Well, we bit the bullet and went to visit spouse's parents to ask for a loan. It was bittersweet. Their daughter has always been the "golden child". Straight's A's, valedictorian high school, college...just a blow in the gut for her mom, in particular. Just a whole lot of disappointment and sadness.

They agreed to loan us 1/2 of what we need. We're not complaining. We're grateful, very grateful that they can help. We know we have to ask other members of our families. My parent's died years ago and I have 2 sisters who I hope can help us...but who knows? It's all very humbling.

When we got behind on the mortgage we applied for and failed the Home Modification Loan with the government. We've managed to turn a few things around, and will try again. It would help us so much if we could get it.

We refinanced our house 10 years ago for a better rate at a 15 year mortgage. The plan was to have it paid off in less than 5 years from now. *sigh* We have a lot of equity and we don't want to lose the house and we really don't want to have to sell it in a depressed market.

The economy and job losses have taken a huge toll on us (and many others). Time will tell what happens next. Thank you for listening.