We Love It When A Plan Comes Together

We had a VERY exciting day today is that we got our finalized house plans! We made some changes on the electrical plan and, when those are made (which should be in a couple of days), we'll be taking our next steps forward; i.e., getting approval from the architectural committee and getting a construction loan.

Below, for your information, is our house plan with front elevation.

We took a "road trip" on Sunday to Roby, TX. We wanted to check out a large grill on a trailer to use at camp meeting. We met with James and quickly determined that his cooker was too small for what we needed. He told us that his dad, Bob, had a larger one so we went to look at it. It was more money that what we thought we were authorized to spend. After trying to contact those who could say "yay" or "nay" with no success, we agreed that it was what we needed and it was a good deal so we bought it. Here are the pictures of our baby. . .

Pomodoro ala Carl

One of the benefits of running one of the cook sheds at Camp Meeting is that we bring home part of the leftover perishables. From year to year this varies, but almost always includes produce (cabbage, onions, apples, cantalope, watermelon, etc.), meat, eggs, and homemade bread. Sometimes, our bounty includes bottles of A1 Sauce, Heinz 57 Sauce, Worchestershire Sauce, and partially-filled jars of jellies -- these are the years that the "benefits" of running the cook shed turns into the "challenges" of running the cook shed -- what does one do with 6 bottles each of A1, Heinze 57, and Worchestershire?????

This year we came home with, among other things, 2 cases of tomatoes. Carl decided to make tomato sauce with them so, for the past two days, our RV has smelled like I imagine a farmhouse in Tuscany would smell -- BUONO! The best thing about this is that we'll be able to enjoy this homemade sauce for months!

Salute!

That Darn Cat!

Our realtor, Georganna, told us a story at our closing. One day she was showing a house and, when she got to the house, she heard what she thought was a baby crying. After some investigation, she found a white kitten, about the size of her palm, in the flower bed next to the front door.

After doing some investigation, Georgeanna learned that the SPCA and feral cat rescue organizations had all the kittens they could handle -- with all the rains, the feral cat mothers had sought high ground and had their kittens there.

Georgeanna and her husband decided to keep the kitten and they have named him "Conger."

Bless Georgeanna's heart: she's had "Conger" on her mind for the passed two years and now she'll have "Conger" with her for years to come!

Our Trip to the Davis Mountains

Our annual trip to Camp Meeting in the Davis Mountains is always special, but this year seemed especially so.

First of all, we completed the "West Wing" (our bedroom) and the bathroom in our cabin. The bathroom is updated, fresh, modern, and functional and all we lack is my completing the painting. We plan to finish the "East Wing" next summer; it will have a trundle bed for guests as well as our refrigerator and a sitting area.

Second of all, we had so much opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends. My sister (Sharon), brother-in-law(Maxie) , nephews (Jeffrey & Alan), their wives, (Mandi & Bekki), and my great niece and nephew (Ruth & Weston) were there for 10 days. Further, friends Angela and son Dillon, Blythe & Chris and daughter Mackenzie, Sarah & Scott and son Will, Fletcher & Jill and son Bennett and others too numerous to mention were in attendance which enriched our experience.

Third, the food was as good as it's ever been: an amazing salad bar at lunch and dinner, freshly-made rolls and cobbler at lunch and dinner, soft-serve ice cream at lunch and dinner; entrees including pollock from Alaska, chicken-fried chicken strips, roast beef, the best meatloaf in the world, enchildas, grilled pork chops, and brisket.

Fourth, it is a week during which I have basically NO responsibiliies -- no cooking, no laundry, etc. OK, I am on the Board of Directors so I have to attend ONE meeting! Also, I am in charge of the directory so I have to make a couple of announcements. THAT'S IT!

Fifth, the weather was at least 10 degrees cooler than that of Canyon Lake and the humidity was at least 1/2 of that at Canyon Lake! So it was VERY pleasant.

All in all, it was an extraordinarily enjoyable week. . .

Houseless!

It's true; Carl and I are now houseless and WE ARE THRILLED! We closed on our house sale yesterday morning and we even have the check in the bank! It's been a long frustrating, agonizing, emotional 2-year roller-coaster ride , but much good came from the trip:

1. We had an amazing real estate agent who loved our property and put her entire being into selling it for us;
2. The couple who bought it LOVES it -- that makes us feel SO good!
3. Carl & I learned a lot about each other; after 14 years of marriage we learned that we can live in 300 square feet and still really like each other!
4. I learned how little one really needs to keep house -- I plan to take this forward to our new house.
5. We learned how few clothes we really need (since we had room for so few). We will take this forward with us as well.

We've had folks say "how do you stand each other in such a small space?" I think it is a testament to our relationship that we are as crazy about each other today as we were in July 2006 when we moved into our RV!

We still have some RV living to do as we will be living here until our house is built. However, the attitude is very different knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunne.!

This and That. . .

It seems impossible that it is August -- where did the summer go?

We've had two days in a row with no rain, but it appears the drought will not last -- it's looking very dark outside right now.

Things are moving along beautifully with the sale of our house; our closing is scheduled for August 15.

We're leaving tomorrow for our annual trip to Bloys Camp Meeting. We are both looking forward to 10 days of enjoying some cooler temperatures, viewing the beautiful Davis Mountains, visiting with family and friends, and getting a healthy dose of spiritual renewal.

We get back on August 13, we move the things out of our house on the 14th, and we close on the 15th.

So until then, blessings.