We Lost 10k, but it's okay!

A few months ago Paul and I did this Utah's Amazing Home Race where we raced all around Utah Valley in an Amazing Race type competition to try and win 10k towards the downpayment on our new house. Spoiler alert: we didn't win. In fact, we took 3rd-right behind a couple on a motorcycle (seriously) and the winning couple where the wife was 8 months pregnant. Not gonna lie, losing to a pregnant lady and her goofy husband took a little bit of wind out of my sail. I stewed for days over how they managed to beat us because I like to dwell on things that bother me, and losing ten thousand dollars really bothers me. Anyway, they were really nice and had 2 kids already and another on the way while living with their parents trying to scrape together the cash to afford a down payment (sounds familiar minus the 3rd kid thing). In observation, it seemed like Paul and I were the only people participating in the race that already had a house under contract (which miraculously closed 3 days later) so we didn't really lose anything except for the hypothetical ten thousand dollars which would have been nice to lay down at closing rather than what we had managed to cobble together. But I'm dwelling here so let's stay focused.

Hooray! We lost 10k! Shiny workout pants!

I saw her today, the wife, at the pediatrician's office of all places. She was there with her 2 kids and a fresh newborn in for a 2 week check-up. I was there with my brand new 4 year old for his well child visit (85% for weight, 50% for height, above average bike riding skills, a glowing specimen of boyhood). We chatted for a minute and she said that they had just barely put an offer in on a house in Spanish Fork which is where the husband's office is. She complimented my hair, and I told her she was a jerk for looking so thin after just having a baby, because I'm a charmer like that and hello personal pet peeve, and then we went our separate ways.

So later when I sat in the Chick-Fil-A while my kids went bonkers in the play land (it wasn't a political statement, I just really like the nuggets and complimentary valet Dr. Pepper refills), I did some deep thinking on that couple and came to the realization that we were very much the same. Even though some could argue that winning 10k was a lot more lucky than the chain of events that led to us getting our house - in the end it's sixes really. We only got our lovely little house thanks to a series of fortuitous events and lest I forget to mention, the good graces of our family and friends.

Luck is subjective, fate is not.

And here we all are, they about to get into their house and us happily settled (and still yard-less) in ours.

Things have a way of working out.



I still hate her for her post-baby body though and that's not going to change no matter how much pondering for the positive I do, so there. A giraffe cannot change its horns, or leopard spots, or whatever.