tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52969152011-11-23T10:34:19.569-05:00by Nate and RikkiNatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541562034552773564noreply@blogger.comBlogger6461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-15891774261632967202011-11-22T21:21:00.002-05:002011-11-23T10:34:19.591-05:00

Well I am getting worse about writing. Not like there isn't anything to blog about. Being a Military Spouse and all the things that have gone on this year, there is plenty to write about. The Military has taken us onto our next adventure. We are back on the east coast and back in Virginia. We had a great month of October visiting family during our move. It was much needed time to spend with

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-26893262195149489972011-09-06T23:55:00.000-04:002011-09-08T14:23:20.230-04:00

As we passed the Monterey county fairgrounds a few weeks ago I saw on their LED sign that a Steely Dan tribute band was playing at the fair. Steely Dan being the band that performed the song "Rikki don't lose that number" which is the source of my wonderful wife's name. She's had that song as her cellphone ring tone ever since we learned to hack into our first cellphones. I looked up the band

Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541562034552773564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-62292520982385327282011-08-09T21:17:00.001-04:002011-08-19T22:01:42.787-04:00

This has been a horrible year! Two other people I know have passed away this year. Carol E. Stephens of Northfield, VT passed away on July 30th. Prof. Stephens was a faculty instructor at Norwich University. Brian R. Bill of Stamford, CT passes away on August 6th. Navy SEAL Petty Officer Brian was a classmate from Norwich University. Prof. Stephens is the second to have passed from cancer

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-37829685921646774832011-06-22T13:50:00.003-04:002011-06-27T13:21:13.906-04:00

It has taken me a while to write this because of the catch up work I have been trying to get done from my trip but I did want to post about it.I had a very interesting May. I left home on May 11th and didn't return until later in the evening of June 4th. I went to Kansas to visit my siblings and parents. One of my brothers was graduating from High School. It was cold in Kansas again. I say

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-82640062538942264892011-04-23T23:36:00.003-04:002011-04-24T01:01:22.356-04:00

7 weeks ago now Papa passed away. It has been a struggle. Part of me is holding out hope that Papa will be there when I arrive in Boston on the 22nd. Another part of me is trying to prepare for the fact that I am just not going to see. I then proceed to tell myself that I need to get over the fact that the last time that I saw him was 2 years ago. That hurts! It all hurts!! It is horrible

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-1951988436473445982011-03-20T14:15:00.002-04:002011-03-20T14:46:44.093-04:00

It has been two weeks since Papa passed. It isn't any easier. I think about my next trip back to Boston, in May, and I get a little anxious and queasy. I worry that when I go home the reality of him being gone will set in. I fear of having a break down in front of Nana. I fear that I will forget that he has passed and will walk in and say "Nana and Papa I am home." That will in turn upset

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-67034796712328771352011-03-07T13:41:00.003-05:002011-03-07T21:50:44.999-05:00

On Saturday the morning of the 5th, it was a clear and sunny day. Nathan and I had an open house for the NPS Running Club. I spent some time this morning preparing for the breakfast party. I was receiving updates from Aunt Maria & Christina this morning before our guests arrived.At 8:05 AM I took Angel for an hour long walk while the NPS Running Club went for their run. Halfway through the

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-91962834226899764072011-03-06T08:42:00.004-05:002011-07-07T14:02:17.861-04:00

Monday, February 28th, Papa went in for surgery. He was going to finally be able to have a stent put in so that he could eat. He was originally scheduled to have the surgery on Wednesday, February 23rd but he had a mini stroke or TIA on Tuesday, February 22nd. So instead of the surgery on Wednesday he had an MRI. The MRI didn't show anything that would be cause for an alarm. Papa will be

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-63500870149329719652011-02-21T18:25:00.003-05:002011-02-21T18:37:58.995-05:00

I should say we are at least going to try. I have been doing some research for MSBA on trying to figure out how to apply for a Cooperative Agreement with SBA. A colleague with MSBA was noticing that some of the websites we use for reference, for fellow Military Spouse Business owners, are partially funded with SBA through a Cooperative Agreement.I called SBA to try to find more information on

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-91431707640464449222011-02-10T13:51:00.004-05:002011-02-10T20:00:27.701-05:00

OOOOOHH does my brain hurt! It takes me a day to gather all the paperwork. Another day to verify with my excel spreadsheet. Two days to input all the information into the tax system online, with our tax accountant. We wait to hear from them that they received all that information. Another day to fax over paperwork.This is of course only after I make sure we have all the bills in for the 2010

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-45443478422204488272011-02-08T19:56:00.003-05:002011-02-10T20:02:52.370-05:00

Papa has been having some difficulty swallowing and keeping food down. He was taken to the emergency room 2 weeks ago. After some trouble Nana had with the initial ER doctor a wonderful nurse performed a small test. Papa had to try to swallow a small pill and some water. He wasn't able to; everything came up. A GI Specialist was called in to look at Papa at this point.The GI Specialist

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-59991872610428298392011-02-06T14:28:00.003-05:002011-02-10T20:04:42.866-05:00

This winter is already making me a happier person. Hopefully it will help turn around my negative feelings regarding the weather here. Last year it was very wet, rainy and cloudy. This year we have less rain and it is actually reaching into the 70's. I tell Nathan, I would truly be a happy camper if it stayed in the 70's every day.About a week ago we had 70 degree weather for the entire week.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-27507689012474810482011-02-02T00:46:00.001-05:002011-02-10T20:06:31.562-05:00

I applied for some jobs when I moved here to CA. Of course I got some of those nice letters saying "Thank You for applying but...." I also heard nothing at all from others. I did work a part time seasonal job for low pay. I don't think I will be doing that again. But at the time it was great to just get out of the house. It did all kind of work out for the best. All the house work had me

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-3272546514398286582011-02-01T20:12:00.004-05:002011-02-10T20:08:16.137-05:00

It seemed to be a constant battle to keep the house clean for the last year and a half with all the remodel and renovations. Now that we are done I spent the last two days giving this old house a real decent cleaning and some reorganizing. I can't believe what a difference that made. Great so now you all thinking that I am lazy and a major slob. I am the exact opposite. Hubby doesn't like it

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-63210492134727572242011-01-11T16:05:00.002-05:002011-01-11T16:24:24.228-05:00

with the garage floor. I know that is strange. I had to get on my belly in order to sweep one corner of the garage floor. This is due to the stand/shelf that the hot water heater sits on. Trying to sweep up all the drywall and dust from around that shelf, YUCK!!The insanity of cleaning out the garage today is in preparation for the epoxy coating that will happen tomorrow. A very happy note -

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-72058879406894088172011-01-06T18:30:00.005-05:002011-01-06T20:11:51.542-05:00

We are getting down on the list of projects. There are fewer of them. It is nice but it is sad too. In just another 8 months we will be preparing to move again. Yes, that would be the wonders of a military lifestyle.The KitchenA picture of the mess from after paintingTiling the floor Installing the island Grouting the tile floorSeal the groutAdd a shelf to the island which will hold my recipe

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-71932672828762784642010-12-28T12:19:00.002-05:002010-12-28T12:31:48.909-05:00

I don't recall the last time hubby and I went on a date. It has been months. I think Nathan would say we have a date every day with all the house remodeling we do. But today we are going to the movies. WOOHOO! We are off to go see Harry Potter. Nathan said maybe even ice-cream after?!Honestly with the house remodeling we do spend more time together but that is time spent working so no "us"

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-6809212401548253162010-12-19T23:18:00.002-05:002010-12-19T23:32:08.805-05:00

Nathan has been home for two days and I admit that I am a slave driver, LOL!! With the two days he has been home he has spent more time with granite than I think he would like to admit to.Granite was cut yesterday in preparation for installing it today. That didn't work out as well as we liked. When we got ready to install it today we realized there were some problems. So he had to recut

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-67949143146429565182010-12-14T19:54:00.005-05:002010-12-14T21:13:39.618-05:00

The front door handle was having problems over 2 months ago. I took the handle apart and realigned the turning mechanism. Honestly I am not sure what the part is called. It was a little black stick that was inside the half of the door handle that is in the house. That seemed to work for a couple of weeks but I think the other half of the door handle lock also got out of alignment.Today was my

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-29928006125837580412010-12-13T08:56:00.002-05:002010-12-13T09:16:47.198-05:00

This last week I have spent some time on the phone with Home Depot in town and yesterday morning to the store in Salinas. The associate in the flooring department at the HD in town had been very helpful; she understood what I was looking for, did the research for me, asked me some questions and then let me know that she was waiting for someone to help her retrieve the items. She told me she

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-37624715355901973172010-12-07T18:10:00.000-05:002010-12-07T20:00:40.387-05:00

LandscapingLayed down interlocking tile on the back patio.We finally situated/built an appropriate area to place the fire pit. We used some of the left over firebrick from the pizza oven.Cement walkways were poured and built on the right and left side of the house. We used the leftover tile from the Master Bathroom shower to give one of the the walkways a little bit of color.Filled in one of

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-36360252326512256722010-12-06T20:00:00.001-05:002010-12-07T12:40:59.023-05:00

So this weekend was busy as are most weekends. We wanted to finish tiling the kitchen floor. So on Friday we started tiling. It didn't go too horribly. We ran out of thinset and stopped. So another trip to Home Depot on Saturday morning to pick up another bag of thinset and another box of tiles.Saturday morning we get back from our trip, prepare the area and get ready to work. I start to lay

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-37422512444660163102010-12-02T17:27:00.006-05:002010-12-02T18:09:49.318-05:00

As far as I know Papa Sullivan should be home! YAAAYY!! Papa Sullivan hasn't been home since June. Lots of in and out of the hospital and rehabilitation centers. He wasn't able to be home for Thanksgiving but is so happy that he will be home for Christmas. I am keeping my fingers crossed that nothing bad will happen to change that.I am afraid that this will also mean a new way of living.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-63261775669704037602010-12-01T19:40:00.003-05:002010-12-01T21:11:54.731-05:00

It is about 4:30PM on Wednesday evening. I am sitting here on my bed trying to get some work done. I have been somewhat successful in that task today. There is a wonderful aroma coming from the Master Bathroom. I know usually there isn't anything wonderful about the smell of a bathroom. But since my kitchen is in chaos, I am cooking supper in the crockpot, on the nice, long, bathroom sink

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-45085510482251722782010-11-07T14:04:00.008-05:002010-11-07T16:03:35.811-05:00

Pizza OvenThe Pizza Oven has been a significant project over the last two months. Nathan posted all about the Pizza Oven so I will just let you read his story.LandscapingThe rainy season starts here around October so before starting the kitchen remodel we thought that we would enjoy the nice September summer weather and start doing outside projects. We have been doing nothing but indoor

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-18372286076917935652010-10-30T22:19:00.021-04:002010-11-07T13:50:44.568-05:00

After my first successful masonry project with the stucco fence I decided to take it to the next level. Who knew the next level was so far above my head. The concept is pretty simple. Create a Pompeii style pizza oven. After doing some research online we found out a pizza oven manufacturer was just a few miles away. Forno Bravo turned out to be our supplier and resource for pizza oven

Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541562034552773564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-29059152347542769762010-10-03T21:54:00.001-04:002010-10-03T21:57:24.473-04:00

I finally got rid of a stubborn trojan horse on my computer. It took me a couple weeks. I was using Symantic Endpoint Protection (free license from school) and it failed miserably. It turns out all the major antivirus programs are only about 50% effective these days so antivirus software is very unreliable. I've never liked Norton, and I won't be using it again. The trojan was installed when I

Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541562034552773564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-22257862278368871092010-09-07T22:03:00.010-04:002010-09-07T23:41:25.457-04:00

New Garage Door Before AfterNathan hard wired the door opener to the electrical box.I painted the new studs.New Backyard Fence Before In the first of two pictures is Robert our back yard neighbor. Old fence torn down and yards cleaned-up. Measuring out the post holes After the posts were set with concrete. After top rail and bottom rail were secured. A couple of pickets secured

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-67588197805352398872010-08-23T19:32:00.002-04:002010-08-23T19:44:04.931-04:00

Angel had her post surgery check-up on Friday. Everything is going well. She won't be able to play with sticks or her idea of helping us cut up trees and roots for another month or so. The stitches are still in there and will probably not dissolve for another month. She had her bordetella shot while we were there as well. Today is her last day of antibiotics.Nathan and I will continue to put

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-47693081853476559962010-08-14T08:50:00.002-04:002010-08-14T09:16:54.705-04:00

We brought Angel in for a check up on the open sore under her eye that just won't heal. I guess I should give a little background first before I go into the specifics.Last year before our move to CA I took Angel in for her first tooth cleaning. Everything went very well, well except on my nerves that is. Anesthesia makes me nervous and there is just as much of a risk to dogs as there are to

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-75318229545736545562010-08-02T15:37:00.010-04:002010-08-03T14:23:01.771-04:00

It was a fairly relaxing month. My parents were here the first week of the month so we did a lot of touristy things. The rest of the month was working on getting some other projects completed. The front fence is finally done. The ornamental fence was installed the day after my birthday. It looks beautiful! A huge difference from the original wood fence. The house looks more inviting and

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-12059468172846740242010-07-27T17:52:00.002-04:002010-07-27T18:03:09.873-04:00

Poor Papa! I think he is taking all of this like a trooper. After an appointment with the Orthopedic Specialist on Monday he was told he would need to have surgery again. Apparently he either re-injured or the surgery didn't "take/heal" properly. The knee was in the same condition as it was before the first surgery (June 24th).As far as I understand now it wasn't a torn meniscus that was

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-4942829474838905102010-07-26T19:26:00.000-04:002010-07-27T17:51:57.846-04:00

The big 3.1. birthday! It was really good! Nathan spoiled me this weekend with supper, homemade ice-cream and cake. Of course for just the two of us we had cake again today.Nathan got me a new "wonder tool." My other wonder tool had been abused. My new wonder tool is even equipped with a small screwdriver and a rubber grip handle. Pretty bad when the lady likes her tools. That is when you

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-63032804104650091252010-07-13T15:47:00.012-04:002010-07-13T18:16:44.124-04:00

Sorry I am late on getting this up. Nathan and I kept ourselves pretty busy the month of June. He was out of school for about three weeks so we got a lot of silly stuff done. We were hoping some of the bigger projects that we decided to pay someone else to do would have been done by the end of the month as well but they weren't :(Master Bathroom Master Bathroom before we started was a bedroom

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-70737749655207118092010-07-12T18:17:00.000-04:002010-07-13T18:42:36.327-04:00

If you are up on Facebook and have an account I posted a lot of pictures from Mom & Dad's visit out to Monterey County, CA. On July 4th Nathan took dad up flying with a friend and classmate from NPS. They flew up to Half Moon Bay.From July 5th: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=188403&id=700651469&l=e6b478db03From July 6th: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=188964&id=700651469&l=

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-1837143623905169022010-07-03T23:56:00.002-04:002010-07-04T00:01:44.069-04:00

Mom and dad are here! I am excited! It is nice to have family visit. Mom traveled to see me for my birthday while Nathan and I lived in HI. It was nice of her to come out and keep me busy as that was the time that Nathan was gone on deployment. We haven't had any family travel to see us since then.Nathan is off through Monday but Tuesday he goes back to school. We will hopefully keep them

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-85420951549878375852010-06-25T20:55:00.000-04:002010-07-03T21:09:12.349-04:00

Thursday June 24th Papa went in for surgery to replace a torn meniscus in his left knee. During Preop on Wednesday the cardiologist noticed that Papa had a heart attack. Before surgery could be done tomorrow he needed to have a stress test. Since Papa couldn't do the physical stress test he was going to have a chemically induced stress test. This was scheduled for the morning. He wasn't

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-57454709522111508232010-06-09T23:43:00.001-04:002010-07-03T23:56:22.489-04:00

Papa was in the hospital today. Had difficult getting in and out of the house to get to Aunt Maria's for Christina's birthday. He wasn't able to use the leg at all this morning. There was a bruise on the back of his left knee and the knee felt hot to the touch. Nana has stated the knee has felt hot to the touch for a little while and that there has been a gradual decline in the use of the

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-25270251919993217712010-06-07T00:09:00.003-04:002010-06-07T10:34:54.347-04:00

On May 22nd Nathan and I helped the Neighborhood Association do some work to clean up the local Highland Otis Park.Nathan had gone for a run in the morning and while he was gone for his run he saw the association doing some work on the park and asked if they needed help. I was worried about him, after he was gone for two hours, and called him. He told me what he was doing and then asked me to

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-46138707651783177752010-06-01T19:52:00.007-04:002010-06-06T23:24:20.476-04:00

The projects for the month of May, have been kind of slow. It took a couple of weeks before the glass company came out to do the measurements for the shower door.Stain & PolyurethaningMaster bathroom door and all the trim for the hallway, master bedroom and master bathroom. Vanities & Counter TopsSecured the vanities to the wall and installed the granite counter tops. Thomas KinkadeAdded

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-8362477709879757152010-05-09T19:08:00.000-04:002010-06-06T20:49:31.483-04:00

Today is the test. To see if the last three months of work we did is going to pay off. Do mom and dad know? Do they even have a clue? My brothers and sisters have been having weekly phone calls for the last three months to plan this. It was harder for us to pick a time to do this than putting it together. Kelli is the expert table designer. David, Kevin and Kandi were the negotiators. Keith and

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-28827236350017041032010-05-08T18:09:00.004-04:002010-06-06T23:27:28.938-04:00

It was another long day but also another great day. Started the day with pre-graduation brunch and lots of pictures. Followed by graduation ceremony. Graduation Party

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-66525912478962390242010-05-07T17:46:00.000-04:002010-06-06T18:07:42.918-04:00

After picking everyone up at the airport in the morning all of the girls, well with the exception of mom and Aunt Anne, went bridal dress shopping. I made appointments for us about a month or so ago; Mia's Bridal and then David's Bridal.Aunt Sheila isn't going to be able to come to the wedding so she went shopping with us. We tried on several dresses at Mia's but we nor the bride was ecstatic

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-66658285256193148732010-04-30T19:32:00.013-04:002010-04-30T22:32:29.798-04:00

Finish Master Bath ShowerFinished tiling the shower, grout and seal grout. Finish Master Bath FloorInstall floor heat matting. Tile over floor heat, grout and seal grout. Mudding or Joint Compounding We had to mud the entire hallway and master bedroom walls. There was something similar to a popcorn texture applied to the walls that we didn't like. We tried to sand down this texture

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-86998168711424382072010-04-20T18:57:00.000-04:002010-04-30T19:31:51.981-04:00

Friday afternoon after he gets home from work his birthday present is delivered. No this wasn't intentional. I know he doesn't like waiting to open presents so I let him open it. HP Mini 210 or netbook. Now he can take this light 3lb PC to school with him versus his 7lb HP. He likes it!On Sunday he planted strawberry and tomato seeds using the dirt from the composter. On Sunday

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-7990457402688038012010-04-11T21:47:00.006-04:002010-04-12T00:08:09.269-04:00

I am late in posting the March projects but here they are :)Putting up drywall in the master bathroom There was an inspection after this point. This was for the last structure check.Putting up cement board Just before tiling we sealed the gaps between the cement boards.Tiling of the shower So we didn't quiet finish the shower by the end of the month. We did about 2/3rd's and put

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-89961861550175797792010-03-09T19:51:00.021-05:002010-03-16T15:08:34.855-04:00

A month ago now my Papa (my mother's father) fell a few too many times in 12 hours. He was taken to the hospital. He spent a couple of days there due to difficulty in finding the problem with his right lower leg. He complained of pain and was having difficulty walking.After a couple of days of this they gave a diagnosis of general weakness. The solution was some physical therapy to regain

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-41100855541717099682010-03-08T23:24:00.016-05:002010-03-10T10:24:07.291-05:00

Knock Down The Wall The wall between the bedrooms. This is where we left off. The wall taken down to prepare for closet and door.The Plumbing Work The shower pan installed with drain. The shower head. Hot and cold water for the vessel sinks and electrical for sink outlets and new light. Sewer and water for the toilet.New Sewer Line The new pipe laid out for installation wrapped around the

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-63677757217218656042010-02-11T20:24:00.002-05:002010-02-11T20:50:02.310-05:00

I called a plumber today after another back-up in the shower/bath tub this morning. Nathan spent three hours outside snaking the sewer line. He did pull out some roots that were causing the block. This morning everything seemed like it was fine. We could at least flush the toilet again until I took a shower.Two weeks ago we had a flood in the garage after Nathan flushed the toilet and I had a

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-4953322984505962942010-01-31T16:43:00.003-05:002010-02-09T19:27:15.397-05:00

The construction company started work on replacing our electric meter panel and sub-panel. Power or wires The meter that was connected directly to the wires. The problem with this connection was there was no way to shut off the electricity to the house. The new meter panel. The new meter panel box installed. The new meter panel approved by the city/town. The old sub-panel The wires to the

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-69002645968183341682009-12-31T22:32:00.025-05:002010-01-02T19:54:52.349-05:00

Rewiring The Outlets Rewire the living room outlet and add a new outdoor outlet. In the new Master Bathroom add a new outdoor outlet. Add a new outlet in the master bedroom as we will lose one outlet for the construction of the new Master Bath. Kitchen outlet and hole created. Living room outlets.Prepare Guest Bedroom For Paint View of the room after sanding for the third time

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-72212114483977535412009-12-25T01:52:00.001-05:002010-01-02T18:04:10.588-05:00

Putting together and decorating the Christmas Tree. We decided to put up our fake one as it was $60 to buy a real one. Christmas Eve supper. Christmas Breakfast. Thank You for the recipe Lanette! Angel with her stocking. Treats I made for her. She is a little confused as she thinks she will get in trouble for having too many treats. Chocolate and hard candy in his stocking

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-39896384528882471972009-12-19T00:31:00.000-05:002010-01-01T01:18:53.476-05:00

Today she is 7. I made her a birthday cake this year. She has had to deal with this house remodeling.Here are some pictures of her enjoying some cake: Happy Birthday Angel!

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-91371816288943625802009-12-12T22:42:00.003-05:002009-12-12T22:46:23.934-05:00

"He who fights against the weak and loses, loses. He who fights against the weak and wins also loses. To kill an opponent who is much weaker than yourself is unnecessary and therefore cruel; to let that opponent kill you is unnecessary and therefore foolish."

Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541562034552773564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-43396212429048520742009-11-30T22:34:00.000-05:002009-12-07T23:46:33.027-05:00

First Project - Take down the sheetrock from the ceiling in the guest bedroom. There were some problems with mold so we wanted to eliminate that. Tear down Adding insulation in the attic. The rod had tapped to it the new wire for the ceiling fan. Opening the new ceiling fan Installed part of the ceiling fan Nathan's home built T bar that will help us hold up the new piece of mold resistant

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-51802861687334697102009-11-24T23:46:00.000-05:002009-12-08T00:02:14.327-05:00

Our Thanksgiving Day was very relaxing. No house projects today but definitely for the rest of the weekend.We were both motivated this morning and worked out since we knew we would eat alot this afternoon. Just before the turkey was placed in the oven. Three hours later. Taking the first bites. The meal includes turkey, Grandma Tyner's carrots, stuffing made with beer (sorry mom I forgot the

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-40918551325933083502009-11-12T17:58:00.000-05:002009-11-17T17:59:38.570-05:00

MSRRA was signed by President Obama yesterday. Here is the press release from the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act Coalition.Military Spouses finally have a State to call Home;Landmark Bill is signed in the Month of the Military FamilyWashington, DC –Wednesday, November 11, 2009. On Veterans Day, President Barack Obama signed into law the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (S 475 and HR

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-875584460574439262009-11-05T17:08:00.001-05:002009-11-05T17:09:46.327-05:00

Military Spouses Residency Relief Act awaits the President’s approvalWashington, DC – Tuesday, November 3, 2009. A comprehensive military family legislation, the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (S 475 and HR 1182), which will legally recognize military spouses by providing them the option to claim the same state of domicile as their active duty spouse, passed through the House and

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-44891189054847355272009-11-02T17:45:00.003-05:002009-11-02T17:49:40.644-05:00

The House floor passed S 475 under suspension today at 11:23 PST.The last I wrote we were hoping that HR 1182 would be heard by the Full House VA Committee on October 28th. The bill didn't show up on the schedule but the day later we received word of possible other good news. On the 30th the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act Coalition heard that the bill would be reviewed under suspension

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-31607360525492148252009-10-30T00:36:00.000-04:002009-11-02T01:53:01.893-05:00

The month of October was starting to repair the closets in the bedrooms so that the rooms will look bigger and to prepare for new interior doors.The work in the Master Bedroom: Before I actually didn't have a picture of the beam from the closet that came through the ceiling.Removing the old drywall and nails.The last of the drywall removed.Removed the beam from the ceiling closet support beam

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-63694467060965509062009-10-27T18:04:00.001-04:002009-10-27T18:12:37.794-04:00

I have completed the redesign of our business website. It has taken me 2 months to do it. Please let us know what you think and if you find any problems.All In One Desktops

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-9200147768205372072009-10-26T18:12:00.000-04:002009-10-27T18:16:44.604-04:00

HR 1182 didn't make it on the schedule for Thursday for mark-up with the full VA Committee.The coalition continues to call to obtain new cosponsors in support of the bill.Click on the widget to the right to get up-to-date information.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-41075810512769453072009-10-22T17:20:00.003-04:002009-10-22T17:22:59.761-04:00

I find this interesting. There was no mention of California in this article either. I know that here in Seaside government offices are closed on Fridays and that they have been doing that since May.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-35939042756945381792009-10-08T17:52:00.001-04:002009-10-27T18:18:16.471-04:00

The mark-up hearing wasn't broadcasted today. After twenty minutes of staring at a black screen I checked in with the other MSBA ladies to see if they were able to get anything. We are on dial-up here so all video downloading is slow. The MSBA ladies weren't getting anything either. I called the VA Committee to find out if the hearing was cancelled. Hearing wasn't cancelled it just got out.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-25985419375271199212009-10-07T00:39:00.003-04:002009-10-07T00:57:29.887-04:00

I didn't post what happened at the September 24th hearing. Military Spouses Residency Relief Act wasn't being voted on. The hearing was just an informational hearing for the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee to hear facts, statistics and information about the bill. We received some great support from MOAA, VFW, AMVETS, and Vietnam Veterans of America.The Economic Opportunity Subcommittee has

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-46130914491491880302009-09-27T23:21:00.001-04:002009-10-01T23:31:34.973-04:00

It is Nathan's last day of vacation or break. He took some time today to organize out the garage for me and to utilize his new cabinet. I helped him clean down the cabinet and then install the one extra shelf. He took care of the rest. As if that wasn't enough he also put on the outside, bottom trim on the back door.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-40779903429982091462009-09-26T20:38:00.000-04:002009-10-01T23:02:45.329-04:00

Nathan was off for a week between semesters. We kept ourselves pretty busy with house projects.1.) Change the thermostat - We bought a programmable thermostat that was on sale. The thermostat is meant to work with a gas wall heater which we have. Have I mentioned that everything here in CA runs off gas? That might be a rant for another post. Before AfterThe before picture is the only

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-27208255693194766362009-09-24T15:54:00.000-04:002009-09-29T15:57:26.582-04:00

Nathan drove back down to Carmel today with two buddies from school. He went to pick up the cabinet that the wonderful lady from Tuesday sold to us for $10. This is a much needed addition to help organize the garage with all the stuff that we now store in it.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-48289480732065976552009-09-23T19:52:00.003-04:002009-09-23T19:57:40.895-04:00

Military Spouses Residency Relief Act has a big day tomorrow; House Hearing. If the bill passes the hearing tomorrow, Military Spouses are on the home stretch to being able to declare one state of residency :) Thank goodness as I would like to be able to put my name back on the title of my vehicle. I would also appreciate not having to stand in another DMV line. Okay so maybe just one more DMV

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-68389330814600865892009-09-22T15:37:00.000-04:002009-09-29T15:54:32.002-04:00

Today we drove down to Carmel By The Sea. It was our first time in Carmel. A beautiful area. The homes are bigger compared to our home here in Seaside.Nathan called a wonderful lady who posted an ad on Craigslist for miscellaneous home remodeling or building odds and ends. She was offering everything that she had for $50. After talking with her yesterday we agreed to meet her today to look

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-82346678445829496272009-09-18T19:50:00.001-04:002009-09-23T19:57:03.964-04:00

If you have time today please pick up the phone and call your Congressman/woman. When you call the office in DC ask to speak with the Military Legislative Aide (MLA). They will ask for your name and if you are calling with an organization. Tell them that you are calling for the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act Coalition. If you are able to speak with the MLA ask if they know about HR 1182.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-78817086724197324172009-09-15T21:06:00.001-04:002009-09-21T22:38:16.605-04:00

Three weeks ago we started this project and we were finally able to finish it this weekend. Nathan says it is difficult to reach the light in the attic. He is the only one that has been up there. You can't walk around up in the attic it is just a crawl space. The old wires from the chandalier. Old wires removed and ready for the new ceiling fan. New wires for the new ceiling fan. Ceiling fan

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-18795570481869569592009-09-10T22:49:00.005-04:002009-09-10T22:54:16.411-04:00

Since Rikki was so kind to take and post numerous pictures of me I thought I should pay her back, though I don't take nearly as many pictures.I'm just glad Ahab was not around while I had my shirt off.

Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541562034552773564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-90739584213881880502009-09-08T22:22:00.009-04:002009-09-10T22:49:19.238-04:00

It was a short 3 day weekend. It was a weekend full of projects. It took us two days to sand, stain and polyurethane the vanity and the medicine cabinet. Monday we spent the day doing what other fellow military wives call "demolition." We took a window out and cut part of the wall to put in a back door. This also included installing a storm and doggie door. Finishing using his reciprocating

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-21362864074470172962009-08-31T11:10:00.001-04:002009-09-07T11:41:28.869-04:00

It is time to say goodbye - to the front door that is.The door is not attractive. It has been painted I don't know how many times. It may possibly be the original door from when the house was built in the 50's. We made a trip to Home Depot to purchase all the supplies we thought that we were going to need to replace the door. This included a storm door we want to install a doggie door in.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-61662255899003937542009-08-24T12:12:00.001-04:002009-08-25T19:09:11.679-04:00

If last week wasn't exciting enough with racoons, last night it was a skunk. Nathan let Angel out to go to the bathroom. She was fine. A couple of minutes later Nathan checks on her and she darts after something small that ran under Nathan's truck. Nathan calls her and she doesn't come. Nathan yelled for her the second time but noticed she had already stopped and was on her way back inside.At

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-62826256320648789252009-08-19T16:39:00.003-04:002009-08-19T17:37:23.654-04:00

Our local Chamber of Commerce has gone to the City Council to request $15,000 to keep going until the end of the year.Here is a link to the story.It is hard to hear that companies are still hurting and need help. As a business owner I understand how frustrating it is to not know where you company is heading. After picking up and moving our company I don't know what to do or even where to go

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-80359116674005746792009-08-18T17:40:00.000-04:002009-08-19T17:44:12.972-04:00

Nathan received an e-mail request from a friend in wanting to know how we started the business. Here is what I wrote to her:I started All In One Desktops after I went to a free seminar where business owners talked about how they started their business. I went to the seminar because it was something that I was interested in doing but wasn't sure where to start. I did try to start my own dance

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-60776287290347693022009-08-12T23:00:00.002-04:002009-08-16T14:21:38.414-04:00

We had a meeting this morning with Dustin Cook of D. Cook Construction. He is an architect that owns his own business. He originally started the company to build new homes. He decided that remodeling homes was more challenging and would do that. He and his employees now remodel homes.In our meeting with Dustin we showed him the 3-D Google Sketch-Up image and discussed some projects we were

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-33987870698309320012009-08-10T16:03:00.006-04:002009-08-19T21:35:20.719-04:00

UPDATE 8/19/2009This is a California Laurel or an Umbellularia Californica.Our neighbor Stan knew what this tree was when we asked him.Rikki and I spent an hour or two trying to figure out what tree this is. No luck so we posted it to the arbor day forums for help and linked to the pictures below. It blooms small white flowers and the birds love the small berries.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-30000379868407918652009-08-09T20:25:00.009-04:002009-08-09T20:35:30.333-04:00

We used Google's free sketchup tool to create a 3-d model of our house for renovations. A bit of a learning curve but this is a great tool.It even allowed me to pull in a photo from Google Earth to overlay the model on. If I was really motivated I could submit my model to be added to Google Earth, maybe later.

Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541562034552773564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-75706914477179074542009-08-07T17:01:00.001-04:002009-08-09T16:21:07.618-04:00

Two Days, that was it. We were expecting them to start today but instead they are done. They arrived yesterday morning and started working. We did have some problems yesterday. First problem two layers of tar and gravel. It took the two gentlemen all day to remove it. They did save some of the gravel from the back part of the roof for us to reuse. At the end of the day they did cover the

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-63726442533894634592009-08-05T19:51:00.003-04:002009-08-06T19:50:57.531-04:00

Thank You Laura! She had Ross Roofing come out and look at the roof, to give us an estimate, after our inspection showed we needed to have it retarred and graveled. We found out that a tar and gravel roof is only gauranteed for three years. That is not good enough for us. In the long term it would cost us more to have the roof redone every three years.This morning we had an appointment with

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-55225821671178615312009-07-30T13:35:00.002-04:002009-08-08T14:16:09.288-04:00

The movers were here today. It took three guys four hours to unpack all of our stuff. The house is smaller than we realized. We weren't making the situation any better by closing off the second bedroom (the room that is going to become the master bathroom and walk-in closet).Here is what the house looked like at the end of the day.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-70315442144339154412009-07-27T18:39:00.004-04:002009-08-06T19:54:16.128-04:00

It was a great way to spend a birthday. We finished polyurethaning the floors yesterday (5 coats worth I must add). We took today off and rested. We were so tired and worn out from getting the floor finished that we took the day off. We slept in and Nathan took me for a walk down to the bakery. I could have anything I wanted! That is not really a good thing for him to have done. I was good

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-7288501773425265162009-07-25T22:57:00.002-04:002009-07-26T16:51:27.890-04:00

It has been a week since we pulled the hardwood floor up in one room and replaced the wood chipped boards. We then filled in holes, scraped off the paint, sanded, stained and then put on 5 coats of glossy polyurethane. It has been a lot of work, lots of long hours, constant sweeping, 1 day of cleaning the house from top to bottom and 3 nights of sleeping in the back of the truck, on an air

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-69969971640433316542009-07-25T22:19:00.000-04:002009-07-26T01:20:04.924-04:00

9:30pm PDT and for the first time ever I cooked Jiffy Pop popcorn. Nathan and I have been wanting some popcorn but I don't have a microwave and I now have to get used to gas appliances. The only option for making popcorn, using a gas appliance, was Jiffy Pop. I have to say I was impressed. It popped pretty well, there were only a few corn kernels. It took about the same amount of time to pop

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-11328842981580992532009-07-23T16:36:00.002-04:002009-07-26T16:52:15.933-04:00

BIG NEWS for MSRRA! Military Spouses may soon be able to declare a home state of record. Hopefully by the end of the year President Obama will be signing the Defense Authorization Act that will include the amendment for Military Spouses Residency Relief Act.As of today the Chairman of the VA Committee, Sen. Daniel Akaka, and 86 other Senators agreed to attach S 475 to S 1390.The next steps for

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-66683287658196454462009-07-17T21:30:00.000-04:002009-07-26T02:10:30.272-04:00

Today we started our venture in fixing the hardwood so that we can sand, stain and make it shine. It was a long hard day. We finished putting hardwood floor in the third bedroom. We filled in the holes from having removed the wood chipped boards and from where we knocked down the closet. I also worked on removing the paint from the floor (so it wouldn't tear up our sand paper quickly) and

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-25428208656553325202009-07-09T15:34:00.000-04:002009-07-26T15:54:18.790-04:00

We spent the middle of the week tearing down closets, pulling staples and nails out of the wood floor and cleaning. I know I mentioned that we pulled staples and nails during the week but honestly there were so many of them. We think they went a little crazy with the staples and nails for the carpetting.I don't have any pictures of Nathan whacking away at the closets but I have some shots of

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-32945924779447788852009-07-06T14:36:00.001-04:002010-12-28T12:35:38.607-05:00

Two days after moving into the house (with what we have) we were back out camping while the house was being fumigated. We had all the carpet and almost all the shoe moulding pulled up before the fumigation.I had to call PG&E, when I got back from signing paperwork for the fumigation, to have them turn the gas back on. That was scheduled for first thing in the morning on the 7th. The termite

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-40736095040668611782009-07-03T21:00:00.004-04:002009-07-26T16:54:37.124-04:00

We aren't even the house one day and the first thing we know we need to tackle is the carpet. We need to know what is under it and if the floor is in decent shape. We start by ripping up carpet. The carpet is pretty nasty. I am not sure how old it is or the last time it was cleaned (if ever).It took us one day to get the carpet pulled up. The rest of the week we pulled staples, nails and

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-63572078332366292902009-06-30T18:35:00.001-04:002009-07-26T18:46:43.505-04:00

WOOHOO, finally! A week and a half after our original closing date and we have keys to the house. We will be able to move in! We are so excited. Now the work must begin.Here are some pictures of us moving in: Nathan holding a key to the house. Nathan unlocking the door. And now the deadbolt. A gift from our realtor.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-30827220959028568682009-06-29T17:54:00.000-04:002009-07-26T18:35:24.453-04:00

Since we didn't close this last week we are camping again this weekend. With all this camping we have been doing to avoid from spending the $200/night at a hotel, I have been enjoying it more.It was nice this weekend to head out to Carmel to see Lover's Point. Enjoying the shade. It did get hot after sitting in the sun for a little while. Starting the camp fire back up for lunch. Lover's

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-60529827152408699702009-06-25T17:05:00.002-04:002009-07-26T17:40:23.267-04:00

So we were scheduled to close on the 19th. Obviously that didn't happen. If the bank had gotten back to us sooner on our request to lower price we could have but the bank took its time. We believe that the hold up was we needed an answer from the big cheese at the bank for our request.After a crazy day on the phone yesterday we finally signed all our escrow documents, at our Realtor's office,

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-57086451250017303672009-06-25T17:02:00.001-04:002009-07-26T18:48:25.188-04:00

I wanted to share this by Tom Parker "Rules of Thumb - A Life Manual" "READING" YOUR CONSTITUENTS Politicians attach a "weight" to comments from constituents. A form e-mail, reflects the opinion of 5 people. A personal e-mail, fax, or postcard reflects the opinion of 10 people. A form letter reflects the opinion of 20 people. (This includes handwritten notes that are obviously part of an

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-72319456180539562512009-06-23T17:52:00.000-04:002009-08-05T18:06:57.396-04:00

We heard back from the bank today. They said no on our request for reduced price. We now have to decide if this is a deal breaker. There are things wrong with the house. The Kitchen needs to be remodeled (not sure how much that will cost us), we need a new roof - $5500, the house needs to be fumigated/tented for termites - $2200, we will need new electrical (cost to us unknown at this time).

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-82678484390575455212009-06-18T22:31:00.003-04:002009-08-06T20:02:46.842-04:00

We left my parents on Monday morning to head to Las Vegas. Nathan wanted to have some fun before we headed to CA to engulf ourselves in house remodeling. I wasn't about to say no. Nathan had been to Las Vegas briefly before. It was my first time. It was a place I did want to visit. We had fun and saw as much as we could in the two days. We enjoyed seeing the free shows and walking through

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-16284859090329985862009-06-18T18:10:00.000-04:002009-08-05T19:13:54.609-04:00

After our two days of vacationing in Las Vegas and enjoying every minute of it (including all of the walking), we are back in Monterey. We came back in time to sign documents before our original closing date but that didn't happen. Now we are going to spend time camping. Nathan doesn't start classes until the 21st so we will make the most of what we have without having to pay the ridiculous

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296915.post-37691555930620441202009-06-16T17:48:00.001-04:002009-08-06T20:04:01.482-04:00

We still haven't heard from the bank on our reduced cost. Today we submitted a form to extend our closing date. We are hoping that this will get the bank to respond to us. We also put in $0.00 for our per diem for requesting this closing extension. (The per diem is something that we agreed to when we signed into escrow.) We were scheduled to close on the 19th but that won't happen now.

Rikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14567195659044607777noreply@blogger.com0