Merry Christmas all! Here's a picture of us from last night.
It was a small event for us this year. My parents arrived in TX the first weekend in December, but unfortunately, they were notified on Monday 12/17 that their house had been broken into over the previous weekend, so they left the next morning. They had to go idenify what was taken for the detectives.
Gary, Roberta and I did our usual Xmas Eve tradition - homemade pizza. Gary and I are going over to Roberta's boyfriend's house for Christmas dinner today. His brother and family will be there also.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
6 months pregnant
Here's a photo of me at 6 months pregnant. I wore the same clothes as the 5 month pic on purpose.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Fireplace Completed
Here's a photo of the fireplace now that it's complete. The hearth has been added with a flagstone topper on both the hearth and the very top of the fireplace (not sure you can tell). And of course the cardboard has been removed from the mantle, so this is the actual color.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Latest House Update
Things are really moving along now. The appliances are in and they were carpeting this weekend. We're expecting to close the last week of December.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Fireplace
We were excited to see the house this weekend, they've done quite a bit. The fireplace is in progress - just missing the topper and the hearth. The mantle is covered with cardboard, but is really a very dark brown.
They've also installed lights, some granite and started staining some of the cabinets. Everything is coming together and we're expecting to close in about a month.
They've also installed lights, some granite and started staining some of the cabinets. Everything is coming together and we're expecting to close in about a month.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Latest House News
The house is still coming along. When we were there this weekend, the major thing that has been done since my last update was paint – although it wasn’t completely finished. They’ve also fixed some minor things we pointed out with the cabinets (for instance we wanted one of the cabinets to be hinged on the opposite side). They installed the laminate counter for utility room sink and the cultured marble counters in the secondary bathrooms (although they are the wrong color).
I believe they are still figuring out what to do about the cabinet stain for the maple cabinets since they were supposed to be getting us a new sample and we haven't heard from them. I’m guessing the granite counter tops won’t be installed until after that is done. I think they are also about to do the fireplace. There was a picture of what it’s supposed to look like hanging on the wall when we were there this weekend.
They’ve currently given us an estimated closing date of December 28th, which is later than we were hoping. However, we don’t want to rush them and we’ll certainly need to make sure everything is complete before we close.
I believe they are still figuring out what to do about the cabinet stain for the maple cabinets since they were supposed to be getting us a new sample and we haven't heard from them. I’m guessing the granite counter tops won’t be installed until after that is done. I think they are also about to do the fireplace. There was a picture of what it’s supposed to look like hanging on the wall when we were there this weekend.
They’ve currently given us an estimated closing date of December 28th, which is later than we were hoping. However, we don’t want to rush them and we’ll certainly need to make sure everything is complete before we close.
Latest Baby News
Here’s a picture of the nursery bedding/décor that we decided on. I like the vibrant colors the most and of course the animals are cute. I found a crib and rocking chair that I like, but have not made a definite decision on those yet. We won’t be in the market to actually buy those larger items until we move, so depending on if they are available at that time or we find anything else, we’ll see.
As for myself, I’m definitely into maternity clothes now – mostly due to pants. I’ve been feeling movements and Gary even got to feel it one night even though the doctor said it would be a few more weeks before he’d be able to. That was cool.
We both got our flu shots last week which were highly recommended by my doctor. Apparently getting the flu when pregnant is a very bad thing. It was also recommended that Gary get one for once the baby arrives.
As for myself, I’m definitely into maternity clothes now – mostly due to pants. I’ve been feeling movements and Gary even got to feel it one night even though the doctor said it would be a few more weeks before he’d be able to. That was cool.
We both got our flu shots last week which were highly recommended by my doctor. Apparently getting the flu when pregnant is a very bad thing. It was also recommended that Gary get one for once the baby arrives.
Friday, November 02, 2007
It's a Boy!
I had an ultrasound earlier this week and we found out it's a boy. We also got to count ten toes - hee hee. He was laying looking up, so we didn't get the typical profile shot. We also got a clear picture of his foot and of his hand pointing. It was cool.
We've officially started buying baby things also. This was a big step since shopping has been so overwhelming! I mean I've shopped for baby gifts before, but ya know... there was normally a registry to choose from - lol. Now we are the ones figuring out the choices. I've definitely been looking for advice from family and friends and I've had some great info from several people.
Of course, It's all exciting but I can't believe I'm almost halfway through pregnancy already (Sunday is the official halfway mark).
We've officially started buying baby things also. This was a big step since shopping has been so overwhelming! I mean I've shopped for baby gifts before, but ya know... there was normally a registry to choose from - lol. Now we are the ones figuring out the choices. I've definitely been looking for advice from family and friends and I've had some great info from several people.
Of course, It's all exciting but I can't believe I'm almost halfway through pregnancy already (Sunday is the official halfway mark).
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Cabinets are In
Here's our maple cabinets in the kitchen. They were put in on Thursday this week. They are unfinished currently. We just provided the builder with a sample of the stain color we are looking for today, however in getting that sample we have learned a lot about staining maple cabinets. Not an easy task. Wish I would have known that before I chose to do maple, but I'm still hopeful at this point the builder can figure out how to do what we want. (We're trying to get a medium brown color, however maple doesn't take stain very well and they tend to get blotchy). I'm sure I'll be posting another picture when the staining is done. Wish us luck. Other than that issue, we're certainly happy with the style and look of them.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Airport Hotel
Gary knew he was staying at an airport hotel this week.... he didn't know this would be the view from his window. I wonder if he's getting any sleep?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Latest Progress
When we visited the house this weekend we found that they have our fence up and have painted the exterior of the house (the parts that are siding, doors, trim, etc). The stacks of stones on the far side of the yard are for the fireplace.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
House Progress
They just started tiling on Friday and it looks about half done. We were pleased with the way it looks so far, but there's no grout yet, so still not sure exactly what it will look like.
All the wall texture is also done. On the outside it looks like they've done some leveling and brought in some sand. We met with the landscaping company this past week and we're waiting on them to send us some drawings to review. The landscape package isn't too bad. We get 2 shade trees, 2 ornamental trees and 25 shrubs.
All the wall texture is also done. On the outside it looks like they've done some leveling and brought in some sand. We met with the landscaping company this past week and we're waiting on them to send us some drawings to review. The landscape package isn't too bad. We get 2 shade trees, 2 ornamental trees and 25 shrubs.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
A Bun in the Oven
Yep - for all who read this and haven't heard the news yet, I'm pregnant. We're really excited - of course.
This ultrasound was at 12 weeks and I'm 14 weeks now. I was waiting to post this until I told a few people in person, but couldn't wait any longer to share with everyone (at least everyone who reads this). :-)
I'm due the end of March.
This ultrasound was at 12 weeks and I'm 14 weeks now. I was waiting to post this until I told a few people in person, but couldn't wait any longer to share with everyone (at least everyone who reads this). :-)
I'm due the end of March.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Drywall
They also finished the drywall this week. I'm standing in the family room looking towards the entry in this photo. The door to the left of the photo is the door to the study.
Brick Complete
Here's a picture from yesterday. They have completed the brick now. Not sure why the scaffolding is still there, so not the best picture. I'll take another one when it comes down.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
In Loving Memory....
This photo was taken at the family reunion last month and I'm so sad to say that my cousin Ryan died August 25th.
Another cousin, Stephanie, put together a "Safety Flyer" which she posted in local bars, liquor stores and colleges in Fargo. I'm going to just copy and paste her message here and hope that it will serve as a reminder to anyone who reads it:
We all watch movies or TV, read the news and hear of people being drugged at bars while they are out and think “That kind of stuff only happens in big cities like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles”. We also may think it only happens to risqué people who aren’t careful and that it’s their lifestyle that puts them in the situation. Our family recently has had to learn it does happen in small cities and it does happen to your average everyday girl who loves her friends and family, enjoys life, and is anything but risqué.
Ryan was your normal every day girl. After a night out we’ve now lost her forever. Her friends left and she stayed behind with an acquaintance. From there we can’t tell you what happened for sure. She was not a drug user but PCP was found in her system and caused her to have major heart damage that she could not survive.
Go out, have fun with your friends and live life but please remember safety:
- If you come together leave together
- Don’t ever leave with someone you don’t really know
- Don’t let anyone else in your group leave with someone either
- Always keep an eye on your drink and be sure no one can slip something in it
- Keep an eye on your cigarettes and don’t bum cigarettes - they can be laced
- Be sure your whole group makes it to their car/cab/home before leaving
- And of course don’t drive drunk
It can happen anywhere to anyone. Don’t let it be your loved one!
In Loving Memory of Ryan Marie Dockter 3/19/78-8/25/07
Monday, September 03, 2007
Started Bricking
Here's a photo from this weekend. As you can see they've done quite a bit of bricking on the front.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Vacation
Vacation was pretty great, but could have been longer - of course.
While in ND, Kim (a friend since 1st grade) had a few of our friends over to her house for an evening. It was really nice to see everyone and catch up.
Family had started arriving for the weekend reunion by the time I got to town, so there was family coming and going the whole time. The reunion was on my dad's side, but I also got to see a few members of my mom's side.
The reunion was really nice. It was at my aunt and uncle's lake house and was mainly her family that did all the planning and prep. They did a really great job and we had a turnout of 115 (I believe that's what I heard). It was so nice to see everyone and the lake was a good location to entertain all. The weather was nice also, although I'm sure some thought it was a bit hot. It was upper 80's one day and I believe it got to about 91 the second day. There's always a nice breeze off the lake and there were tents for shade.
The actual travel part of the vacation didn't go so great. Gary had trouble flying in... his early morning flight was delayed 2 hours due to aircraft maintenance and that threw off the whole day. He eventually got in at about 3p. When we left, we got on the plane and were all set to go when they came on and announced that there was a hole in the tire and the plane was not safe to fly. This being Fargo, no spare tire and no spare plane led to the flight being cancelled. It was the last flight out, so we had to reschedule for 5am the next day. When we got to the airport at 4:30 they had no record of me being on the flight - only Gary. Ugh. I managed to get on "standby" and in first class. I don't believe I've ever had so much trouble with flights, etc. Better luck next time hopefully.
While in ND, Kim (a friend since 1st grade) had a few of our friends over to her house for an evening. It was really nice to see everyone and catch up.
Family had started arriving for the weekend reunion by the time I got to town, so there was family coming and going the whole time. The reunion was on my dad's side, but I also got to see a few members of my mom's side.
The reunion was really nice. It was at my aunt and uncle's lake house and was mainly her family that did all the planning and prep. They did a really great job and we had a turnout of 115 (I believe that's what I heard). It was so nice to see everyone and the lake was a good location to entertain all. The weather was nice also, although I'm sure some thought it was a bit hot. It was upper 80's one day and I believe it got to about 91 the second day. There's always a nice breeze off the lake and there were tents for shade.
The actual travel part of the vacation didn't go so great. Gary had trouble flying in... his early morning flight was delayed 2 hours due to aircraft maintenance and that threw off the whole day. He eventually got in at about 3p. When we left, we got on the plane and were all set to go when they came on and announced that there was a hole in the tire and the plane was not safe to fly. This being Fargo, no spare tire and no spare plane led to the flight being cancelled. It was the last flight out, so we had to reschedule for 5am the next day. When we got to the airport at 4:30 they had no record of me being on the flight - only Gary. Ugh. I managed to get on "standby" and in first class. I don't believe I've ever had so much trouble with flights, etc. Better luck next time hopefully.
Monday, July 23, 2007
A Few Updates
I haven't taken a picture, but the house now has shingles on it. That's the only visible difference from the outside. The brick has not been delivered yet. On the inside, the electrical wiring is close to complete and the AC is in. The wiring for the audio/visual stuff is being done today. We met with the cabinet guy last night. It's getting a little stressful with all of these things coming at us at once and we've begun to get "no, you can't do X" type answers which certainly do not make us happy. We still need to meet with the lighting store also.
We met our neighbors whose home is a bit ahead of ours and they seemed to think we are almost to the point where things are going to slow down quite a bit. They actually said it's going to "sit" with nothing happening. Our response was that would be a nice break. :-)
In other news... I got a new boss. I met him yesterday. He seems nice, but of course time will tell. I've had a pretty laid back boss for a couple of years, so I'm hoping the new guy isn't too drastically different. My current boss stepped down to a Manager role, so he'll now be my peer. That will be a little strange I think, but I'm sure we will all adjust.
I'm flying to ND tonight and I am ready for a vacation!! We have a family reunion on my dad's side this weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. I'll be able to see friends this week also. Yay!
We met our neighbors whose home is a bit ahead of ours and they seemed to think we are almost to the point where things are going to slow down quite a bit. They actually said it's going to "sit" with nothing happening. Our response was that would be a nice break. :-)
In other news... I got a new boss. I met him yesterday. He seems nice, but of course time will tell. I've had a pretty laid back boss for a couple of years, so I'm hoping the new guy isn't too drastically different. My current boss stepped down to a Manager role, so he'll now be my peer. That will be a little strange I think, but I'm sure we will all adjust.
I'm flying to ND tonight and I am ready for a vacation!! We have a family reunion on my dad's side this weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. I'll be able to see friends this week also. Yay!
Friday, July 13, 2007
We have a Roof!
Here's a pic from last night. I'm standing in the neighbors yard across the street. All the windows are in, the sheathing is up and the roof is on. On the interior we have the fireplace installed, looks like most of the plumbing done and the bathtubs in the secondary bathrooms installed. yay!
Dad - you will be happy to know that all the seams on the sheathing look good - no gaps that we saw. Most are vertical, with the gaps on the studs, in places where they had to go horizontal, there is at least 6 inches of overlap. :-)
I got an email from the construction supervisor on the one "change" item that was missing and he said he would get it taken care of. (We added a tiny wall at in the media room and it was missing). I didn't think it would be a big deal.
I expect our brick will be delivered very soon and we'll see some shingles. There are a few places on the house that has siding and that is already up also.
Dad - you will be happy to know that all the seams on the sheathing look good - no gaps that we saw. Most are vertical, with the gaps on the studs, in places where they had to go horizontal, there is at least 6 inches of overlap. :-)
I got an email from the construction supervisor on the one "change" item that was missing and he said he would get it taken care of. (We added a tiny wall at in the media room and it was missing). I didn't think it would be a big deal.
I expect our brick will be delivered very soon and we'll see some shingles. There are a few places on the house that has siding and that is already up also.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The Inside
Here's a shot from inside. On the right side is the doorway to the kitchen from the living room . The opening in wall to the left is the opening above the kitchen sink - looking out on the living room. Above the kitchen is a bedroom.
Looking more like a house
Here's a photo from this evening. It looks like they've completed the framing on the interior. There are now stairs in the main entry. As you can see in the photo most of the windows are in. We've only found minor change that was left out so far (which should be easily fixable), so things are going well.
Gary met with the guy about wiring today and that seemed to go well.
This is the exciting part where things move so quickly... noticeable changes every time we visit. Fun, fun.
Gary met with the guy about wiring today and that seemed to go well.
This is the exciting part where things move so quickly... noticeable changes every time we visit. Fun, fun.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Framing Continues
This was taken yesterday. We now have quite a bit of roof and a lot of finishing touches - art niches and arches. We also have one item we've been waiting for - the back staircase. Yay - we were finally able to go upstairs to see everything up there, including the game room and media room. Very exciting! :-)
We went to do our color selections today. I think we were there about 5 hours. It didn't seem like we were doing a lot of deliberating, so I'm surprised it took so long, but there were a lot of choices to make. We still have to meet with the wiring people and the lighting people too.
We went to do our color selections today. I think we were there about 5 hours. It didn't seem like we were doing a lot of deliberating, so I'm surprised it took so long, but there were a lot of choices to make. We still have to meet with the wiring people and the lighting people too.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
More Progress
This is a photo from last night. They've gotten more of the second story framed.
We have our meeting with the design consultant on Sunday to decide on all our selections for tile, carpet, granite, paint etc.
So we are moving right along. It's so exciting! :-)
We have our meeting with the design consultant on Sunday to decide on all our selections for tile, carpet, granite, paint etc.
So we are moving right along. It's so exciting! :-)
Innocence?
She looks innocent, doesn't she?
Well, don't judge too quickly. I'm working from home today, so as I was sitting on the couch with my laptop in my lap, she crawls up behind me on the couch... and then... just takes a big ole bite on my ear!!?? Completely out of the blue. I would love to know what the kitties are thinking sometimes!! :-)
Well, don't judge too quickly. I'm working from home today, so as I was sitting on the couch with my laptop in my lap, she crawls up behind me on the couch... and then... just takes a big ole bite on my ear!!?? Completely out of the blue. I would love to know what the kitties are thinking sometimes!! :-)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Framing Has Begun
They started framing on Wednesday this week. This is a picture from last night. It hasn't rained yet today so I'm expecting they will have gotten to the second story today. I'll post pics of that when I have them.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
House Progress
Yay! We finally have a foundation. It's still been rather rainy around here so we were pleased to see they were able to get it poured. This picture is taken from across the street and that's Gary's car.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
House Status
Here's a pic from 6/12... still no foundation but at least we can see some progress. I'm hoping when we go by this weekend we may have a foundation, but it did rain more this week so who knows.
Monday, June 04, 2007
House Status
Here's the beginnings of our future house. This is from the back corner looking forward, taken 5/17. When we were there this weekend they hadn't done anymore. It's been so wet, apparently they haven't been able to pour the foundation yet. Looks like they passed the plumbing inspection though and some of the trenches have been filled in now.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Busy "5" Months!
Funny that my last post was 'busy month" and now I haven't posted anything in 5 months. I guess it's been a busy 5 months, so here's a quick update.
My parents were here from December to February enjoying the warmer weather...
Went on a cruise and got married in February in St Thomas and everything went well. If you haven't seen pictures yet, check this link...
It seems ever since the wedding, I've been messing around with wedding photos in one way or another and I'm still not quite finished. My sister's boyfriend took photos in a high quality format which needed to be converted to jpg's to actually share with anyone. In doing that, I'm learning photoshop. I've been creating photo albums for my family and for us. I've been collecting photos from others and sorting the best of everyone's so I can burn cd's and share with everyone. It gets a bit monotonous though so I can only work on any of it a little at a time.
We went house hunting and bought a house at the end of February. It's being built and should be done in October. We're really excited about having our "dream" house. The location will make my work commute a bit worse, but otherwise it's a good location. We've been busy figuring out details and working with the builder. We've finally been able to see some progress, but barely. They have forms built to pour the foundation. I think we'll see plumbing go in next and then they will pour. We went and looked at some other houses in the neighborhood this weekend and that got me excited to see ours get to the various stages.
We had a garage sale this past weekend and I've already been working on cleaning things out and packing things I know that I won't need until we move. I figure if I do a little at a time it won't be so bad.
So, that's what's new in my life.
For any ND friends reading this, I believe I'll be coming up at the end of July. I'll keep you posted. :-)
My parents were here from December to February enjoying the warmer weather...
Went on a cruise and got married in February in St Thomas and everything went well. If you haven't seen pictures yet, check this link...
It seems ever since the wedding, I've been messing around with wedding photos in one way or another and I'm still not quite finished. My sister's boyfriend took photos in a high quality format which needed to be converted to jpg's to actually share with anyone. In doing that, I'm learning photoshop. I've been creating photo albums for my family and for us. I've been collecting photos from others and sorting the best of everyone's so I can burn cd's and share with everyone. It gets a bit monotonous though so I can only work on any of it a little at a time.
We went house hunting and bought a house at the end of February. It's being built and should be done in October. We're really excited about having our "dream" house. The location will make my work commute a bit worse, but otherwise it's a good location. We've been busy figuring out details and working with the builder. We've finally been able to see some progress, but barely. They have forms built to pour the foundation. I think we'll see plumbing go in next and then they will pour. We went and looked at some other houses in the neighborhood this weekend and that got me excited to see ours get to the various stages.
We had a garage sale this past weekend and I've already been working on cleaning things out and packing things I know that I won't need until we move. I figure if I do a little at a time it won't be so bad.
So, that's what's new in my life.
For any ND friends reading this, I believe I'll be coming up at the end of July. I'll keep you posted. :-)
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