Latest Update
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December 25, 2003
Expedition House!
The three of us sat shoulder to
shoulder in the small cubicle. Brandon, myself and our real estate agent, Rob.
Directly across from us sat Herma the homeowner, and her real estate agent,
Sheila. Rob silently slid our offer across the table. Sheila peered through her
reading glasses at the paper before her. One manicured nail slid down the paper
as she read. With a slight shake of her head she silently guided the paper back
to Rob. I looked at Brandon, whose emotions were well hidden behind his calm,
cool exterior. We quickly formed a huddle. My homely urges screamed “I want this
house!” but my face gave away nothing. We raised the price $2500 and Rob pushed
the paper back to Sheila.
In September, when Brandon and I returned from Siberia we set a goal.
Admittedly, this was the loftiest goal we have ever set. Ride the Great Divide,
piece of cake; sea kayak the Sea of Cortez, vacation; paddle the largest lake in
the world—that was our honeymoon. In September 2003, riding the wave of
self-empowerment after a successful circumnavigation of Lake Baikal we
proclaimed ‘Expedition House!’ The goal: To be homeowners by Christmas.
To understand what a huge goal this truly would be, here is a little insight to
our first five years together. When Brandon and I met in 1998, we immediately
moved into an 8 x 12 shack for two years. From there, we house sat in the Bay
Area for two months, then moved into a rental with three other folks in Coloma
and slept in the living room for 6 months. It was there that we were inspired by
our roommate Scott to launch Canada to Cabo, and spent the next 6 months living
out of a tent on our bikes then kayaks. Returning from Cabo San Lucas,
completely broke, we moved into a tent on our friend Donna’s land. Driven out by
an especially rainy winter, we found a studio above a garage to rent just
outside of Coloma. That only lasted another 6 months, and then we were living in
our cars and traveling and racing around the world as much as we could. A few
weeks at a friend’s house before our wedding in 2002 followed by a winter in the
“Guide House,” a house lived in by river guides in the summer and rented out in
the winter, in Camp Lotus. A short 8 months there and it was off to Siberia for
three months. If that is not enough, immediately upon our return, we packed up a
U-haul and headed north, to Bellingham, Washington. Two months of house sitting
and another 6 weeks in a rental brought us here, to the small cubicle with our
real estate agent, with dreams of being homeowners.
Sheila reviewed the revised offer. She leaned over and whispered back and forth
with Herma. The 4 bed/2 bath home with a two car garage had just hit the market
two hours earlier that day. Brandon and I had rushed over with our agent to beat
the mob of investors we knew would soon follow. We did not plan to leave this
meeting without a signed offer in hand. Herma had to sell ASAP or would be
foreclosed upon. The home’s listing price revealed her desperation. Herma picked
up a pen sitting beside her and signed!
Today is Christmas Eve. We have a 12 inch potted Christmas tree surrounded by
presents and Christmas lights shining outside the house. Boxes and paint rollers
are strewn about the house and the garage is a jumble of boats, bikes, tools,
and furniture…but tomorrow is Christmas and Expedition House is a Huge success!
Merry Christmas All!
Love,
Brandon, Heather and Chili
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