On to the last step!

Last night I received a call from Jamie at Met Life to let me know that my contractor choice & plans had been approved. So....she moved the paperwork along to get the loan approved. Within a few days, this part of the process should be complete & we should be able to break ground! I will blog again when we break ground...with pics!

1 step closer!

Well.....I am waiting on the last step, or so I have been told, before the loan is approved. In preparation for approval, I met with Scott (my contractor to be) on Sunday for a little pre-excavation party. We met at the property and put stakes in the ground marking the location of the house. Below are a few pics. Its hard to see, but at least the lines are there.

Getting excited!!!!

From in front of the garage...Front door is to the right.


View from the kitchen window...dont worry, will mask the well.

Closer....Closer....

Well......reality is getting a little closer. I'm meeting up with Contractor #2 today & talking about his bid for building the new house. We'll see where he comes in, in comparison to Contractor #1. So far, #1 is at the top of my list....& he's ready to work. There's lots of time to get it all going before the snow flies....according to them. Im getting anxious. I am just looking forward to seeing some progress.

On another note....today is Kris' 22nd birthday. I have a hard time believing that it has been 22 years since he arrived. Im so very proud of who he is today & feel very fortunate to be part of his life. Below is a pic of my dad & Kris the day he was born.

A Star Is Born!

A funny thing happened this morning... I received a phone call telling me that Stoli was in today's newspaper. So, after scrambling around on the Spokesman-Review website, I came across his picture.

I guess when Kelly was out walking Stoli the other day on his daily lunchtime walks, a newspaper photographer came across them & took a few pictures, jotted down there names and voila, Stoli is in the paper! The pic is below & notice that 'mr photogenic' is looking at the camera as usual, being a ham. The caption of the photo was incorrect, they said that it was Terry Glenn, when it was Kelly Glenn and it should have said he was the Nanny.



**HOUSE UPDATE: Well, just so you know...I'm still WAITING for bids to come back so I can get started on the new house. They should be coming back any day now! More to come...

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

As most of you know, Candlelighters of the Inland Northwest is very dear to my heart. September is a big month for us...we honor children with cancer. Candlelighters will be having its 11th Annual Candlelight Vigil on Sunday September 21st, at 6pm. Please come & support this wonderful group. Also, there will be an event on Friday, September 26th at the Service Station in Spokane. See the Candlelighters website for more information. Please support a wonderful cause. View this blog about a recent interview & the loss of one of our own....

The 3 D's & Lemonade

Well, after a month of waiting, the bid came in for the new house last night....and it was way to high! OMG!!! My first 'basic' bid was high, so I made lots of changes (smaller house, attached garage, etc) and it only saved me about 9k. So....on to plan 'B'. Okay, so I don't know what plan 'B' is....but am working on it. Called 2 more contractors today about getting bids. They'll get back to me this weekend about meeting to talk to them.

Disappointment, discouragement, depression....3 'D's that I'm dealing with today. Life will go on.... As my mother says....'When Life gives you lemons, make lemonade!'......okay, Mom.....is that why I have such a sour taste in my mouth?

Will write more when there is more...

Puppies First Birthday!

Well, Stoli turned 1 on August 11th...so we had a 'puppy party' for all the puppies, at the Christina's house (she was the breader & has 3 of the siblings). 7 of the 8 puppies were in attendance along with Asa, the mom & Pixel the step dad (a blind poodle...loved the puppies like his own). I have attached pics.

Progress!

Well......we're getting there! The property was cleared the week before last so the well could be drilled. The well went in last friday & will be finished on Monday. I also went in last week & approved the house plans. So....we are definitely making progress!

Status Update

It's been a busy week or two...

Last week I met with a well drilling company and the designer that is drawing my house plans...not together, but in the same day. The well should be less than I was thinking, but can get started until I have the trees cleared so the trucks can get in. I then met with a guy yesterday about clearing the trees. I know I can do it cheaper on my own, but do I want to? I may just decide to take a day or two off and do it.

The house plans should be back from the designer this week with all of the modifications I made. Once I get them back, I can hand them over to the builder so he can give me a full estimate on costs.

The first step was to get the well done, so will be doing that along with the tree removal. Once that is done, the builder can design the septic, drain lines & house placement.

So....the ball is rolling, slowly so far, but it is rolling!

More to come....

SOLD!

On June 12th, the sale of the 'Jefferson' house was final. The papers were signed a few days prior and it was funded on the 12th. So.....on to the new adventure. For the first time in 14 years, I am not a home owner.

Next steps? Well...It's time to finalize my house plans and find a contractor. I'm glad I have had time to change my mind a few times...re-prioritize things and make changes to my wants/needs for the new abode. I hope to be able to hand preliminary plans to contractors soon, so I can get the bids going. Once the loan is in place, it's all up to the contractors to decide a starting date.

Being I have changed my mind a few times....I wont share my plans until a later date...in case I change them again. The general idea is to be building a new 'old' house. More info to come soon. I will be posting pics as the building progresses....so, stay tuned.

Until then, I will write more as things happen. It's been busy, between mom coming, me traveling for work, Mark's (my nephew in Oak Harbor) highschool graduation & these house changes. The business is growing...as of tomorrow night, we will be running the Valet service at our local PF Changs restaurant...as Platinum Valet Service. Hopefully this part of the business will help the rest of it grow as well.

As for my personal life...well....I'll keep that personal for now ;) More to follow there too....

Grant

On the move...

Okay...someone was praying for me?! I accepted an offer last week on the house. The buyers have excellent credit and everything is pre-approved (unlike the last guy...). Got word today that the purchase went to underwriting and the next/last step is the appraisal. Looks good and if everything stays on schedule, the house will close on June 12th. So....now I get to look for a place to live again. I called my old landlord in Browne's and he has a few openings. Since I am already in the system, there wont be a credit check etc, so will look for something within his rental properties.

Keep your fingers crossed and I will keep everyone in touch!

Another Move...

Well.....Im packing up again & moving back into my house. I've been in the apartment now for 2 months and just paid my 3rd months rent and I'm out of money. So...the solution is to give up the apartment and move back into the house until it sells.

There are good and bad things about the move. The bad part is that I love where the apartment is located and it's easy to walk to get coffee on the weekends and to take Stoli for nice walks. The good thing is that Stoli will have his yard back and that I wont be paying for both places anymore. The management company of my building is letting me out of my lease, as soon as it re-leases. So...lets hope for a renter right off the bat.

Pray for a quick sale....then I will need to look for another place to live, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, I will move back in, make my home a home again and continue to work on house plans for the new house.

I will keep you posted as I know more.

SAN Oscar Gala

Just a few pics from the SAN (Spokane Aids Network) Oscar Gala...

Wow...Im 40! DAMN THATS OLD! Just kidding!!!

Finally....it happened! The milestone birthday came and went....and I dont feel any older? Actually maybe a bit younger! I've been told that life begins at 40. Im looking forward to it beginning then.....so far, so good.

I spent my birthday, well actually March 1st, with my son, my mom, sister Cheryl, her girlfriend Sandra and approx 20 of my closest friends. We had dinner at Cyrus O' Leary's then ventured over to Dempsey's for more partying, drinking & a couple drag shows. Everyone had a great time. I was in awe that so many people would come spend my birthday with me!

The drag show was fun...I was brought up on stage & well, you'll have to look at the pics. It was all in fun. Hope you enjoy.... The rest of the images are in a slide show here.

Still Waiting

Well.....still waiting for a buyer! People are looking at it...so that is good, just no offers. I told Sali, my agent, that all I wanted for my birthday was an offer! Well.....maybe a late birthday present? Keep your fingers crossed...that it will happen soon.

Sold....NOT!

Well, with only 7 more day to go to closing, the buyers pulled out this morning due to financing. So....we are on the lookout for another buyer! Showings are already scheduled, so I will just keep my fingers crossed. Please do the same!

There is still hope to close a deal by the end of the month, but not holding my breath. I know it will all work...and is working out this way for a reason.

I moved into my apartment last week. It's much smaller of a space than I am used to, but will only be temporary, so it will be fine. This Sunday, I will be moving the remainder of possessions to my storage unit, with the help of some friends. I will try to post pics up here this weekend.

Sold!....and the process begins...

Well, in 8 days, the house sold! Wow...not what I was expecting! A young couple is buying it and now we are going through the inspection process. The VA inspection was this past Monday and yesterday I rec'd a list of things to fix. Everything will be done by Friday, so they can either re-inspect or just call the appraiser. The closing is scheduled for Feb 15th...I hope everything flows so we can keep it on schedule. My agent, Sali, has been wonderful in keeping me up on what is going on and helping out in anyway she can.

When I accepted the offer, I started looking for a rental. So....I found a nice little (heavy on 'little') one bedroom apt in Browne's Addition, close to downtown. I just have to remember it's only temporary...poor Stoli wont have a yard to play in, but we can walk to the park when it gets warmer. I get my keys on Jan 31st and will move in that weekend...giving myself about 2 weeks to get everything into the apt or the storage unit.

Im really going to miss my house. I have lots of memories there & have done lots of work to it. I just hope that the new owners make it a home & have many wonderful memories of their own there. Im sure the day I hand over the keys will be a hard one...but...the journey must go on and as I shut one door, another will open.

This little piggy went to market....just kidding..lol

Well, the house is on the market..... Here's the virtual tour link....

Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas came & went....thank goodness! I just got my Christmas (well, after Christmas) cards out today! I am still working on gifts for my family because I didnt have enough time to get them together before Christmas. So....they are on their way...soon!

I started my Christmas 'vacation' with doing a 'de-clutter' on my house. The house goes on the market on the 7th, so had lots of work to get done to get it ready. One of the biggest chores was to de-clutter it. So....with that in mind and the fact that I've been here for 13 years, I have a living & dinning room full of boxes. Tomorrow, I move them into a storage unit. After that, I can run around with a paint can an do touch up, clean to my hearts desire (and late into the night) until the house is ready to go on Monday morning. I am hoping that it will be a quick sale....PLEASE! Dont get me wrong, I love my home, it's just time for a chance and the chance to close some doors that have been left open too long.

Once the house sells, I will be moving to temporary digs...not sure where yet, but will keep you all posted.

Stoli is getting big. He will be 5 months old, next week! Oh my! Time has flown by. He's a very good dog, learning how to be good has been a chore! He has a nice big kennel in the kitchen to keep him out of mischief while I'm at work. He's not bored though....he has toys & periodic visitors during the day to let him out, play with him, etc. What a spoiled puppy....but a happy one and that is what is important!

We've had snow! Have you? Here's a little pic I took last week during a little snow storm...hope you like.

Well, I better get back to work. Need to head out to the garage to pack some boxes for the big move tomorrow.