I have a new name for our nightmare house....

MONEY PIT!!!! Everytime I turn around something is broken, breaks or just flat out needs replaced. I have about had it. Things cost money and I have come to find out that things cost A LOT of money. It also adds up very quickly. We are officially moved into the money pit now. I must say, I am relieved and it's nice to have the extra room. Living in a home that is smaller than a small apartment is pretty hard. Especially when you have two kids. It was beginning to get hard finding places for all of our crap. Now, we have the unfortunate task of going through storage. I suggest we do it quick because right now, I'm ready to just throw things away...or give them away...or sell them. Also, as I fix up this house and see that it really isn't all that bad and can be a pretty nice home, I wonder how people can live in the filth that they do. This is the third home we have lived in that was previously owned and it is interesting to see how other people live. People can be so dirty and just so lazy and never clean. It absolutely amazes me. I'm not one who runs around my house and sings show tunes and loves to clean and have everything spic and span, but I do like my home to be presentable and livable if possible. I have found that when it comes to bathrooms, people don't keep them very clean. I can't stand a dirty bathroom. AND, it sucks cleaning up after someone you don't even know.

Anyway, this weekend we are off to another All Star Tournament. It will be our last for the year, whew! I would say now I can start laying around and just enjoying the summer, but I will be painting and working on my money pit. Oh the joys of owning a home that just isn't quite move in ready. (SIGH!)

My Current Nightmare Update

Living Room & Looking from Living into Dining/Kitchen










Kitchen with new flooring.

So, the more I think about this house, the more I get so frustrated with it, but I'm anxiously waiting to move in. Makes absolutely no sense, I know. Anyway, the flooring is about done. It should be completely done tomorrow. Just a few more small spots to finish. Why he didn't just hurry and finish today is a question I have, but whatever. We are VERY limited on time to get out of this house. Trent has an All Star Tournament this weekend. We said we would be out by the 1st. So, that leaves us two days to get out of here. I'm sure if I told the owner I needed a few extra days she wouldn't big deal it, but I would rather not have to ask. It's not like she has another renter lined up or a buyer for that matter. Then again, who knows.

So, the look of the house is finally coming along I guess. The vinyl is FINALLY done in the kitchen. Before I left, I was looking at the floor and decided it reminded me of Tetris. It didn't look like that when I was looking at the little swatch of it. Now that it's laid, it looks really busy. Oh well, it will have to do. The kitchen area is much brighter (due to my crazy orange) and much lighter I think. The carpet is incredibly soft and plush. It's like walking on a cloud. I hate carpet, but I have to admit this is pretty nice. Still, if this were the house I would be in for the rest of my life, carpet wouldn't have even made it through the doorway. Then again, there's no guarantee how long I will be here, so it just might be the house I am in for the rest of my life. Let's hope not. I have a couple of things I want to do in that kitchen/dining that will make a big difference. I also have big ideas for the kids rooms. I can't wait to start on those. The kids are ready to get out of this tiny rental home and get into a bigger home. They can't wait to decorate their rooms so they are THEIR rooms. Kaela is especially excited and her eyes light up whenever I speak of decorating her room.

That is one dilemma. My other is our cruise we are leaving on in about 2 1/2 months. I've been spending money on dresses and clothes like a mad woman. I'm not really the one who needs them though. DALAN DOES!!! It's not like he has a bunch of holey pants and shirts, but his wardrobe consists of Harley shirts from different Harley stores. They are all black. Dalan is not the shopping type of person, but if I shop for him, he complains about what I buy him. He really needs to get in the shopping mood. He booked this damn cruise for our 10 year anniversary, so he better get ready for it. UGH! The whole thing just gives me stress. Seriously, I wish I could dress him like he was my little doll, but that's just not possible. Oh, it would be so much easier though.

Anyway, other than that, everything else is about the same. Things probably sound really boring, but I promise they aren't. I don't feel like I have a spare minute...ever...well, except for now because I am sitting here blogging. Trent's last tournament is this weekend and it's a long one unless they lose two games on Saturday, then it will be short. Well, I am off. Hope all is well on your end.

2008 All Star Tournament in Richfield, UT

We left on Thursday to head down to Richfield for an All Star Tournament on Friday and Saturday. They had two games, back to back, on Friday. They lost both. They are hitters, but they really need to work on fielding. On Saturday, we had one game. The team we played was AMAZING! They killed us. We were up to bat first and scored two runs. I thought, great, we are off to a great start. Dalan kept saying these kids are probably pretty good and we would lose. I thought, "They are 9! How good could they possibly be?" Oh my gosh! Was I in for a surprise. We sat in the 1st inning for an hour! Yes, an hour! We had so many errors it was ridiculous and our pitchers were off...way off. I don't really think any of that would have mattered anyway. We still would've gotten our trash kicked. These coaches were hard core and very into it. If those kids messed up, they heard about it. I also found out that some of these teams have been together for months. We have only been a team for two weeks. The final score for that game was 25-2. The kids were all frustrated and pretty much gave up. I think it will be a lessoned learned. They see what they are up against now and will hopefully practice harder.

Anyway, the trip wasn't a complete bummer, we decided to take the fifth wheel down and stay at a KOA. That's the way to go if you ask me. The kids had a blast swimming and they had a mini golf course. Nothing extravagant, but we had a good time on it. There were a few other people from Delta staying there too as well as people from other teams. So, there were kids EVERYWHERE! All in all, it was a good trip and so nice to get away. I love when we can get away from Delta and do something..anything. We should have another tournament pretty soon. Hopefully they play a little better. It just sucks for them to lose!

My Current Nightmare

Kitchen Before

Looking from Living Room into orange Dining area.

Kitchen After

So, since we have decided to put off building, we decided to purchase a home. With the market being the way it is, we decided to hold off on it. The home we purchased sits on 10 acres and has the potential too look pretty nice. It doesn't really look like much from the outside, but once we stain the outside and put in a yard, it will look pretty decent. Anyway, the whole house needs to be painted. So, I have been busy thinking about what I want to do with this house. I have thrown caution to the wind and decided to have fun with at least one room...my kitchen. I have painted it orange...BRIGHT Rachael Ray orange. It actually doesn't look all that bad to tell you the truth and it's growing on me. Once it's completed, it will be a pretty cool kitchen. I'm sure the majority of people I run into are wondering what in the world I am thinking, but I have a vision and I know it will look great. The kids love it! In fact, Kaela isn't too sure of the tannish, peachish living room. She says she likes the orange kitchen better.

I will try to post pictures as I paint and decorate. I will also post a picture of my finished kitchen. Right now, it's a work in progress.

What in the world am I doing?

So, I guess I am going to start blogging on here. It's probably a good way to update family members who live out of state and people we knew from high school. I can't seem to get my page to look exactly how I want it, but it will come together in time. My current problem is paragraphs. No matter what I do, it won't save my paragraphs and keeps mashing everything together. UGH! The family picture above is from 2004 when we went to Mexico. It's all I have for now, but I will try to put more on here as I post.

So, hmmm...what should I say? I guess I can start out with Dalan and I have been married for 10 years...been together since we were juniors in high school. Time sure does fly. We are total opposites of eachother, but oddly enough, it works. We have two kids who aren't perfect, but I like to think they are. Their school pictures are above this post. Trent is 9 going on 10 in August. He's a monster of a child and people often think I am his big sister. Cracks me up! He takes after Dalan and he looks like Dalan. As the days go by, I tend to see exactly how much he is like Dalan. He does everything just like him. It's crazy...and annoying at times. He loves sports and is your typical boy. He does pretty well in school as long as he applies himself. He loves Science (Don't know where he gets that...ha! ha!) Our little girl Kaela is 7. Everyone says she looks and acts exactly like me. I honestly could go on forever about her. She ALWAYS makes us laugh. She loves to climb. She is a brownie Girl Scout and loves every second of it. She is also going to pick up dance again. She loves school and always does her best. I honestly can't imagine life without her...without either one of them.

Let's see, we are now back in Delta after living in Colorado and California. It was a dream and a goal of Dalan's to get back here. Why? I don't know. I was perfectly happy in my home in Cali with my pool, but oh well. I guess it's really not all that bad here. And I guess I should be honest with myself, Cali was losing it's appeal as the days went by. The weather was great, but I got sick of the people and the problems that were moving closer to us. Anyway, the kids love it here. We are around family now, so that's good. They really love being able to see my sisters kids all the time. So, I guess moving here isn't all that bad...I guess.

Well, that's about it for now.