Greetings All! I know it's been a long time since I posted, but a lot has happened and there is a lot to report. First and foremost, Ken arrived safely back to Iowa on Memorial Day 2010. It was a wonderful way to celebrate such a holiday. Many family and friends gathered at the Reserve Center to welcome them home. The two buses were led in by the Freedom Riders, a motorcycle group that escorts returning soldiers in to Iowa through their destination. Very cool!
Since he's been home, he's caught up on some much needed sleep and enjoyed visits with friends and family. About a week after he returned home, I had to leave for my annual AP English Language Exam reading in Louisville, KY. While there, I had a great time catching up with friends, Jan, Devon, and Suzie, Rachel and Jackie. Oh yeah, and we did actually do some work in there too. But the cool thing was getting to be someplace new, someplace I've never been to before. I went to the Muhammad Ali Center, the Louisville Slugger Museum/Factory, and Churchill Downs to watch the races. Also, one night, some friends, including Susan K. whom I went to graduate school at UNI with, drove down to the Waverly Hills Sanitorium for a night-time ghost tour! This was so cool! The old building is huge and it was cool to be someplace that the Ghosthunters team had investigated. I highlly recommend such a toor if you're ever in the area.
One other pretty major thing happened the day before I left for Louisville: Ken and I bought a house! Yes, I did say a house! Once he returned, we knew that the time was finally right to do such a thing. The interest rates are incredibly and historically low, we could still take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit (extended for 1 year for soldiers overseas for the past year), and it was a good time to plan a move as it is summer and we could do it before school starts up for me in August and Ken returns to work at Deere sometime in the fall.
In my opinion, we found the perfect house! It's in a really good neighborhood in Waterloo, relatively close to both of our jobs, and it has all the features we wanted in a home (and then some!). It is an older home that has a lot of charm and character, built in 1940. It has 3 bedrooms, an office (with built-in bookshelves!), a formal living room with a fireplace, a screened in porch that someday we hope to turn into a 4-seasons room, a totally remodeled kitchen, a big family room, double garage, and already-landscaped and fenced-in yard. Perhaps one of the best things about it is that we don't have to do any work once we move in (aside from some painting of rooms here and there). We are not exactly the fixer-upper type, having no skills in that area. We can totally see ourselves living there for many years. Oh, and it has 2.5 bathrooms! OMG! I am so excited about that! One of them is even attached to what will become our guest room, so please come visit and stya with us really soon! I can't wait to entertain and welcome friends/family as soon as we get settled.
Now Ken and I are in Iowa City with his dad and Evelyn. His dad needed to have a procedure done to check his heart and did have to have a stent put in, so we stayed overnight. Once Ken and I arrive back in the 'Loo, we're off to look at some furniture this afternoon, then we will be enjoying time with family at the Sturgis Falls days celebration in Cedar Falls this weekend. The next few days will find us continuing to pack up the house for the move next month, and then we're off for our official honeymoon in California and Hawaii. Once we arrive home, we'll close on the house and begin the move out/move in process.
So I think it is safe to say that the summer of 2010 has proven to be a busy one, but one that will be forever memorable. As my friend Lynsey says, "Our life will be all downhill after this summer" what with all these events, trips, and projects going on. I hope she's right! I'm ready to settle down and relax.
Come visit us at the new home place soon!
