MidNovemberBeginWinter

So we are down to the last few days of temp housing! We close on the house THIS THURSDAY! And MOVE IN FRIDAY! We are so excited about getting our house and all our stuff back :) Not to mention having a backyard to let Saphira out in. But, as excited as we are about the house here are some things we will miss about the apartment:
1. Heated underground parking - so nice to go out to a warm car in the morning, not to mention - no cleaning off the windshield!
2. Walking distance to coffee shops, restaurants, dessert, etc. - Really easy to find something to do when you're bored on the weekends.
3. Super close to Lake Calhoun - perfect for a longish run!
But most we will NOT miss things like having to tow groceries to the apartment and wait on super slow elevators; it taking just as long to drive 10 blocks to the highway as it does to take the actual highway to work; having to walk down a flight of stairs every time Saphira has to go out; and having to walk down the street every morning so the little girl can do her business. Overall, clearly we are stoked about the house - we are ready to make it our own!
We've continued to explore Minneapolis - last weekend we went to the Mall of America!

It's crazy big!! We went first thing in the morning and walked around for a couple hours before it got too crazy. I don't know that I would want to do my regular shopping there, but it was definitely fun to experience! Not to mention there is Nickelodeon Universe inside and a really cool Lego store!

Bryan also found a store just for men who shave :) They were doing a "Movember" ad as seen below:

So the MOA (As its known around here) was fun. Good way to spend a Saturday morning! That was last weekend. This weekend we went out to eat at a place called Bryant Lane Bowl. It was awesome!! Its a bar/restaurant/bowling alley all in one! And they serve a great breakfast, w/GF toast! Perfect! So it was a great start to the day. We decided to drive downtown and see if there was anything exciting going on down there. There wasn't, but it was still good to explore the downtown area. We also drove around our new city of St. Louis Park a bit and so it was nice to get to know the town a little better. This morning we have already done our Costco and Rainbow shopping, and good thing too because..... it snowed today!

So the rest of today will probably be spent watching football on the couch :) And enjoying these delicious sugar rushes...

Bryan got a cinnamon roll and I got a mint/chocolate/caramel apple. What better way to spend a cold snowy Sunday? We'll see how long Saphira let's us sit here....oh she's already whining so I guess not long!!

More about the house next weekend!! Cheers for now!

Week One in Minneapolis = Crazy

So we have been here a total of 9 days and so much has happened, here's an update from my post last week....

House Hunting:
As you know we saw many houses last weekend, like 20! So this week we went back to our favorites to try and narrow down the field. We finally decided on one and put in an offer on Thursday about 3:00 pm. About 3:45pm I get a call from Bryan who tells me that the owners have countered our offer with 2 things, they wanted to keep some curtains and they wanted $3,000 more than we had offered on the house....So clearly we accepted! The acceptance was official on Friday! The current owners are actually moving in 2 weeks and so we close in just 3 weeks, if all goes well we will be in the house before Thanksgiving! We have the inspection tomorrow so hopefully there are no major issues with the house. If everything goes well, we will have a house here! YAY! Below you will find a link to the house so you can see the listing pictures :)

http://www.cbburnet.com/property/details/1912667/MLS-4188096/3228-Hampshire-Avenue-S-St-Louis-Park-MN-55426.aspx?SearchID=4192291&RowNum=6&StateID=29&RegionID=0&IsRegularPS=True&IsSold=False

Work:
I started work this week and everything went really well! I think that I will like the office and everyone I am working with. I also think that I can bring a lot to the office and hopefully help everyone be successful. I'm still getting to know everyone (obviously) but I think that we will get along well. The thing that I really like about the physical location of the office is that there is a gym right in my building! I can go down at lunch and walk or do yoga and then go right downstairs and run after work! It's so convenient and then I don't hit much of rush hour either, wins on both sides!

Saphira:
Saphira has actually been doing really well. She goes from sleeping

To getting into something she shouldn't....

But overall she has been doing really well for being in an apartment. I know it will be a lot easier once we are in a house, which is part of the reason why we are so excited to move into a house so quickly!

 

Half Marathon!

So I had been training for a half in Columbus, but in interfered with the move so I found another half to run here in Minneapolis! I actually got to run through St. Paul so that was neat to see the other of the twin cities and I got to check a half marathon off my list! WOOHOO! It was definitely hard and my legs are really achy today, but I am pretty pleased with myself for finishing. Here are a few pics of the race!

 

We also found a spot to get GF pizza! So that was exciting as well. Tonight we are meeting up with Marshall to try a new restaurant so we will have to let you know how that is. So far we've been pleased with the food scene here! In the coming weeks we will be focusing on getting Bryan a job, finding a vet for Saphira, finding me a chiropractor, and, most importantly, finding a church. Now that we know where we will be living (or we're pretty sure as long as the house isn't falling apart or something) it should be a little easier to get the rest of these things in place. Keep praying for Bryan's job and getting into nursing school. Bryan is thinking that he will wait until summer/fall semester to start classes since he wants to establish himself in a job before asking for a specific schedule around school. So hopefully he can find a job soon!

So far so good Minneapolis - can't wait to see what's in store next!





Made it To MN

So WE ARE HERE! It seems crazy that just last week we were preparing for tests, packing frantically, and trying to decide what to do with the dog while the movers were at the house. Now we are in our temporary housing (which is awesome by the way) and finding our way around the new city. We are in a really fun part of town, called Uptown. There are shops, parks, and restaurants all within walking distance, so we may find it hard to leave and move into an actual house. Speaking of houses, we looked at about 20 this weekend and have narrowed it down to 3 possibilities. House hunting is exhausting and stressful so I am looking forward to decided on a house and getting settled. Thankfully, we like our temp housing so it's no so bad. Saphira has done really well overall. She was great on the ride (not that I would know first hand, but Bryan said she did well in his car) and is doing pretty well in the apartment. She did wake up the first morning at 4am central time and then she wouldn't sleep in her crate last night, but maybe tonight will be better. Saphira and I went on a long run/walk this morning around Lake Calhoun (pictured below...all stock photos btw). It was great! We are really close to the green way which is about 80 some miles of biking/walking trails that connect Minneapolis. So I am enjoying that. Tomorrow starts work for me and learning a new office and new reps and managers. I am nervous but excited. Mostly, I am really thankful that we have had time to settle into the apartment and find a grocery store and get unpacked before I started work. On top of that we've found some potential houses! So overall, a good start to Minneapolis. Overall we have a great impression of the city and we are really excited to keep exploring. Now it's time for me to sign off because I need to eat dinner before Marshall Segal arrives! YES! We have A FRIEND in the city already and he promises to introduce us to more :) I am trusting that the Lord has good things planned for us here and just moving forward on that idea. I know he will provide!! Keep praying for the perfect house for us and pray that we are wise about how much we spend. Also, be praying for Bryan as he begins to search for a job and a school to transfer to in order to continue with his nursing program. More updates to come!!

Lake Calhoun - just minutes from our apartment!

Moving

So as most of you have heard, we were asked to move to Minneapolis, MN a couple weeks ago. We decided that it was the right thing for us and decided to take my company up on their offer. Since then it has been a whirlwind of finishing up house projects, painting, cleaning, organizing, and of course doing all our normal things like take care of the dog, work, and go to school. I am thankful, in a way, to be so busy because it really limits my time spent on worrying about moving and being sad to leave A2 and Michigan.
When we were offered the move I had mixed emotions. I love our house and our life in Ann Arbor. I love being close to the majority of my family. We have a great church and a great community group we are a part of. There are so many positives of Ann Arbor and our life here. But, when thinking about the move the thing that kept coming to mind was that God often challenges us with things that we do not want to do, but are going to be the best things for us. When I took this job and moved to Rhode Island it was the last thing I wanted to do. I remember praying that God would give me any other job than the one offered to me, but the more I prayed the more I realized that God was calling me to this particular job. The same thing happened with this offer, the more I prayed about it the more I realized that it's what God wanted for our lives.
Even though I know that God has a plan and that the best thing for us is to move to Minneapolis, it doesn't make the move easy. Not only is it hard to move away from everything we love here in The Mitten, but it's so stressful to move period. We have been busting our butts getting the house ready and I just feel exhausted. Thankfully, after today, most of the hard work will be done. We will just need to keep the house tidy but all the projects should be done.
So, on October 16the the movers come to pack us up and we could be driving as early as the 17th. Until then we are praying for a quick sale of the house and that the Lord would prepare a place for us in Minneapolis. We will start the house hunt as soon as we get there and we are hoping to find our home very quickly. Bryan is finishing up his CNA class this week and will be taking his test as soon as possible so that he can transfer his certification up to MN and get a job as soon as we get there.
We know that the Lord will provide for us in our new city and get us through the last couple weeks in Ann Arbor. More updates in the weeks to come!

Bathrooms and Pup

Another update on the house! We've been working hard on the bathroom (well mostly Bryan has been working hard) and it's coming along. My family came up last weekend and my dad and Bryan went after the bathroom again and now almost all the walls are actually walls with drywall/cement board up! It's really cool to see the room come together and start to look like a room, not just studs. Here are some pictures of the progress!

 Along with updating the house we are also raising the pup! She is getting so big, I feel like she grows overnight sometimes. We're working on basic commands right now and she's learning them, even though she doesn't always want to listen/do what we tell her :) Here are some pics of the pup!

Weekend Project: Window Treatments

This Memorial Day weekend we tackled some house projects. Bryan and my dad worked hard on the bathroom, getting the electrical all set up and knocking down some more plaster.  Meanwhile, my mom and I worked on window treatments for the front part of our living room. We got some new bamboo shades and also made our own curtains! (Thankfully I had a 50% off coupon for Joann's otherwise our curtains would have been super expensive...) My mom's expert sewing skills were put to good use making these awesome curtains! We are so thankful for parents that can help out around the house, we wouldn't be any where near as far along without them. Enjoy the updates, next stop: window treatments for the kitchen and finishing the guest room shade :)

 Before....

 AFTER!!

The work on the house continues! Thanks to my dad, we were able to get crown molding up in the living room and kitchen this weekend. It looks AWESOME! It's not finished yet, still need to paint and such, but it makes such a big difference and makes the room feel finished.  Also, you will find pictures of our "seascape" bathroom upstairs, lovingly dubbed this as we had sand paint on the walls w/a tan/blue mix of colors. The best part is that our bathroom was REDONE at some point so people CHOSE sand paint! Blech....anyway, Bryan is tearing all that out now so we're underway on that major project as well. We've really enjoyed all our projects so far - let's hope we stay here long enough to keep going!

Living Room

Living room again

 Dining Area/Kitchen

 Dining Area

 Looking into the Kitcehn

 Yay! Crown Molding is up!

 WoW!

 Check out that caulking job (oh yeah, I did that)

 Seriously, what a big difference!

 You can't really see the crown molding in this pic but it does show off our above cabinet lighting!

 Ahhh...almost complete!

 Ewww, ugly bathroom

 Blech! SAND PAINT!

 Notice the waves of blue/gray throughout the tan sand paint

 Gross peel and stick tiles

Old, outdated fixtures plus icky plastic covering on the shower means time for a make over!



This is our little house :)

So I thought since it's been a couple months since we moved into the house I would post some pictures of the house and some projects we've accomplished (thanks to the help of my parents!)

This is the Kitcen, the cabinets were all updated, so we just had to paint!

Our breakfast nook on the other side of the kitcen. It looks out onto our front yard - also pictured, the beautiful birthday flowers Bryan bought for me!



Living Room - this is off the kitchen, you can see Bryan's clock wall!  Eww look at that fan!

Living Room looking out towards the front of the house. Notice the ugly ceiling fan...




Bryan's study - Our Buckeye room! Also a guest room.

Downstairs bathroom



Other guest room



Our master bedroom upstairs

The whole upstairs is our bedroom and it has a bathroom, too! We have a lot of work to do up there, but it's going to be awesome when we're done!

Excuse the mess, but this is still upstairs! And there are built in drawers so no need for dressers upstairs!

Big ugly black fan in the kitchen....

Replaced with beautiful, sleek, modern light fixture! What a difference!

Ugly black ceiling fan in the front room...



Replaced with cool spot light fixture!





So that's the house so far! It's amazing what a few small changes can do to a home! We're really enjoying fixing things up and making it our own. can't wait to start on our next project...