Successful Party

Well we managed to pull of Mom & Dad's 40th anniversary party this past Saturday (the actual anniversary date was August 24th) and I have to say it went really well. I have posted some pictures from the party that we got on our camera but didn't get a lot of them.

It was fun to plan and do something for them. I know they appreciated it and enjoyed it. It was also great to get to see and talk to everyone who could make it!

When you think of 40 years, it's pretty amazing. They are an example of love and commitment to each other and to their family. I can only hope the same for Jay & me over the years.

Here is the happy couple:

The banner & some of the food.
The cake - with a picture of the couple on their wedding day...
The photo board that my mom prepared for the party:
Just a picture of some people as the party was getting started:

Again, it was really fun and I'm so happy we were all around to make it happen! We did get a lot of help with food, decorating and planning which we appreciate!

Now, next month we have the chance to celebrate the same milestone with Sandy & Mike in Glen Ullin! Should be another fun party!

Paint!

Well most of the interior of the house is painted as of yesterday (minus the niches & ceilings). Here are some pictures so far:

Entry way looking into the living/dining room:

Living room/fireplace bumpout
Living room/fireplace bumput (2)
Dining room bumpout
Kitchen/pantry bumpout
Laundry room
Guest bedroom
Guest bedroom accent wall/bumpout
Guest bathroom
3rd Bedroom/Den

Master bedroom/accent wall (what do you think of the blue?)

Looking into the master bathroom from the master bedroom - again blue (which is not quite so bright in person!)
Master bathroom (2)
Looking into the walk-in-closet
Master bathroom (3)

Pretty excited that it got painted! It will look better of course once the ceilings are painted and trim/doors, etc are in - and flooring! Hoping the blue isn't too blue (it was obviously the most "daring" color I selected for the house) but I think once everything gets in there that we picked out it will tie together nicely! If not, we can always paint over it!

I will post more pictures when the niches and ceilings get painted!

Painting, Packing, Parties...what a weekend!

Well it's 5:00 on Sunday evening and Jay & I have accomplished quite a bit in the last 48+ hours!!

Friday afternoon I got my summer hours off from work and got some shopping done for my parents' upcoming 40th anniversary party (this Saturday). We still have things to do but we have a good start!

Friday evening we got in some miniature golf with Lyndsey & Nick. It was fun but they beat us! (I'm going to blame it on Nick's "rules" and Lyndsey's score-keeping!!) We also spent some time listening to a band with them over at the Oar afterwards...It was a beautiful evening to sit outside & unwind after a busy week!

Saturday morning we decided we were going to get some work done around the trailer. We wanted to stop at the house first, so we drove out there after we wok up. Nothing new was done (just some more sanding, etc on the interior walls). So, we went to Chris & Val's to pick up their ladder so we could paint the exterior of the trailer & the deck. Well by the time we got started it was late morning. We got the most difficult and time-consuming part done Saturday - and during a very HOT part of the day!! I also got a bunch of boxes packed up on Saturday so we can clear out the trailer to sell it soon. (Can you tell we're getting a bit anxious to move?)

Saturday evening was Val Weigel's 30th birthday party at their house - what a fun time! Definitely what we needed after a day of hard work!

Today we got up and started painting a little earlier than we did yesterday. What started as a plan to just do the front ended up being painting pretty much the whole thing. We got it done by 1:30 and avoided much of the really ugly heat! It looks MUCH better and we are so glad to have that out of the way!

After we got done, I went to an open house up in our soon-to-be subdivision. I decided since I was up there that I would stop at the house. Much to my surprise, they had done the first coat of primer on all the interior walls. Here are some pictures:

Kitchen/dining room area from the living room

Guest bedroom bay windowGuest bathroom

Master bedroom

Hallway niches

Living/Dining room from the entryway

Dining room from the hallway/entry
View of the entry way/front door from the living room
Living room (fireplace)
Living room again

We are currently unwinding (a/k/a holding the couches down). The beagles are napping - they had a rough weekend barking at us outside as we painted!

There should be some new stuff happening with the house this week so I will post more pictures hopefully by the weekend. Mom & Dad's anniversary party will be on Saturday afternoon/evening - should be fun!

Have a great week everyone!!

Happy 30th Birthday Val!

A happy birthday wish goes out to Val W. today - the BIG 3-0!! We had a GREAT time at her birthday party last night!

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to Mike (Sr.) today!

Last week & weekend happenings..

Just a post (minus pictures) about last week and this weekend's happenings....

Thursday after softball, my teammate and friend Morgan brought her annual Alaskan feast for us to enjoy after the games in the parking lot. Morgan teaches in White Mountain, Alaska during the school year and brings an "interesting" array of food from Alaska for us to sample on her last night of league each year (she left to return to Alaska on Saturday). This is the menu we got to sample this year:
1. Whale blubber (there is an Eskimo name for this, but either way you say it, I tried to eat this but ended up spitting it out - it had the texture & consistency of a rubber bouncy ball).

2. Seal Jerky (a little dry, I spit this out as well)

3. Whale stir fry and seal stir fry (I managed to eat and somewhat enjoy the whale stir fry - didn't try the seal stir fry)

4. Boiled Whale - actually tasted a bit like the caribou she brought last year - not too bad!

5. Smoked Salmon - ok, whew...getting away from the crazier foods.

6. Garlic Salmon - absolutely delicious!!

7. Trout - pretty good as well!

8. King Crab Legs - these make it all worth it! I was a mess of crab legs and butter after eating the crab legs. They are no skimpy crab legs either! (And yes, we ARE that fancy of a team that while other teams eat hot dogs after games, there we sit, albeit once/year, enjoying king crab legs in a softball parking lot!)

Other people also pitched in with other, more "regular" types of food. I had to be adventurous and try some of everything. I think I MUST get that tendency from my Dad! :)

Friday after work Jay & I headed to GU for a night golf tourney that is put on by Janell Hellman, Lyndsey & Val G. (among others) and benefits their Relay for Life team (American Cancer Society). Last year was the first year they put it on and we have participated both years. It really is fun (I think I'm a better golfer in the dark than in the light) and of course for a great cause! If anyone is interested in participating next year, I will get the info out to you beforehand. It is well worth the trip!

Saturday morning we chilled out in GU with the Gervings until after lunch and then cruised back to Bismarck. It was a rainy day....I spent the afternoon with my mom and Aunt Barb planning and shopping for my parents' 40th anniversary party, which is coming up on Aug. 23rd. I think we have things pretty much under control - I guess we will see!!

Saturday night Jay and I stayed in and watched the Olympics most of the night. Sunday we started in one corner of the trailer starting to get things boxed up and cleaned up a bit. Soon, we will have to get the trailer on the market to get it sold. The whole moving thing is sneaking up on us fast! We are almost at the end of the decision-making process with just about everything for the house. Today we had to meet the builder and his wife to go over paint colors. We will probably be ordering flooring, tile, light fixtures, plumbing fixture and exterior rock this week. Our cabinet guys are getting started this week too building all the cabinets, mirrors, fireplace mantle, etc.

This weekend we are looking forward to Val W's 30th birthday party Saturday evening!

Other things I look forward to this week are getting to see Ryan & Raumi's new house tomorrow evening and getting more things in the trailer put in boxes & getting it cleaned/organized even more!

That's all for now! Have a great week everyone!

New House Pictures

Well it has been awhile since I posted new house pictures...so here they are as of last night!

The front of the house still needs some siding & the rock facing...plus the front porch & concrete!
Back and east side of the house are done!

As you can see, they have sheetrocked and mudded. This is the living room and the bumpout obviously is for the fireplace.

View of the kitchen/dining room area from the living room.

Another picture of the living room with the archway leading out to the entryway.

They have done all the mudding, but I just posted some of the pictures...They should be doing the taping/texturing also this week as well as pouring the concrete for the front porch and walkway for the front of the house.

Our siding guy seems to have picked up his pace a bit since the builder came back into town after his vacation...funny how that works!!

I will post more pictures as things develop!

Other than that, life is busy! We just had our state softball tournaments out of town this past weekend and I still feel like I'm trying to catch up from that. This Friday we head to GU for the night golf tournament which should be fun! The rest of the weekend I plan to get some cleaning/organizing/packing done at the trailer. We are in desperate need of getting that place cleaned and de-cluttered before we try to sell it!

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Congrats Sara

At least someone in this family can bring home a title...........Sara and her softball team brought home a state championship to go with their Mcquades title this past weekend. Congratulations