Life Changes: Marriage (Questions To Ask Before)

Getting Married in Southern Utah: Topics and Questions That Should Be Discussed Before Marriage

Marriage is the most life changing commitment I have ever made. I went into it full of love and adoration and for the most part unbelievably blind. Fortunately, things have worked out for us, but I can’t help but believe that things may have been a little less rocky along the way if my eyes had been a little more open to what my “I Do” was tying me to.

It doesn't matter if you are getting married here in St. George, Utah or Lexington, Tennessee, there are some topics of discussion that may help you see more clearly what to expect from each other and the future. I don’t believe your answers to these questions have to match. I do believe that it can give you insight to where compromise might be necessary, and there is the chance that you may find some non-negotiable points and figure out how to deal with them before the lifelong commitment has been made.

Use these suggestions as points of discussion and use the knowledge you gain to make wise decisions.

FINANCES:

• Do you have outstanding debt? What is our plan to get rid of it?
• Do you budget?
• What are your savings habits? Do you have a plan for retirement saving?
• Do you always pay off your credit card? When is it okay to go into debt?
• Is maintaining health insurance important to you?
• Do you believe in donating to charities?

FAMILY:

• Do you want children? How many?
• How do you see our interaction with extended family? Will we spend holidays with extended family? 
• Was your family close when you were growing up?
• What is your vision of a successful family?

GENDER ROLE EXPECTATIONS:

• Do you both plan on having careers?
• Are you both responsible for household chores? Who cooks? Who cleans toilets? Who does the laundry? Who maintains the cars? (These don’t have to necessarily be decided but it is useful to know if there are certain expectations.)
• If you both work, what are the thoughts on child care? If a child is sick, who misses work?

RELIGION:

• Is religion important to you? How important is it?
• Will your children be raised within a particular religion?

INTIMACY:

• Do you believe in monogamy?
• Do you have limits that you are unwilling to explore beyond?
• What boundaries should exist in relationships with people/friends of the opposite sex?
• What about birth control? Types?

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS:

• Where do you see yourself living? Whose home/apartment will we moving into?
• Is there a particular location that is important to you to live?
• Do you plan on buying a house? What type of house do you envision buying?
• What happens if one of your jobs requires a move?

Good luck in your decisions and planning! Marriage is a great thing and the more you can do to plan for a solid start, the more enjoyable your marriage can be.

My team and I are ready to help you with your real estate needs. Let us know what we can do to help.

Call Chris at 435-313-3966

Or visit www.whystgeorge.com

Southern Utah: October Events

Oct 2-4: St. George Musical Theatre, The Sound of Music, $16-$20, 7:30 pm, St. George Opera House

Oct 2: Celebrity Concert Series: Utah Symphony Orchestra, DSU Cox Theatre, 7:30 pm, $15-$20

Oct 4: St. George Marathon, runners come in to Vernon Worthen Park starting about 8:30 am

Oct 4: Farmer’s Market at Ancestor Square, 8am to 12pm

Oct 4: Tuachan Saturday Market at Tuacahn, 9am to 1pm, FREE

Oct 4: Cars and coffee, 9am – 11am, Perks on Sunset (1515 W Sunset Blvd)

Oct 6-18: Huntsman World Senior Games

Oct 7: DSU Forum lecture, Annie Henrie: Fine Art Painting, FREE, 12:00-1:00pm, Dunford Auditorium

Oct 8: Fundraiser: Family Support Center, Courtyard by Marriott, 7-9 pm

Oct 9: Fundraiser: Steps of Hope Walk, 5:30-7:30 pm, St. George Town Square

Oct 10: Mad Hatter Party, DeFiore Center, 6-9 pm, All ages, FREE

Oct 10-12: Art Festival, Kayenta, FREE, Coyote Gulch Art Village, 10am-5pm

Oct 11: Dead or Alive Fun Run, Washington City, 8:30 am, Wash. Communty Center

Oct 11: Farmer’s Market at Ancestor Square, 8am to 12pm

Oct 11: Tuachan Saturday Market at Tuacahn, 9am to 1pm, FREE

Oct 17: Celebrity Concert Series: Dallas Brass, DSU Cox Theatre, 7:30 pm, $15-$20

Oct 18: Triathalon, Trick or Tri, Sandhollow Aquatics Center,

Oct 18: Farmer’s Market at Ancestor Square, 8am to 12pm

Oct 18: Tuachan Saturday Market at Tuacahn, 9am to 1pm, FREE

Oct 21: DSU Forum lecture, Dr. Lincoln Nadauld: Cutting Edge Cancer Research: A Report from Stanford University, FREE, 12:00-1:00pm, Dunford Auditorium

Oct 23-25, 27, 30-31:  St. George Musical Theatre, The Odd Couple, $16-$20, 7:30 pm, St. George Opera House

Oct 24-25: Spooky Town Fair, St. George Town Square, Fri. 12-7 pm, Sat. 10am-5pm

Oct 24-25: What Women Want, 10am-8pm, Dixie Center, $5

Oct 25: Save a Sister, 5k/10k run, Dixie Convention Center, 9 am

Oct 25: Farmer’s Market at Ancestor Square, 8am to 12pm

Oct 25: Tuachan Saturday Market at Tuacahn, 9am to 1pm, FREE

Oct 28: DSU Forum lecture, Kathleen Herndon, Islamic New Year and Muslim Journeys, FREE, 12:00-1:00pm, Dunford Auditorium

In addition to the events, don’t forget these theatre events:

Tuacahn: Joseph and the Amazing Techinicolor Dreamcoat, Little Mermaid, The Wizard of Oz, M-Sa closing nights on the 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th. Thriller Oct 24-Nov 1.

Enjoy living in Southern Utah. For all of your Real Estate Needs 

Call Chris at 435-313-3966

or Visit www.whystgeorge.com

DIXIE ROCKS! Pioneer Park, St. George, Utah

 Romping on Red Rocks: Pioneer Park, St. George

Hours—in fact, hundreds of hours—we've spent romping over the red DIXE rocks on the north side of St. George City. The rocks that are home to the sugarloaf or better known as the rock with DIXIE painted on it provide all sorts of places for climbing and exploring. 

Our kids love to squeeze down the little “slot canyon” that we call ‘the Narrows’, not to be confused, of course, with Zion Canyon’s Narrows.  (It’s really just a deep crack in the rock. I don’t think it qualifies as a canyon.) We also see often see rock climbers practicing their skills, scaling walls small and tall.

Three of our favorite places to explore are the Narrows, the Scout Cave, and the Sugarloaf, but most of the time it isn’t about the destination but simply going up, over, around and in all of the rocks and caves and taking time to just explore. I don’t know if the names are official, but our kids love to crawl up ‘Cat’s Eye’ and ‘Devil’s eye’, two little caves off of the Narrows that lead you to the top of the rock. You may hike around for 20 minutes or spend a couple of hours there. It is a great place to get out of the house and enjoy our wonderful desert.

Pioneer Park has some picnic tables and one pavillion, but for the most part this is more of a rustic park. No playground or grass. Some trails are designated but mostly, you simply explore and find what the rocks have to offer.

To Get There: From St. George Boulevard turn north on 200 East. Drive to the very top. You can park at Dixie rock or turn right and go to the parking lot and trails further east. (That is where you want to park to be closer to the Narrows and Scout Cave.)

Living in St. George, most of us see DIXIE rock every day. It is a great place to live.

Let us help you find the perfect home here in Utah’s Dixie.

Call Chris at 435-313-3966

Or Visit www.whystgeorge.com

http://www.trekaroo.com/activities/pioneer-park-saint-george-utah

http://www.yelp.com/biz/pioneer-park-st-george

The Grand Staircase Geology

Did you know that Bryce Canyon is geologically part of the Grand Staircase—the same staircase that is part of the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument? Until recently, I didn't realize how all three of our National Parks, Bryce Canyon, Zion Park, and the Grand Canyon are connected and relate to the the Grand Staircase National Monument.

The basic explanation is that Bryce Canyon is at the top of the staircase. Its floor is about the same strata as the top of Zion Canyon. Zion Canyon’s floor is about the strata of the rim of the Grand Canyon making a set of giant geological steps.

More specifically, the steps are defined by the age and color of the rocks. When you visit these canyons, take particular note of the color of the cliffs. The youngest rocks (which are the uppermost rocks ie. Bryce Canyon) are the Pink Cliffs then the Grey Cliffs, White Cliffs, Vermillion Cliffs, and Chocolate Cliffs. One of the fascinating parts of going to the canyons is that you see more than one layer at a time just like someone took a big slice out of a cake.

There are great resources on the web with more technical and specific information about the Grand staircase geology. (see below) I find the pictures and diagrams fascinating. For instance, look at the first figure. Locate Zion Canyon and then notice how it cuts down through several strata reaching down almost to the rim layer of the Grand Canyon. (Click here for a larger image.)

This second figure is a little more basic but still interesting and emphasizes a little bit more the geologic relationship between Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks.

And finally the photo taken at the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument that shows the different steps. 

Take a day trip. Visit Zion (or one of the other parks) look at the different colors of rock formations and know that they represent thousands and thousands of years in the diffence of their ages. I’m so grateful to live in such an awe inspiring area. Click around on some of these links and learn the nitty gritty of the earth around us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Zion_and_Kolob_canyons_area

http://www.utah.com/nationalsites/grand_staircase.htm

http://www.utah.com/nationalsites/grand_staircase.htm

Let us help you find a home in this beautiful area.

Call Chris at 435-313-3966

Or Visit www.whystgeorge.com

Unique Neighborhoods: Grassy Meadows Sky Park

Southern Utah's Private Airpark Community

When most of us talk about a roomy garage, we’re talking about maybe a three car garage large enough to house an SUV and the various toys that we amass that call our garage home. The “garages” at Grassy Meadows, however, use an entirely different scale.

Located just south of Hurricane, Utah, Grassy Meadows Sky Ranch is a planned residential community built so that each custom home has direct access to the private airstrip. Airplanes are housed in personal hangars next to the homes and the “regular” garages.  The homes are built on 1-3 acre lots surrounding the 4450 foot airstrip.

Grassy meadows is a friendly community made up of a diverse group of people consisting of children, retirees and all ages in between. To the south of the community is wide open desert governed by the BLM—plenty of room to explore on foot, ATV, or horseback.

Despite its quiet, isolated feel, it is only a few minutes from downtown Hurricane and 20 minutes from St. George. It is definitely a community to check out.

My team and I are ready to assist you with any of your Southern Utah real estate needs.

Call Chris at 435-313-3966

Or visit www.whystgeorge.com

Life Changes: Divorce (Child Custody)

Getting Divorced in Utah: How is Child Custody Determined?

Determining child custody is one of the most critical decisions and complicated decisions that spouses will be faced with in a divorce. In Utah, child custody can be determined as part of a divorce hearing or it can be addressed in a separate hearing.

Basically, there are two issues to be addressed: Legal Custody and Physical Custody. Legal Custody determines who will make major decisions (medical care decisions, education, etc.) on behalf of a child. Physical Custody addresses where a child will live. There are a number of combinations that can be considered by the parents and the court.

• Sole legal and Sole physical custody: One parent has both legal and physical custody of the children.
• Joint legal and Joint physical custody: Children live with both parents, and both parents make important decisions for the children.
• Joint legal and sole physical custody: Both parents make important decisions on behalf of the children, but the children reside with one parent.
• Split custody: Where there is more than one child, each parent is given sole physical custody of at least one of the children. Legal custody can still be sole or joint.

If the court must decide custody arrangements, factors are considered to determine the child’s best interest. The following is taken directly form Utah Courts Website:

In addition to custody, designations can be made for “parent time” and custody arrangements can be revisited by the court at the parents’ request.

Good luck in your search for answers. I hope this is helpful.

(Clickhere to return to Life Changes: Divorce "home" blog)

If you find yourself needing assistance buying or selling a home, my team can help you.

Call Chris: 435-313-3966
Or Visit: www.whystgeorge.com

**I am not an attorney and am in no way trying to give legal advice or practice law. The information on this website is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Two attorneys in St. George, Utah that practice family law are Sam Draper and Adam Caldwell. The primary source for information on this site has been the Utah Courts Website.

Life Changes: Divorce (Alimony)

Getting Divorced in Utah: How is Alimony Determined?

There is no set formula in Utah for determining alimony. Either party can request alimony payment. In general, the court will consider awarding alimony to help maintain the same standard of living that was present during the marriage. There are, however, various factors that affect the alimony amount and the Court will not require a payment higher than the ability of the payor to pay.

Factors that affect alimony are:

• The ability of the paying spouse to pay (The court will not order the spouse paying alimony to pay so much that he/she is unable to be self-sufficient.)
• The ability of each spouse to provide income
• The length of the marriage
• The financial obligations of each spouse
• Who has custody of minor children
• Whether one spouse contributed significantly to the other spouse’s ability to provide income (paying for school or enabling further training or education)

Alimony will not be paid longer than the length of the marriage unless there are special circumstances.

Remember, alimony is tax deductible for the payor and taxable for the recipient. (See: How Will My Taxes be affected?)

Good luck in your search for answers. I hope this is helpful.

(Clickhere to return to Life Changes: Divorce "home" blog)

If you find yourself needing assistance buying or selling a home, my team can help you.
Call Chris: 435-313-3966
Or Visit: www.whystgeorge.com

**I am not an attorney and am in no way trying to give legal advice or practice law. The information on this website is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Two attorneys in St. George, Utah that practice family law are Sam Draper and Adam Caldwell. The primary source for information on this site has been the Utah Courts Website.

Life Changes: Divorce (Debt Division)

Getting Divorced in Utah: What Will Happen to Our Debt?

When dividing debt, Utah’s “equitable division” once again applies. The division is made to be fair not necessarily split 50/50 between the parties. If the spouses can reach an agreement, the arrangement will be included in the divorce decree. If an agreement cannot be met, the court will make divisions.

Debt associated with personal or real property, generally, goes to the person who gets the property. So if you get a car and there is still money owed on the car, you also get the debt. Debt that has been accrued to benefit the family is generally split between parties.

Something to be aware of is that creditors are not bound to honor the division of debt specified in the decree even if they have been informed of the division. If one party does not pay a creditor, the creditor can demand payment of the other party, who then has to try to collect money from the other.

Good luck in your search for answers. I hope this is helpful.

(Click here to return to Life Changes: Divorce "home" blog)

If you find yourself needing assistance buying or selling a home, my team can help you.
Call Chris: 435-313-3966
Or Visit: www.whystgeorge.com

**I am not an attorney and am in no way trying to give legal advice or practice law. The information on this website is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Two attorneys in St. George, Utah that practice family law are Sam Draper and Adam Caldwell. The primary source for information on this site has been the Utah Courts Website.

Life Changes: Divorce (Asset Division)

Getting Divorced in Utah: What happens to property, assets and retirement funds?

In Utah, an “equitable division” of property is required. Equitable does not mean a 50/50 split. Equitable simply means fair. If the two parties can reach an agreement that they feel is equitable, the judge will still review the agreement to make sure that it qualifies as fair.

There are many contributing factors in deciding what is an equitable division. The Utah Courts gives the following guidelines:

Deciding what is a fair distribution of property includes several factors, such as how long the marriage has lasted, the age and health of the parties, their occupations, the amounts and sources of income and related matters.

For long-term marriages, equitable may mean a 50-50 split, or the court may decide that it is fair to give one party more or less than 50% of the property.

For short term marriages, the court may put the people back into the economic position they had before the marriage. In other words, he gets what was his at the beginning of the marriage, and she gets what was hers.

Division of Real Property (Land, houses)

Generally, regardless of whose name is on the deed, any property bought during the marriage will be divided as marital property. Either the property will be split and the proceeds split, or an agreement can be reached where one person might get more of something else to off-set the other getting the property. The property may need to be refinanced in order to get the mortgage in the right name.

Personal Property (Cars, boats, jewelry, furniture, tools, etc)

Like Real Property, in general, personal property will be divided as marital property regardless of whose name might be a title. The loose guideline is to divide up the property so each person can set up a new home.

Retirement Accounts

Retirement accounts and pensions can be tricky because of tax implications of early withdrawal and the long term nature of their setup. The following is an excerpt from the Utah Courts Website.

Good luck in your search for answers. I hope this is helpful.

(Clickhere to return to Life Changes: Divorce "home" blog)

If you find yourself needing assistance buying or selling a home, my team can help you.
Call Chris: 435-313-3966
Or Visit: www.whystgeorge.com

**I am not an attorney and am in no way trying to give legal advice or practice law. The information on this website is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Two attorneys in St. George, Utah that practice family law are Sam Draper and Adam Caldwell. The primary source for information on this site has been the Utah Courts Website.