O, Happy Day!

Sorry for the long drought in blogging, but I've been a little busy!

Yesterday, we finally had a sign placed in the yard...so, officially, our house is now on the market (not bad...only about a month later than I had planned)! We finished all the painting, cleaning, primping, etc, etc, etc...

We have made some pretty late nights of it recently. I still have a couple pieces of quarter-round to put on the new landing floor, and a few spots to touch up on the ceilings where we got a little crazy when we were rolling the walls - but that's it. The new carpet is in, new living room furniture, new head & foot boards for the master bedroom. After this, I really don't think I want to move again for awhile.

The problem is, I'm a perfectionist when it comes to making things just right. I spend a lot of time measuring, then remeasuring to make sure the cut is right the first time. I built a book case in our downstairs family room on both sides of the window. It probably took me two weeks just to make everything right. It turned out great...it just takes me way too long.

I also got the pickup truck I wanted. It's fire engine red with dual exhausts (a low rumble when you start it up and accelerate). It's a SuperCrew which will be nice for transporting 4 adults around. It sits high off the ground so I can see everyone around me - it's just what I wanted. The gas mileage could be a little better, but it's not a bad trade off.

Please pray that we get a lot of ready-to-move-in folks walking thru to check out the house and it doesn't stay on the market too long. The average house in our neighborhood after listing has stayed on the market about 58 days - 2 months isn't too bad! Please pray it goes in less than 30, for my own sanity's sake. Onto the next fun item - finding and putting a contract on a new house!

Get ready for, "Busy - Part II!"

Friday The 13th

I spoke with Stephan last night about how school was going and what's been happening lately. The first question he had for me was, "Dad, when are you going to get another truck so I can have yours?" A couple of weeks ago, I let him drive the truck for the week after his stopped running. His truck was getting, on average, about 8 miles to the gallon (it's just an old beat-up farm truck). Mine gets closer to 20 miles to the gallon. I've been looking for a crew cab because I like the size and the additional seating - that way, it also becomes a family vehicle. With just the regular cab, there's people who will not be coming along for the ride. I promised Stephan the truck after he finished with boot camp to drive to his first duty station - he may be getting it a little earlier if I find what I want.

Mom's in Phoenix this week catching up with a good friend, George, who used to live in the area! George is a great guy. Mom met him after dad passed away and mom was making a new group of friends. I guess George couldn't handle the cold any longer and decided to make Phoenix his new home. Mom's doing well and I know she enjoys the travel.

The home we were looking at has a contract on it now. Our Realtor is coming by tomorrow to check out the house, give us some ideas and try to sell us on his marketing approach. We got the new carpet in and are finishing the trim painting - we are very close to listing. Steph and I talked last night; if we sell the house and have nothing to go to, we may have to rent for a little while. That actually may work out better...then we won't need the contingency when we find something. Keep us in your prayers as we begin this process to find "OUR" place!

Happy Valentines Day to everyone out there! Love and cherish those who God has placed in your path and life for a reason. Just know, God has a plan!

Tuesday Morning!

We finally got some rain yesterday after about a month in a half - my yard is very thankful (the flowers in front have already started to bloom)! It came down pretty hard for about 30 minutes with a strong wind behind it...you know, the kind of rain that seems to be going sideways!

It's been awhile since I blogged...oh so much has happened! I got all the carpet torn out of the house and yesterday they laid new carpet. I've never built a home or had new carpet put down - it's kind of a cool experience. To go from a pine shell to a fully carpeted house in just a couple hours (about 6) is very interesting. Before the carpet went down, we spent the week cleaning and painting baseboards - the place looks immaculate (now lets see if we can keep it that way)!

I watched the MU vs. KU game last night - very good game. MU looked very nervous in the first half - their movements were very jerky. They seemed to settle down as the game progressed. They battled back very well and took the game in the final seconds.

Last Saturday night, Steph and I went to a party at my former Commanding Officer's house - it was exactly to the day that he entered boot camp...30 years ago! There were a number of old friends I'd made through the past eight years and new ones I made that evening. I spoke for quite a while to a S.E.A.L. named Bill Irwin about Stephan. We're all three going to get together and put Stephan on the competitive road to boot camp then off to SEAL Basic Training. There is a SEAL Motivator in the area that we will get together with in the next week or so - he can help Stephan to focus on the right areas to be successful. All in all, the party was a lot of fun and Scott (my former CO) had a great time with old friends.

We expect to put the house on the market in about a week or so. We are having a new couch and chair delivered from Nebraska Furniture Mart next Monday - we should be good to go right after that. I'm ready for a couple of very busy weeks in front of me. Have a great Tuesday!

Now, where did I leave off...

Sorry for the long delay to get back to the blog...it's been a busy week in the tax world!

Last Sunday, we started painting the Rec room. Steph went along and painted up against the ceiling and against the baseboards and I came back with a roller and put the first coat on. By about 3pm, we had the room done with the first coat and it turned out pretty nice. We plan to get the carpet shampoo'd this weekend and the 2nd coat on the walls - then the Rec room is finished!

Last night, after work, I started taking the carpet off the stairs going to the living room. We plan on replacing the carpet in the bedrooms, hall, stairs and the living room. As a matter of fact, I need to call the installer today and schedule the install in about a week - that should give me enough time to pull up all the carpet and pad, pull out all 10,000 staples that are holding the pad in place and paint the baseboards before the new carpet goes down! Please say a little prayer for Steph and I as we tackle this project after work and on the weekends.

Since Stephan is carless for awhile, I let him drive my truck back home and have it for the week - it's so fun teasing your own kids. He's going to come over on Sunday (he has the Courtwarming dance on Saturday night and wants to use the truck to impress his date) and bring the truck back.

Stephan has exactly one year left (he plans to graduate at mid-term next year...his Senior year) before he's out of school! He already has senioritice and needs to finish this year strong so he can graduate when he wants to - please pray for him to stay focused and on-track!

Speaking of senioritice, Shallen's got it BAD! She is sooooo ready to be out of school (we get a daily notice of the number of days left before she graduates)! She'll be going to MU in the fall unless a miracle happens (her grandmother is an alum from KU and wrote a letter to the Administration about letting Shallen receive in-state tuition)! Shallen would rather attend KU but is happy to go to MU as a secondary choice!

That's it for now! Take care and I'll talk to you all very soon!

Active Weekend

Have you ever had one of those weekends where you couldn't wait to get back to work on Monday morning just to get a little rest - it was one of those weekends for me.

I woke up Saturday morning to thoughts of filling holes in the walls and sanding before we went to look at a couple houses. I was up at 6am mudding walls and generally preping the walls for paint later in the day. Once I was finished, I sat back with a cup of coffee and looked over my work...on to the next agenda item!

Thursday, I called a couple of realtors who had listed homes and asked for a showing on Saturday morning. Steph and I were up early, had breakfast, then off to a couple of houses. The first was a Repo. Very nice shape, clean and about twice the size of our current home, for about $20K less. The 2nd house was smaller, not as nice and $50K more expensive. It doesn't take a brain specialist to figure out which was the better deal...we're looking into the Repo.

I spoke to Stephan during the week and his truck was parked over at his grandparents in Independence. His starter was bad - he had the old one tested and it was fried! It was just starting to snow when I left Steph at the house to paint while I went to get Stephan and get the truck running. We picked up the starter, got a little lunch and Stephan hooked up the new starter. With one turn of the key, the truck was running and he was back in buiness. We left his grandparents with me following. About 20 minutes into the drive I told him I needed to get some gas, so let's stop at Quik Trip on the way. As I was filling up, he came over to me with a dejected look on his face. He tells me after he shut off his truck and tried to restart it, he got nothing. After about 35 minutes of trying, I called a tow truck. We got the truck parked and he came home with me.

Sorry to cut this short, but Stephan's got a Dr. appt - I'll finish this a little later! Talk to everyone soon!

Steve

Spring in the Midst of Winter

Today in KC, we are to experience a heat wave (atleast it will feel like one after temperatures in the teens and 20's). I think we're suppose to get up to 61 or 62 degrees. This past weekend, after a short warm spell (1 day), I noticed the crochus' in the front yard were already pushing up through the ground preparing for bloom. I tried pushing them back down explaining it was too early, but they just wouldn't have it.

After work today, I plan on a 6-8 mile run. I hate the cold when it comes to running. Now, with that said, running when the temperature is in the 50's is great. You don't get overheated and it's perfect because your body warms up just enough to make it comfortable.

I've got to get myself motivated and out running on a regular basis to be ready for the race in Nashville. With getting the house ready to sell, looking at other homes (the one we were looking at had a contract written on it this last weekend) and being in the midst of the tax season with H&R Block, things are pretty busy right now. None of the items mentioned are good excuses for not preparing for the race. I'll get there, just a little slower than usual.

Today is my mom's birthday! Sandy Elkins is 68 today. For Christmas, Steph and I got her a Digital picture frame loaded with pictures of family that I had (and I have a lot). For her birthday, she has asked Caron, Jeff & Derek for additional family pictures to add to her already time-consuming array of pictures. She's going to have so many pictures on the thumbdrive, she's not going to be able to leave her house if she wants to see all of them! Happy Birthday Mom!

The 44th Inauguration

What a historic time...an incredible time to be living! I'm not talking about our first black president, I'm talking about the historical legacy of this great country.

On my way into work this morning, I decided to turn off the radio for a change and turn my thoughts toward this great country of ours. For over 200 years, we have been changing from party to party and shifting the power of the most powerful position in our country without bloodshed. Today, the out going president (Republican) will hand over the keys and the controlling power of the presidency to the incoming president (Democrat). Where else in the world is this done with such gala, formality and backing by the country's people without the thought of bloodshed.

I also thought of my own position as I stood in the election booth last Fall. I may not have voted for the incoming president, but I will do everything in my power to support him and his administration as he leads our country for the next four years. He is not only OUR President, but OUR Commander in Chief. It is now time for us all to rally around the leader of our great country and support his direction and passion for a strong United States once again.

I have no idea what the next four years will bring from an economic standpoint, but this is the time to stand together as one nation, under God, and throw our support behind the man who was voted President of the United States of America.