House Update

People keep asking me how the house projects are going. I haven't wanted to blog about it because it looks like we aren't going to be moving soon after all. Our complex HOA is in the middle of a lawsuit with the builder. We have several neighbors that currently have their houses up for sale. Two of them went under contact pretty quick, but the week they were supposed to close it fell through because of the lawsuit.

So it looks like we aren't going to be able to sale our place anytime soon (at least until the economy gets better or the lawsuit gets resolved). So needless to say I've been a little sad. I was really looking forward to moving.

Anyway here is a quick update on the house projects.

Here is the ceiling fan we installed in our bedroom.

Here is our new kitchen sink and faucet. I wasn't sure how I was going to like the single basin sink but I love it.

Here is our new fridge. Notice the size difference between the new one (stainless steel) and the old one (white). We love our new fridge. If you want a laugh about the fridge visit Bernd's Blog and read his Ode to fridge! Oh, and I am so happy to have an ice maker again.

Here are the new knobs and pulls we put on our kitchen cabinets. We got an amazing deal on these.

We finally hung our diplomas and Bernd's Eagle Scout Award on the wall in the office. These have been sitting in frames on the floor for months.

When we first moved in we took down all of the blinds so we could paint. We finally re-hung all of the covers over the top on the windows. I think they are called valances (not sure). When we took them down a year ago we broke a lot of the clips. So we had to find another solution which I like better because there are not clear plastic clips showing now.

Bernd has also been patching holes left behind by the furniture movers and touching up the paint. I think that's about all for now. I think we are going to do tile floors next. We need to paint the bathroom walls and we also need to find new door handles for the whole house. So if anyone knows where we can get a deal on door handles and hinges let us know.

It's hard to stay motivated to get things done knowing that we aren't going to be listing our house soon. But hopefully we can get through these last couple of projects soon. I'm looking forward to everything being done.

Father's Day

Ok, again I’m a little late but please bear with me.

I just wanted to say Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and let him know how much I love him. I would not be the person I am today without my Dad. Most of you know that I’m a total Daddy’s girl. People always tell me that I know exactly how to get to my Dad (Mom) but it’s not my fault that he loves me so much!

My Dad has always been there for me. I tried all kinds of sports and hobbies growing up and my Dad was there for all of it. Every soccer game, dance recital, t-ball game, piano recital, swim meet, water polo game, and more recently Triathlons (to name a few). What I love about my Dad is that he learns all about whatever sport or hobby I’m interested in so that he can try and give me hints and continually encourage me to do better. I always teased him that part of why I played water polo is because he knew nothing about it so he couldn’t give me a hard time. Oh was I wrong, he is a quick learner.

My Dad was so patient with me growing up. Consistently trying to talk me into doing the things I needed to do like practice the piano and go to soccer practice. He would sit with me at the kitchen table for hours helping me with my homework. I didn’t make it easy on him either, I would put things off to the last minute and even though he didn’t like it he would sit up with me late into the night until I finished.

When I was young I thought my Mom would brush my hair too hard so I always wanted my Dad to brush through it after I got out of the bath. Hardly anyone knows that my Dad was the one that knew how to French braid hair and he would do it for me anytime I asked him to. He was the only one that knew how to tie my soccer cleats so that they didn’t hurt my feet. Only my Dad had the magic touch when my shoulder was so sore from swimming and I didn’t think I could swim my next race.

The night before my wedding my Dad called from the airport and told me that his flight was canceled because of a problem with the plane. I literally broke down. I instantly started crying because if my Dad couldn’t be there then I was going to cancel. I wasn’t going to do it without him. Luckily my Dad has amazing faith and devotion and he promised me that he would not miss my wedding, whatever it took. Thanks to faith and platinum status on Delta Airlines he was able to make it home.

I’m pretty sure when my parents had me they had no idea what was coming their way. I wasn’t the sweet little princess they had hoped for I’m sure. But I know deep down that my Dad always loved that I stood my own with the boys and that I made a couple of them cry in water polo. I think he loved that I was the only girl on my first soccer team.

My Dad is the rock of our family. He set an amazing example for my brothers of what it means to be a patriarch. He set the bar really high for me to find a husband because I wanted someone that was as wonderful as him. As I watch Josh with Harrison I’m so grateful that my Dad taught him so well.

What I love the most about my Dad is his strong testimony. I don’t know where any of us would be without his devotion to the church and his family. He is my strength. When I think about my Dad I get a glimpse of how much my Heavenly Father loves me because he sent me to him.

I Love You Dad!



I also wanted to wish Josh a Happy Father’s Day and let him know that I think he’s an amazing Dad and husband. Like father like son. When I think about when I’ve seen Josh the happiest I think about the day he left on his mission, the day he got married, and the day Harrison was born. But I think the day he became a father was the day that his most anticipated calling in life began. He was meant to be a Dad that's for sure.