Closure...

We're scheduled to close on the gingerbread house four weeks from today. That's four days after the semester starts. Looks like my first weekend is going to be action packed, between moving and grading papers (yes, I'm giving homework assignments that are due the first week - I'm such an ogre). Hope I live through it.

A new variation on an old theme...

The rain in Iowa
Falls mainly on the corn


I know - it doesn't rhyme, it doesn't "flow", it's lame....

blah, blah, blah

Brandy is holed up in her "safe" place behind the toilet. Poor baby. Gave her a doggie valium a little bit ago. She's really melllllllllllllloooooooowwwwww now.

More photos of the "new" place

It's 20 years older than I am, but three years younger than my mom!

 great fireplace - I think I'm going to put in a gas log, though.

I hauled enough ashes as a kid to fill a few dump trucks!

 Our flat screen isn't nearly this big, but it will work.

 Office or guest room

front room looking into office/guest room

 Kitchen (duh).

 dining area

dining area

view from dining area through living room to hallway

Master BR

3rd BR

We really love this room.

There's also a good sized basement for me to play in (woodworking, etc) and for the laundry. We hope to have a housewarming party this fall (sorry, Cynthia, but you're welcome when you come back from S. Africa!).



Momma always said that miracles happen every day...

Our financing came through - we're going to be homeowners!

Here's some photos of the house that will be ours (and the bank's) on August 26th:

Much ado about nothing...

Southern Iowa State Fair - not much to see. Nice to get out of the house, but even nicer to get back into the air conditioning after being in the heat for 2 hours.

Can't swing a dead cat...

Yesterday, we drove to Slater to attend a Tesdell family reunion. Met some folks that are related by blood, others that are only related by a long ago marriage between two (unrelated) Tesdell's. Nice group of folks - I've been "talking" to several of them on Facebook for a few years now, and it was nice to put faces with names.

On the way up, we drove through Ankeny - where I've got another "crop" of cousins - 2nd & 3rd, mostly.

There's a few 2nd cousins down here in Oskaloosa, another group in Norwalk (met some of them on July 4th - Spanky and the Meat Mafia is one killer BBQ!)

Some of my mom's ancestors are from just over the state line in Missouri - visited Kahoka a few weeks ago and took some headstone photos of ancestors.

I'm also discovering that, not only can we not swing a dead cat in Iowa without hitting a relation, the same holds true in Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, California, Utah, Maine, ... - the list goes on - this family (in old times) bred like rabbits!