Last preview pictures ...

We're getting close to the end - Yeah!! these are the last preview pictures I'm going to post. We're scheduled to close on Oct 20th and we are beyond ready! Last weekend we rode our bikes over for a peek & met our new next door neighbors. Apparently they are as excited as we are & had come to check things out. I guess that's what we all do on the weekends as there were at least 3 people there that day.

I think some cleaning needs to be done before we move in. Oh & a few appliances are needed. You can't see the wood floor as they have it covered up to protect it.

The view from the living room. You can see the staircase coming up & then going up more. Bottom floor has garage, 1/2 bath & boys 'man cave'. Middle floor - kitchen, living room, dining room & 1/2 bath. Top floor - 3 bedrooms, 2 baths & laundry area.

A very empty & lonely living room ... perhaps it will be happier when we move in!

Just a different angle to see the kitchen - from the living room.

New pics...

Just a couple of updated pictures...



I had my first inspection walk through yesterday with the field manager. He walked me through all the mechanical stuff... and made sure we were all on the same page with chosen options & different stuff.... Today they started the sheet rocking. It's going to be very nice & I am absolutely thrilled at this opportunity!

Quick House update

This is how it looked when we got back from Colorado

Looking for suggestions on window coverings for this 9 ft window!!!

This is how it looked today... less than 2 weeks later. It's getting exciting!

I did something today I don't normally do...

As I was leaving downtown tonight, traffic was a bit crazier than usual due to construction & a woman on her cell phone was blocking the lane in front of me & that made me grumpy, but after getting past her I was stopped at the light - just ready to get on the freeway. I glanced over to the corner & there was a woman with her sign up "Need Help, Will work..." I don't remember as I didn't really glance at the sign. It's not an unusual sight in downtown Minneapolis as panhandlers are out every day, but as I glanced at this woman I saw such a look of weariness, of embarrassment of where she was & my heart ached for her. How close to that position are any of us really? As I caught her eye & quickly reached out to give here a mere $5 & wished her well she had such a look of gratitude as she thanked me. As I drove home I realized I didn't know how or on what she would spend my tiny pittance, but I imagined her buying milk for her children or perhaps she would spend it foolishly, but I hoped that my smile and small gift would help her day be a bit brighter & less lonely. I know that she had helped me put things a bit more into perspective.

House Update

We finally took some more pictures of the new house - we're getting excited!

This YouTube video was just sent to me & I wanted to share. It's your 'wisdom' & inspiration for the day.



I'm not sure what stake was performing, but I'm so glad that John was able to participate in the LDS Encampment this year. He got sunburned, bug bitten beyond belief, wet & filthy... but what an opportunity for him. He made lots of new friends from different wards, survived in the wilderness (one of the nights it rained), learned orienteering & other things from great leaders & now has lots of new stories to tell. I couldn't have found a better place for him to have spent the week.