construction zone

The fun has begun, and we can't turn back!  Demolition has commenced in Cindy's kitchen, and it's a sorry sight, folks.  There's lots of plaster  (ceiling, stove wall) and soffits to be violently evicted from the premises.  It's looking like it's gonna be an after work and weekend schedule for a while now.  I'm accepting any and all volunteers...

Technologically Disadvantaged

I wanted to post some pics of the de-struction of the kitchen we did this weekend but I couldn't quite get the camera to co-operate. Maybe C2 will post some. We took down the false ceiling and found the original plaster ceiling which, actually, looks kind of cool. Very french farm-house shabby chic. Anyway, it begins...

Xmas

Here's some, not all, of the folks in my family-L to R, starting at the bottom:
Janelle, Mandy, Jake, Paul
Lois, Patty, Mom, Dad
Dick, Cindy, Patty, C2 and me!

Moving forward

It seemed like the minute I woke up on Tuesday, January 1st-everything was different. 2008 is the year-the year it all comes together for us. The year that we'll be able to be together, completely, for the rest of our lives.

new year, new resolve

There's nothing like spending Christmas with your honey at home with the family to feel like family, if ya get my drift. Being together with Cindy at home seems so seemless, like we've been together forever. 2008 is shaping up to be a very big year for us, as we move ahead and start on the hard work to get us moved and married. Here's to a most happy New Year to everybody. May it bring us all everything that we wish and hope for!

Here's a new post for today.

Let's think about warm, summer weather.

And

And I'm really hoping that C2 can post some lovely Xmas pics of our families celebrating the season.
Hint...hint...

A very Avery Christmas

We just got back from Dubuque yesterday afternoon after spending a few days with Bud, Mary and the rest of the Averys. It was nice and relaxing. With each Avery family event in 2007 (including the wedding in May and the art gallery trip to New York) I feel more and more just like one of their own.
Life is good.

Duh......

As the new year approaches, the fog is thinning out. Cindy made a reference to the ol' glass half full routine, and it seems that we were looking at the real estate mess as a half empty glass. Upon further analysis, it seems that the sub prime mess is an opportunity for us, not an impediment to our desire to buy a house and get married in it this coming year. If you look at it, next year may be a great year to get into a house for two reasons: prices are low and have probably bottomed out, and interest rates continue to fall. We should be able to buy a lot more for our money than we could have just a couple years ago. And it is most likely that the home value will appreciate rather than continue to decline. The hard part, of course, is the selling. We are not going to take near the amount of cash out of selling our properties that we would like, but that seems to be a short term problem. In the long term, the benefits of buying low far outweigh the issue of selling low, if ya get my drift.

We are planning on going full steam ahead after the 1st of the year with preparations to put our properties on the market as soon as we are able. At least that's what we're saying now..........

Hey! Stop Being Such a Downer, Cindy!

Sorry folks, I've only been looking at the glass half empty. I've been looking at the world through the opposite of rose-tinted glasses. Gloomy glasses.
But life is good-life is wonderful. Screw the economy! Screw the real estate market! None of that has anything to do with the fact that I've found the love of my life. I've found the person with whom I shall spend the rest of my days. My pissing and moaning and boo-hooing is nothing but stupid self-pity and I've decided to apologize to all of you who had to read it.
I'm the luckiest gal in the world.
Thanks C2!