Saturday, February 28, 2009

Here we go!

We just turned off the road and we are ready to go. Now all we need is
a signal.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Friday!

Whew! It is finally Friday! I got a little messed up this week because Wednesday night, I though it really Friday. The past two days have felt like I was working through my weekend.

I am going 4-wheeling / shooting with a buddy of mine all day Saturday and then Sunday will hopefully be pretty laid back, maybe invite some people over for some cheese, games, and wine. Tonight we get to have dinner (usually Mexican!) with some friends and see our God-son. Sunday afternoon is also our inspection. The guest list includes my in laws, my folks, a good friend of Morgans, and my wife and me.

I was talking with some work friends yesterday and I think that at least 5 of the people I work with have bought a house within the last 30 days. Plus two other friends. That's craziness, I didn't realize until yesterday just how many people I know that now own a house.

I'm excited to post pictures of the inside and also of the different things we want to add to the house. Such as when its time to pick out the counter tops, range (gas), double ovens, fridge, and paint.

Alright, here I go...9 hours till freedom!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Guess what?


We bought a house! We put an offer in on the house after we went and walked through it and now we own a house! Crazyness...so easy I want to buy another one :) Our offer was 11k below asking price and the seller countered at just 3k below. He agreed to pay the closing costs so we accepted the counter offer.

The price? 166K :) hehe
This means the mortgage on this house will be less then what we are currently paying in rent.

We are going to show it off to the folks on Sunday so I will take some better pictures and post them for you to see. I am really excited about being able to put in the kitchen that we want and not having to remodel it. You'll see what I mean after I post the pictures. Trust me when I say the inside is going to look great!

Thanks for being excited for us!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Buying a House? May I suggest Sparks...

There are so many streets like this in Sparks. Three Out of the first
five houses on this street are for sell and two are for rent. There is
also another house for rent on the cross street corner.

Crazyness I say, crazyness.

House and Bus


Our Realtor called me yesterday afternoon and said that a house somewhat in our area just had a huge price drop and is now only $169,000. This is crazy since everything we have been looking at has been in the $220-300k range. I drove by it yesterday and I think the outside could use a fresh coat of paint and maybe eventually we could get rid of the siding and stucco the whole thing...I love brink, rock, or stucco on a house.

The other plus is that it has a Mother-in-laws quarters in the back which is something that we have been searching for and have only found one other house that had one.

We are going to go today at 4pm (with our Godson) and check it out. I don't really have any big expectations but I do like the price. I'll let you know what we think.

Also, we found the VW Bus that we really like. It is a '77 Pop-top camper! It is for sell up in Seattle so we are going to ask BiL (Brother-in-law) to check it out for us. The funny thing is that the seller is actually going to be in Reno Wednesday-Sunday on vacation. Hopefully BiL check it out/buy it on Monday and then we can start the shipping process.


Sunday, February 22, 2009

Craig's Helper

So the wife and I are again searching for a VW Popup Bus. I was getting a little tired of searching each and every city's Craigslist so I decided to use the google to help with our search.

This is how I stumbled upon...Craig's Helper
I tried to include the widget in this blog but I don't think the java on his website is correct. Oh well, I guess you will just have to use the link.

*Update* If you read the comments on this post, you will notice that I was contacted by Craig's helper and we are trying to get the widget to work. Now I really recommend you check the link above and support this great service!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

I love this video!

A friend of ours showed us this video a while ago and I forgot all about it till tonight...why tonight you ask? Because I am once again tipsy and after a few glasses of wine I found myself hollering "WOOT WOOT!" and that reminded me of the video...hope you enjoy it :)

Be sure to also check out the "Woo Woo Remix"


Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Church Bulletins

These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight:
'Searching for Jesus.'

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone
who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is done.

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

> Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.

Good Morning...want a cat?


Well for once, the little kitten is finally being quite in the morning.

I honestly think that her favorite thing to do in the morning is to stand in front of our bedroom door and sing to my wife while she sleeping...DANG IT! There she goes again. So much for that.

We have a little game...she cries at the door and then I scratch at the chair next to me at the table and she comes running. Gypsy then jumps on the chair and rolls over as I pet her stomach. She bites me, I stop petting her, and after a few minutes of her just laying there, the whole "game" starts over.

Great, now she is biting me again.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Rent - A - Husband


My Godson's Papa is out of town for the week so the wife and I are "on-call". I'm already growing out a mullet :)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

My Starbucks Name



So I need a new name...

For so strange reason, people have a very hard time understanding me when I say my name. It's not like I have a crazy name that is hard to spell like Gregorio, Merlow, or Coillcumhann. I mean come on, my name is TONY!

Once at bestbuy I gave my name and the guy heard Jim. I gave it again and he heard Tim. This is weird not only because my name sounds nothing like Jim or Tim, but also because my dad's name is Tim and his brother is Jim.

I have the same problem at Starbucks so I have starting using fake names that are easier to understand like Mike or John. I need some suggestions for my new Starbucks name so please think of some good ones and leave them as a comment. I will put them all together in a poll after a week or so. Thanks for your help!

House Hunt

The house hunt continues...
Check out the poll and help us pick! ------->


We've decided to buy a house here in Reno. This has been a pretty stressful decision but we finally decided to go for it because there are lots of good deals on the market and we are going to be here for a few more years still.

We want to find something that we can rent out once we move so that we will have something to move back into if we decide to come back. I have walked through 13 different houses and looked at about 30 more online that we decided we did not want to see. Out of all of these, we have narrowed the search down to our current top three.

You can search MLS here: www.julieknecht.com

House number three is.... 790 Keele Dr. (MLS# 90000439)

Our Second choice is.... 690 Georgia Pl (MLS# 80015394)
We tried to see the inside of this house but the last Realtor that showed it locked the keys inside the house. We are HOPING to be able to see the inside today. We did however walk around the property and peek in the windows :)

And finally, our top choice is .... 742 W. Plumb ln. (MLS# 80018173)
The pictures all look like someone had their fingers over the camera... The best part about this house is that it has a very cute mother-in-laws cottage in the back yard that we would "rent" to ourselves once we are ready to move. Then when we come back to town to visit, we would have our own space and not have to stay with family.

The only reason why we haven't bought this house yet is that right after we made our offer, the owner/seller decided that he didn't really want to sell the house so he pulled it from the market :( So for now, we are going to continue to look around and try to wait him out.

Check them out and let me know what you think!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Crane Lake Merlot

Wine Review: Crane Lake Merlot
Winery: Crane Lake Cellars
Type: Merlot
Region: Napa Valley, California
Year: 2006
Price: $3.50

My wife and I were introduced to Crane Lake wines about six wonderful months ago. I’ve always enjoyed wine but never knew much about it. I always assumed that good wine was expensive wine. Well, I am glad to report that I was wrong!

Crane Lake Cellars has several wonderful wines but my favorite is the ’06 Merlot. Your nose is almost overwhelmed with a strong flowering fruit smell as you slide the cork from the bottle. The first glass is strong and sweet and I have yet to hear anyone cough after drinking this red wine.

Like a caterpillar in its cocoon, this Merlot changes into something very unique. After letting the wine breath for only a day, it is suddenly alive with spice and burns with a warming fire as you drink it. The change is unbelievable

As much as I love this wine, I love the price even more. A 750ml bottle of Crane Lake Merlot will only set you back about $3.50. I suggesting buying at least one or two extra bottles of this wine because it seems to go quick!

Kiva- loans that change lives

I want to tell you about this really awesome website Kiva.org

Kiva.org is all about microfinance. Microfinance is a really cool way to lend money. You lend a small amount of money, usually under $100, and that is combined with loans from others and then once the total is raised, the loan is giving to someone in a poor country. With Kiva.org, the smallest amount you can lend is $25.

What I am thinking about doing is lending $25 a month to a different entrepreneur. Then as the loans start to be repaid, I will reinvest that money in someone else. There is no financial gain for the lender because all the money you loan is paid back without interest. I think that helping someone buy a goat for milk or bags for onions, just to help them is far more rewarding then making a 4% return on $25.

I hope that you will check out Kiva.org and check back here for updates on the entrepreneurs that we decide to loan to.


Monday, February 9, 2009

Monday Morning

Today is the start of a new work week. There is a lot of pressure on poor little Monday. A good Monday will start the week of great but a bad one could take out Tuesday and Wednesday without a second thought.

I am looking forward to going back to work today and moving on from this weekend. This weekend was full of ups and downs. We were going to move some friends into their new house but once again, that has been put off till next weekend. My little sitter (20) had a baby girl and is starting to realize that maybe having a kid is not a fun as she thought it would be. My best and his girlfriend lost their baby girl when for some reason mom went into labor four months early. And my wife and I got into a pretty good fight.

I wish that there was something that I could do for my friend. He is the most loyal person and nicest guy you would ever meet and my heart hurts for him. I love you man.

The big planned events for this week are that my wife has two nursing tests this week, I am taking the cat to the vet, and I have a doctors appointment on Thursday with the VA. Wish us luck.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

It's Morning Time

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the quietness of the morning. The morning as always been the most peaceful time for me and I enjoy waking before anyone else and surrounding myself in the silence of the world.

I love the fact that the things I might have been stressing over the night before seem to be much clearer in the morning.

The world starts every morning with a fresh slate and I love to see how the day unfolds. I listen to the news almost all day and hour by hour the slate starts to fill up. It is so exciting to learn about everything that is going on in the world and to see the impacts on my own life and on those that I love.

I hope that you will decide to check back in on this blog and leaves some comments as well. I would love it if people read it in the morning over a cup of coffee or tea as part of their morning routine.