New Blog

With troubles from my current blog and settings that refuse to change I have created a new blog to chronicle our move and life in general.  I may still post on this blog; but, to check out my new one click HERE!

House update

Well, house numbero uno is a no go.  As it turns out, the sellers are not willing to fix anything wrong with the house.  And we are talking: rodents in the attic, nearly everything with one of the fireplaces, plumbing, electrical, outside trim that is completely rotted, etc.  It would just cost too much for us to fix all of these things by ourselves to be able to afford the house.  Today we officially decided to not go forward and to essentially start fresh and be out the money of the inspection.  We are kind of bummed; however, after looking some I found some great possibilities.

On a side note, if you are going to be the agent for somebody trying to sell their house, you should actually try to help them sell their house!  The sellers agent we had been working with was absolutely horrible.  He wouldn't return phone calls or e-mails.  He didn't inform the sellers that they couldn't be there for the showing or inspection.  He was absolutely awful to work with.  Our agent, she is phenomenal!  A true blessing after trying to work with him.

We might have to take yet another trip up to MKE to look at houses this week to find our house.  Driving 3.5 hours twice a week and staying in hotels has not been fun.  Both husband and I are pretty much exhausted from the traveling, paperwork, keeping up with school, keeping up with working overtime, and ensuring our pup is entertained and happy.

Future kitchen ideas

Now that husband and I are on our way to becoming home owners, I feel absolutely horrible for anybody who follows me on Pinterest!  I am fairly certain I have pinned over 1000 things in the last week alone.  Having an accepted offer on a house gets me almost giddy with ideas of what I want to do to the place to make it more "us" and a little more updated.  Who loves the smell of paint and fresh cut wood?  That would be me.

The kitchen in our house isn't the largest and the appliances are a little bit outdated; but, I have high hopes for brightening up the kitchen and dinette.  Right now it has dark cabinets and black appliances that weigh down the room.  The dinette has a really funky paint job that makes you wonder if the bottom half of the wall is extremely dirty.  My goal is to brighten it way up.

I plan on painting our upper cabinets a bright white and the lower cabinets a bright teal.  Something surprising to me because two things I am not fond of are: painting wood and white.  In an older home though ('77) and with a smaller budget, I am totally okay with it.

And because the large black fridge will only keep weighing down the room, husband and I figure, "Why not try painting the fridge?".  I want to go with white or stainless steel; but, he likes the idea of a teal fridge.

I also plan on creating a coffee "bar" (sans chalkboard wall) for husband in our dinette.  My mom and dad are giving us a cabinet that used to be my grandmas and I got the okay to do whatever I want to it.  It will be painted to match the kitchen counters so there is fluidity between the two rooms.  The cabinet will gratefully provide extra kitchen storage for all of the gadgets I have acquired throughout the years to help me in baking.

The lighting also needs to be changed in the kitchen and dining room.  In the kitchen something simple that provides enough light in the room is really all that is needed.

And for the dining room, I have found this beautiful (and affordable) chandelier that I think will be perfect to make the room look a little more luxurious.  

I cannot wait to post actual before and afters of not only the kitchen but all of the rooms.

House Hunting

The hubs and I have known for a year and a half that we would be moving out of Illinois.  Funny thing is, just before we found out we were actually looking for a house in Ptown.  That all came to a stop though when hubs had different tentative offers coming to the table.

So, when we finally received a firm offer for Milwaukee (which took a lot of talk as to which place we should move to) we talked a lot about whether we should rent or buy right away.  After 6 years of apartment living, the answer was really clear for me: I wanted a house!  I NEED a house to call home.  Being a girl who loves to paint and fix things around the house (all thanks to my parents), living in an apartment has been rough.  I mean when something breaks the last thing I want to do is to call and wait for a day and time that is good for management to come check it out.

The week after the fourth of July we spent four days with our realtor to do one thing and one thing alone: find our home.  One house that I had fallen in love with since the beginning of researching was of course "sold" which led us to search for anything and nearly everything we could in four days time.  We ended up looking at 11 or 12 houses and didn't really have to persuade one another to get one house over another.  The third day, we found our house and put an offer in on it!  With many problems due to the listing agents being extremely old school (who doesn't have a cell phone, voicemail, e-mail, or actual hours of operation for a business?) our offer was only countered once before it got accepted.

Come the end of August we will officially be home owners*! *Pending the inspection and 30 years of payments of course ;)

Steamboat Classic

Husband ran his first official 5K race.  He and some coworkers signed up for the Steamboat Classic, which has been deemed "The World's Fastest 5K".  People from all over came to the race which offered money for men who completed the 5K in under 18 mins and women who completed the 5K in under 21 mins.

Each year, the local firemen run the race.

We arrived downtown and were really surprised at the lack of signage for such a large race.  Zero signs of where to park and not a single sign or volunteer in site to direct runners to the start of the race.  On top of everything, it was so incredibly humid out.  Seriously, that humid at 6 in the morning should not be possible.

Husband had trained hard for this race and even though he wasn't happy with his time, I was proud of him!  I cannot wait for the next race he runs as I learned where to stand for optimal viewing when he finishes the race.  And we learned that there was a "fair" afterwards, even though we couldn't really stay long because he had to work that night.

We have also had a ton of rain here lately and have been experiencing flooding of the river (for two weeks now, husband and I get alerts every few hours about the flooding.  At one point, I thought the race would be cancelled.  Now, locals are just hoping that the 4th is not cancelled.

Sandbars are blocking the water in most spots.  The sandbar was roughly three feet high.

This is where I assume the concert after the race was to be held but had to be moved as it is under water.  This is also where most people gather for the 4th as there is always local bands playing.

The Illinois River and the bridge connecting Ptown and East Ptown.

Sunset

Today we had stormy weather for the last half of the day.  One thing about storms is that the sunset usually does not disappoint.  Tonight was one of those nights.  Derek and I have never really seen a sunset so golden in color.  

07Jun15

            Lately, we have been keeping our porch door open because the mornings and early afternoons have been beautiful.  Upon watering my flowers I noticed two hot air balloons and had to grab my camera.  

         It reminded me of the hot airballoon festival Derek and I went to a few years back with our friends Brooke and Garrison.  They have since moved (twice!) but we miss being able to hang out with them.  Each year Ptown holds a hot air balloon festival in which you can get rides or enjoy the balloons from the ground.  You never really imagine how big balloons are until you are up close to them.

Dear Younger Self

For one of my classes we are required to do journal entries for each unit.  One of our assignments was to write a letter to yourself from the future.  This is my letter...

Dear Younger Self,

            In the blink of an eye each year will pass.  You will wonder where time has gone and wish you had done better.  Do your best to not focus on what you feel you could have improved in the past and instead do what you can to change your future.

            Reality has a way of eating you up.  It will tear you apart and break you down.  Instead of letting it get to you, concentrate on the positive things in your life.  Go back to your confirmation days and once a week create a list of Highs and Lows.  Choose your career wisely and don’t be afraid to find something better if you do not like how your current job changes you.  You may feel guilty for not knowing what you really want to do with your life, remember that most adults still do not know what they want to do with their own lives.

            Friends will come and they will go, family is forever.  Your husband’s job means you may move every five years before finding your true home.  Be friendly with his coworkers and their spouses as they will become your family away from home.  Remember that real friends will be there for you when you need and they will support you in your darkest days.  You will have dark days and you will need somebody to talk to, to vent to, and just somebody to be there for you.

People love to give advice, good and bad.  Always have an open ear to listen to what others have to say.  However, choose very wisely as to the advice you follow.  What works for some people might not work for you.  Don’t be afraid to ask for advice and don’t be afraid to give advice.  Learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others.

            Take care of yourself, you only have one body and one life.  Wear sunscreen daily.  Exercise, get outside and get moving.  Exercise does not have to be hard but it can be fun.  Take your dog out for a walk.  Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt on a trail.  Stretch, every single day!  You had your back reconstructed once, keep stretching to prevent you from having another surgery soon than later.  Sign up for a fun run with obstacles to remind you of the joys of childhood and getting dirty.  Keep staying away from fast food and learn how to plan meals that are nutritious and delicious.  Your body will thank you in the long run for making positive choices.

            Travel as much as you can.  Whether you go on a day trip or a planned vacation, get out there.  There are unlimited options out there of where to go.  Don’t take the world around you for granted, take care of it for future generations.  See the beauty in nature.  Appreciate architecture.  Learn the history behind the places you go.  Don’t be afraid of embarrassing yourself (especially at Disney World) because chances are you will never see those people again and it will end up being the most memorable experience.  Turn off electronics on vacation as it is a time to get back to the basics where you enjoy quality time with your family.

            Love and appreciate your husband.  Always remember why you fell in love.  You chose him to be your partner for life.  Encourage one another.  Support one another.  When you have a family, show your children what a positive and healthy relationship is and what they should have for expectations in their future spouse.  Embarrass the heck out of your children, they will remember these times.  Believe in your husband.  Believe in your children (when you have them).  Believe in your family.

            Lastly, trust in the Lord.  Joshua 1:9 says: “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  You will not always know why things happen to you; but, God has a plan for you.

From Your Older Self

Destination Milwaukee

it seems almost unreal and strange that in a few months husband and i are relocating to milwaukee, wi.  we had never been there before and really did not know much about the city itself which warranted a mini vacation to explore and visit where husband will be working.

driving there from illinois is almost unreal because you can pretty much tell just by the scenery you are in wisconsin.  trees on both sides of the roads almost as far as your eyes can see.  husband kept joking that we must be in a national park because there were so many trees (oh how i love him so).

we stayed in a suburb as we have big plans for our future there.  we have decided to drum roll.............. become homeowners!!! excited is only one way to explain it.  not knowing anything about buying a home and applying for loans we were on the phone a lot with family members trying to get as much information as possible.  during the days we would drive around to the different houses i had found on the web to look at the neighborhoods and types of homes in those neighborhoods.  we ended up contacting a realtor who hooked us up with a loan officer and are on track (from what we know) to become first time homeowners in the next few months.

Milwaukee Art Museum

Just part of the MKE skyline

Marina on Lake Michigan

Walking the shoreline

bentdog has never been near water or sand for that matter so we were curious what he would do.  his paws hit the sand and he was as happy as could be.  he was running and jumping like we had never seen.  he was also very curious about the shore and even walked in the water a little bit!  i think he is going to like milwaukee just fine.

the last thing we did before heading back to illinois is visit dereks new work.  surprisingly, they let me come with him and oh my gosh i am pretty jealous.  the view that he gets to see each day at work is a m a z i n g!!!  a full 360 view of milwaukee.  he gets to see the skyline of downtown mke, lake michigan, south mke which looks to be mostly trees, and even the freeway looks incredible.

only a few more months and our lives will have so much change in it.  change for the better. positive change that make us grow more than ever before.

Palm Springs, CA

I have been über busy with school since my last post.  By über busy I mean ten week semesters of doing homework and class discussions for more than 40 hours a week, yes that is online classes folks.  While I get three week breaks in between semesters the very last thing I want to do is spend that time on the computer.  Recently, husband and I headed out to Palm Springs, CA for a vacation with my folks and sister.  We had never been to Palm Springs and were really looking forward to just enjoying our time (and getting school work done so I could enjoy my time).

            Going there we didn’t really have any specific plans for the week besides visiting my sister-in-law (and meeting her boyfriend!) and then also visiting Joshua Tree National Park.  We also ended up doing days laying by the pool, visiting an Air Museum, art fair, and what husband was most looking forward to… eating In-and-Out Burger. 

Palm Springs Windmill Farm

Joshua Tree

The fruit atop the Joshua Tree

 The Joshua tree got its name from Mormon settlers.  They believed the tree looked like a hand reaching to the sky during prayer from the book of Joshua.

Turtle Rock

Skull Rock

Poppies grow randomly throughout the National Park.  By randomly, I mean we never saw more than a single flower.  Their color looked so fake against the drab desert colors.

"Fire Cactus" - my name for these

Little lizard

 We saw close to six lizards in the desert.  They were 6"-2' in length and always super scared of anything that moved.

I LOVED these dead looking trees.  I assume they died because of the drought; but, they looked so amazing with the rocks.

Teddy Bear Cholla Cactus

PSP Tower

The inside of a wing

The story behind the custom painted Huey

Railway car

We didn't do the railway car for many reasons.  The drive up to it though was beautiful with mountains as far as the eye could see. 

The view from our room

Husband and Seester eating their Spam Musabi from the Hawaiian food booth

Musician

This guy was AMAZING!  I have no idea what he was dressed as because it looked like something from a video game.  Some of Derek's favorite YouTube channel owners (or something) approached this guy to talk about having him on their show.  And Derek got to meet his favorite YouTube channel people or whatever I didn't fully understand because I was eating Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream! 

Artist

You know those videos you see on Facebook with artists doing these absolutely incredible paintings with spray paint in a matter of minutes... yep this guy is one of them!  So much talent!

The art fair was pretty cool.  Our last night out we decided to walk the main streets and just experience what locals recommended for entertainment.  There were many food booths, musicians, and artists along the way as well.  I definitely recommend the art fair on Thursday nights in Palm Springs, CA to anybody and everybody if you are in town.