IT'S OUR'S, IT'S OUR'S, IT'S OUR'S!!!!!

I called our realtor on Friday morning and told her we were ready to put in an offer on the house! We offered the full listing price of the house and asked the seller to pay for the closing costs and pay for $3K to help with remodeling the garage. By 3pm we found out he accepted it all except he counter offered with only $1000 of work in the garage. And we said it's better than nothing!

AND THEN THE HOUSE IS OURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it! in just 5 short days we found a place and made it happen! I'm so excited and I can't stop thinking about it! We will have to be in GF for an inspection around the 15th or so and we'll see how that goes. Hopefully everything goes well and doesn't hold the closing date up. Our targeted closing date is September 2nd. So in about one month, we'll be MOVING!!!!!

I'm so excited, I just can't hide it, I know, I know, I know, I want to, I want to!

I just can't contain myself. Derek is being more practical and not being as excited until we have the keys in our hands, but I don't care. I'm enough excited about it for the both of us! Go here to see pics of OUR NEW HOUSE, they aren't great but you'll get the idea.

And I have to say "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU" a bazillion times to the bestest friends EVER for helping us to make this possible! Thank you April and Kevin! You're the greatest, most awesomest, most coolest EVER!!!

And Happy Birthday to Kevin and Happy Anniversary to April and Kevin! Love you guys!

I'm making an ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

Most of you knew this anyway, but by putting it out there I'm reassuring myself that it will happen...........we are going to be moving to the Grand Forks area! There I said it and there's no turning back!

Our initial plan:
Move to GF by September 1st, start out renting a small house from my current bosses, and begin the financial process to be preappoved to purchase a house, start house hunting.

What really happened:
Derek was looking at houses for sale on Sunday night and found one that looked really nice. So I called the realtor, expecting it to be already sold or sale pending and not off of the internet yet...I totally think they do that on purpose-anyway, it wasn't. In fact it was just put on the market 2 weeks ago and they just dropped the price by $10K! So we made a quick decision and made an appointment to see it on Monday at 4:30. We both left work early and drove to GF, expecting to shrug off the disappointment and drive back home with nothing but a wasted tank of gas! ---BUT----the house was amazing!! Like SUPER-AMAZING! It's a modular home built in 2001 and it's huge, and has 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, big ass kitchen with lots of cupboards, a family room with a fireplace, the master bathroom has a jacuzzi tub and the room has a walk-in closet big enough for 2 twin sized beds, a big entry/laundry room that is all tiled, plus it has a big living and dining room, and I think I forgot to mention the SHOP/GARAGE that is about the size of the one we have in DL, and did I mention it's on 4.35 acres of land! And it's only 15 miles from GF just outside of Thompson. Everything we wanted in our starter home: out in the country, big, and new, and has a shop! The only negative is that we would have one neighbor, but we found out that they are renters and they looked younger and had 3 or 4 kids. Plus I'm sure there is at least 1 acre of land in between us!

We were pretty excited, but not ready for this. I was planning on having a couple of months to work on financing and saving some cash. But we jumped in head first anyway. We met with the realtor, Jill, at her office at 9pm and she walked us thru the process and we signed paperwork so it'd be ready if we could get preapproved for a loan. I took a personal day off of work on Tuesday and spent the entire day on the phone with bankers and Jill and after most of the day sitting by the phone waiting, we got a call at 5:30pm saying that we were preapproved for the purchase price. The down side: we have to ask the seller to pay for the closing costs, and we had to come up with only 3% for the down payment, which is about $4000! So I've spent the last couple of days researching with my banker for any grants or allowances to help with this and we've come up empty handed. I am also playing with our finances and trying to see what we can do.

I'm not ready to give up yet! I'll sell myself on the street if I need to...well, maybe Derek could do that! Is it legal to have a benefit of some sort even if you're not sick or dying? Maybe we could say Derek is sick again from his thyroid, that's why he's lost so much freaking weight and is continuing to loose even though he's not trying anymore! Can't we just ask people to donate money for us because we are good people trying to do things the right way.

I'm trying very hard to be optimistic with this. So I try to make jokes about it even though it's all that I think about ALL DAY LONG! I'll let you know when I know! Cross your fingers for us. If you don't, I'll come find you and cross them so you can never UNCROSS them!

12th of July - belated 4th with Doug and Karissa

Party at Laurie's House!!! When she WASN'T home!!! I kinda felt like a teenager, having a party when your parents are out of town. But we were responsible and sobered up before driving and cleaning up before we left.

This picture looks fuzzy, cuz that's how Karissa felt wearing Derek's glasses!


Derek wearing Karissa's glasses


Me and Derek


Wendy and Me


Wendy and Ryan


Karissa got sleepy?!


Me and Karissa - finally had enough beers to let us convince her to take her picture


Derek and Wendy


"Everyone needs a bosom for a pillow"


Derek Sammich with Karissa and Derek


WTF?!


Drunk Derek can't center the picture!


Wonder what he's thinking?

4th of July Pics

Laurie and Scott playing Rock Band

Ashley and Ali Rockin'

Derek, Grandma Bev and Laurie

Me and Derek

So I haven't blogged for a while....

Not a whole lot going on here lately. I've been busy working and just hanging out. The 4th of July was kinda weird this year. I just wasn't really in the mood, I guess. We went to the lake with April and Kevin on the 4th and watched the fireworks out there. They were pretty impressive. On Sat we spent the afternoon at Derek's mom's place. Her high school friend, Scott was in town and we just visited and had supper. Sat night, we went out with April and Kevin. We had a drink at the 11th Frame and then went uptown for about a hour or so. Met up with Jess and had a couple drinks. It was Devils Lake's 125th anniversery so the town was pretty full of people all back for their class reunions. Mine is gonna be next year and that kinda creeps me out...it's been 9 years already! We saw a few of our class mates and some from a few years ahead of me. It was kinda fun, but very busy! On Sun April took some family pictures of me, Derek, Ali and Ashley in Roosevelt park. We took some in December for Derek's grandma's xmas present, but I didn't like them very much. So we redid them and I think they turned out really good. I haven't seen the finished product yet, but they looked good on the camera! Thanks, April! Then we went for a drive with Derek's family up to the Webster cemetary to visit his grandpa's and uncle's grave. Then we went looking for this one farm that is suppose to have some old cars. We found it and now we'll have to make a trip there to bring some of the stuff home?! Yeah, I'm excited for that trip?!
This last week was kinda boring. Not much happened. Doug and Karissa are coming over tonight to grill with us. We're gonna use Laurie's house since they are all gone camping. So we're gonna grill and jump on the trampoline and have a fire and roast mashmellows and sing Kumbiya. Or maybe we'll just get wasted?! We'll see I guess. Later!

My Cousin's Wedding

My cousin Melody got married on the 21st. She is only 2 months younger than me. She was married once before and had 2 girls with her first husband and then he went kinda crazy so she left. Her new husband, Jim is a very nice guy. He also has a boy from his first marriage and they have one boy together. They have been together for about 3 years now and are very happy together. My sister, Wendy was the maid of honor and it was her very first wedding to be in so she was very nervous. But she was the prettiest one there! Okay, so I'm a little partial!

--Ok, Wait I have to back up a little bit--

My little sister Heather, who has been living in Florida with our brother since December, came home!!!! and I am so thankful that she is home safe. Wendy and Ryan helped her get home by buying her a bus ticket. Which she'll NEVER ride the bus again, if I have anything to say about it! I've never felt like such a parent!! OMG!! She got on her first bus in Dothan, Alabama at 7pm on Wed. 18th. She had to transfer busses in Nashville, Tennesse at 3am on Thur. and again at 3pm in Chicago, Illinois. Where she had a 7 1/2 hour layover!! She had to sit in the Chicago bus station for 7 hours waiting for her next bus. She stayed on that bus until getting into Fargo at 1:30pm on Fri. 20th, where Wendy and I picked her up. I was just glad to see her again and give her a hug. Just the little bit of time we spent waiting in the Fargo bus stop--which only has 2 terminals--was insane. There was a drunk lady who was pissed because she didn't have money for her ticket and old creepy guys and a pregnant black girl who needed some bigger pants and a longer shirt. I can't imagine what the Chicago terminal was like, Heather said there was like 23 terminals there and was very busy!! She's a brave girl! Glad she's home.

So Friday us girls stayed in GF and went to the wedding rehersal and dinner and ended up hanging out with our Uncle Jim, Aunt Roberta, and cousin Kenny (Melody's parents and brother). It was lots of fun just bull shitting and hanging out. We haven't seen Kenny in like 15 years and it's been a while for me to see my Aunt and Uncle. My uncle Jim reminds me so much of my dad, it kinda felt like I was seeing my dad again...tear, tear...it was very nice.

On Saturday Derek, Ryan, and my mom got to GF around 1pm so we had time to get ready and eat lunch before going to the wedding. The wedding was beautiful and everyone was very pretty and handsome. The reception and dinner was at the KC hall and was very nice. I got to spend some quality time with my mom and Heather so that was good. After a while Derek, Ryan and I went to Doug and Karissa's to visit (Wendy had to stay at the dance, but we went back to get her). Then we stayed at Doug and Karissa til like 1am or 2am, I don't remember.

So on to the pictures.....

My Uncle Jim and Aunt Roberta
Uncle Jim and Heather
Me and Wendy-making the same face after our cousin Kenny put his hand in front of my camera!
This one is better
Wendy and Kenny

Us girls at the hotel on Friday
Wendy was getting crap from our Uncle and cousin that she was part Japanese cuz her middle name is Lu..so we converted her dress to look Japanese. It was hilarious!!! You had to be there!
Waiting for the wedding to start
Like my new dress?
Jim's (new husband) son Brandon and Melody's oldest daughter Keyra

Wendy and Best Man, Steve
Jim's Nephew and Melody's daughter Erica
Melody with her mom and dad
Wendy after signing the marriage license
Heather and Wendy

Mom and Wendy
Cutest Couple EVER!
Ryan and Wendy
Wendy and me
Me and Heather-like her dress? I let her wear my black cherry dress and my rockabilly shoes.

Us girls and Melody
Me and Melody
Adorable!
My Mama Sue
Love birds-they got a taste of what's to come for them next summer!

Uncel Jim and Aunt Roberta
Notice I matched my eye shadow with my dress?
Me and Melody
Me and my Uncle Jim
Mama and her girls!

Type O Negative Concert---Disappointing

So I'm a little late on this one, but whatever! We went to Fargo for the Type O Negative concert on the 17th. We took Derek's little sister, Ali to her first rock concert as part of her birthday present. And I was pretty disappointed in the whole thing. It was the Jagermeister Tour and was at The Venue (old playmakers). They had alot of sound problems and it was kinda lame.

The first band out was Scum of the Earth, which wasn't even on the playlist and they were playing before we even got in the building. This is Rigg's band who used to play with Rob Zombie, and you can totally tell. Most of his songs had the same beats and he even had dreads and wore ripped up jeans like Rob Zombie. Something tells me that he's a little bitter about Rob having all the goods and hating himself cuz nobody cares who he is....maybe it was the fact that he seemed really pissed that people weren't into his performance that gave that away?

Then came 3 Inches of Blood----and with a name like that you'd think they'd come out bellowing from their insides----NOPE! First of all, there were 2 guitarists, a bassist, a drummer and the lead singer. The lead guitarist looked like he just came out of an 80's video shoot. He had wavy, flowing locks of hair and reminded me of one of the Nelson brothers. The lead singer was giving it his all...too bad we couldn't hear him!!! The first 2 songs his mic didn't work at all. So he was up there having a good time and after the 2nd song it took the audience to scream and yell at him to tell him the mic wasn't working?!?!? All those crew members wondering around and no one could tell anyone what was going on?!?! So he uses a corded mic and OMG!!!! I liked it better when I couldn't hear him singing! He sounded like a screaming girl, like Barbie getting kicked in the balls--if she had them! They were pretty annoying after that!

Then Type O Negative came out. This is when we realized that they were not the headliners?! So that sucked. But they had sound issues too. Not exactly sure what happened there but I could tell that they were upset about something. Peter Steele looked like crap. He had huge bags under his eyes and could barely finish out lyrics without breathing in between them. He'd sing some words and hum others. If it weren't for Kenny Hickey (guitar/vocals) you wouldn't have heard the words. On like the 2nd song Peter said "this is blah, blah song" and Kenny basically yelled at him that it was the wrong song and he was doing the wrong set list! So then there was a bit of an awkward silence while Peter riffled thru his music to look for the right one. I have to say after about half way thru, I was just waiting for it to be over.

Hatebreed was the last band to play. We hadn't heard them before so we decided to stay and hear a couple of songs. And I didn't like them either. They were very energetic and full of life but it was just too much for me. Lots of yelling instead of singing but definite moshing music. It's funny, with this type of music I find myself zoning out and thinking about anything but the music. It's almost like it allows me to block out all the other crap going on around me and think about anything that comes to mind.

We left after a couple of their songs. Ali had fun even though it kinda sucked. Her favorite part was Type O Negative (good girl) and some of Hatebreed. I told here it was a good thing that this show kinda sucked so that she didn't end up having high standards for the next rock show she goes to. We got here a tshirt and she was happy. We stayed over at Derek's cousin's house in Moorhead and went back home on Wed. afternoon. And I'm pissed because I didn't get any pictures...at all! :-(