convinced that I was pregnant. I have been having major mood swings, craving comfort food, my period hadn’t come when it was supposed to, and I got a major cold sore on my lip. But then I did get Aunt Flo so it turns out that I’m just an emotional and hormonal wreck who loves to eat! How ’bout that?

The thought of me being pregnant was really exciting though and I’m kind of sad that it’s not real. It’s so weird that I am so anxious to have a baby. Before I became a Christian in college, I wasn’t sure I even wanted kids at all. After I became a Christian, I knew that I definitely wanted kids but not until I was in my late 20s. Then I got married and thought maybe after 5 years or so, kids would be a possibility. Now here I am, married for 8 months, and I want a baby NOW!

But the thing keeping me from talking to Travis about the real possibility of having kids right now is that it just isn’t practical at this point. We are hopefully buying a second car this week and then a house this summer. Travis is still planning on going back to grad school in the fall and I just found out yesterday that I owe my parents $8,000 that I borrowed from them while I was in college. Add to that, I want to be a stay-at-home mom after having kids. So financially, a baby right now would really throw us for a loop.

That’s not to say, though, that if God were to make me pregnant by His sovereign will, I wouldn’t be completely estatic…

Lots of stuff in the works in the Kluthe household–buying a second car and buying a house. We spent almost all day last Saturday looking at cars. It was fun and exciting for a few hours but then around 5:00, I hit a wall and just wanted to go home. I am the kind of person who looks until I find something I like that I think is a good deal. Then I just go for it. Travis, on the other hand, is the kind of person who wants to research and inspect every little detail. I was in a bratty mood for a while when we were car shopping but finally, it was over! We’ve narrowed it down to about 2 cars but Travis is making the call. I’m pretty indifferent to which one we get–he can decide as long as I don’t have to go shopping for them again!

We’re also wanting to buy a house. For it to work, we have to have one lined up by the beginning of June because our apartment lease ends August 6 and we have to give 60 days notice about what we plan on doing. I’ve found some cute houses online but you can only tell so much from 2-D pictures! I’m anxious to contact a realtor and get out there and see some properties! But that is another thing Travis and I differ on–he’s not sure about getting a realtor. I am reminding myself daily that God is in charge and He has the perfect house and timing already chosen. I am called to lift my requests up to Him and trust Him and the peace of Christ will guard my heart from having an emotional meltdown. I really like our apartment in Boulder. But it’s small and so far away from work and everyone we know! AND I am very excited to decorate our first house (and be able to enjoy it for more than a year at a time!)

Marriage is hard lately. I’ve been in a weird, cold, heartless funk. A lot of times I feel so indifferent toward Travis. I condemn myself for not feeling the way a newlywed is “supposed” to feel: giddy and in love. All I feel is reality–my life. It’s not floating in the clouds, everything’s coming up roses. It’s messy, chaotic, and busy. I started teaching English to a woman named Alma and we meet twice a week at her house in Erie. That has stretched the whole one-car thing to a new limit. We are more anxious than ever to get another car. I’m a little sad to get another car because it means less time that Travis and I will get to spend together. But it also means that we get some time apart, which I think will strengthen our marriage. You know the saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I take Travis for granted a lot because I hardly ever experience his not being right next to me. It will be good to have some space so that we can appreciate our togetherness more.

Another weird thing: I woke up this morning with a huge cold blister thingy on my lip. It completely developed overnight–what the heck? It’s more annoying than anything…