As you can probably guess we’ve been busy!

We had a yard sale on Saturday which went great. I’ll do a write-up on it shortly.

In the meantime we’ve been packing up a storm… while St. Louis storms. It’s been thunderstorming all week. We did take a break yesterday to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary :)

Peter and I like to randomly wave our iPhones at each other with this countdown on it to remind each other how close we are getting. This application is called Big Day Lite. It’s free for the iPhone and iTouch, and you can customize the background picture to suit your countdown.

So we have been trying to figure out all the legalities of owning a scooter out in Portland, OR. So far it is my understanding that if it is above 35cc you have to get it insured and registered with the state. The problem is that since Janet and I will be living in a temporary house while looking for a permanent address, we wont really want to get a Oregon drivers license until we purchase our home. I talked with a scooter dealer out there and the dude said that he was still sporting a drivers license from California and all he needed to register his scooter in Oregon was a valid mailing address that proved he lived in the state.

I am wondering if anyone can confirm this. I am pretty certain on the 35cc issue (since that was right on Oregon’s State Website), but any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

Once we figure all this stuff out you will soon see me driving this beast in your fair city.

Yamaha Zuma 125

Lucy decided to help with packing. This is as far as she got however… I guess she figures there is a place for everything and everything in its place.

There is an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers through 2009. Recently the rules have been changed on FHA loans to allow the credit to apply to your home down-payment.

More details here.

There is fear that this is just another incentive for people that really can’t afford a home to get one anyway, but if used responsibly it’s a great incentive that just got sweeter. Note this is only applicable for FHA loans. Other loans will still qualify for the tax credit as it was before.

I wanted to share this article I read this morning by the New York Times: Frugal Portland. I’m getting used to reading articles about the charm of Portland, but this one talks about the affordability too and highlights some great options on things to do and places to eat if you’re on a budget.

We’re at 3 weeks from moving day. The POD is in front of our house… yet to be filled but we’re packing up a storm. We’ve scheduled a Yard Sale for May 23rd, so if you’re in the St. Louis area mark your calendar!

This week I made a lot of calls changing our address.. seven magazines, two catalogs, several bank/finance accounts, etc. Remember if you change your banking address you are also changing your billing address… something to consider when you make a lot of online purchases like I do, since your order won’t validate if that information isn’t correct.

One thing we’re trying to figure out now is drivers licenses in Oregon. We are bringing our (49cc) scooters with us. In Missouri, if the scooter is 49cc or under you don’t have to get it licensed or insured. However in Oregon you have to get it licensed and insured if it’s above 35cc. The thing is, we know where we’re staying when we get there is temporary. If we go and get drivers licenses the second we move to Portland, the address on it will be wrong within a few months. And if I call my insurance company to get insurance on the scooters, I’ll have to change the address for all our other lines of insurance… which, again, will have to be changed within a few months.

My preference would be to wait on all of that til we find our permanent home. But we want to ride our scooters when we get there… it’ll be perfect scooter weather. I wonder if there’s any way to avoid the hassle above and still get a license plate for the scooter. Like, can I get an Oregon scooter license plate without an Oregon drivers license? Anyway, that’s where we’re at on that.

Portland Tattoo © ohhh_yeah808