The Secret Project

Not to be a secret for too long, the cat has been let out of the bag (figuratively!). Kathe was right on track with wondering if the project involved Christie or not. Yep, it does. She's pregnant again!!!! Yea!!! Child number two is on the way. This week she'll be 11 weeks along. Due date is November 2nd. I think it's a girl. Just because. No reason.

The odd thing about this is that we're living with her parents while our house is being built. Talk about uncomfortable!!!!

The House: Week Two

Well not too much going on, but some progress. The garage has been filled in and they've built up the basement walls (where needed). Since I have never built a house before I can only assume that the first floor is next. Or maybe they first have to give the basement a floor. Hey I don't know. Take a look at the photos I stitched together below of the basement.

Where's My House???

OK, so we've been waiting for the folks at Mill Creek to tell us that the permit has arrived from the city and that they will begin building our house. It has been almost two months since we signed the contract and we were led to believe that the "ball" would be rolling by now. So on Thursday Christie called them and asked, "What's up?" Turns out there was a mix up and they forgot to call us. They received the permit on March 19th and broke ground on the 23rd. Cool!

So on Friday we decided to take a drive out there and see exactly how much progress they actually made. I figured that there might be a shovel stuck in the ground and that was there way of breaking ground. Well guess what? The foundation is there!!!



See that house in the background? The one on the left. That is the same model as ours.

The Secret Project and the Bad News

What do you want first the bad news or the secret project (yes, I said secret project, Eric... you aren't the only one who works on secret projects!!!) OK, the bad news first...

Christie is looking for a new job. Her previous employer, whom she had only been with for about six months, had a bad year ('o6 I assume) and let a bunch of people go. She was one of them. She's OK with it though, since she really didn't like the location, she really didn't like the company, and the people there were ridiculously stupid and rude. We're OK with too because we really had not planned for her to be working there after we moved into the new house. Will it cause a problem with finances for the new house? Nope. A slight dent, more like a door ding, but nothing we have to really worry about. Even if she doesn't find a new job somewhere soon, we're doing OK.

The Secret Project...

Yes, I am working on a secret project. What it is, is a... Whoa! I almost let the cat out of the bag. Well I really don't have my cat in a bag, that would be cruel. I've put him in a box before. He actually kind of enjoys that. He plays in there for a while, chasing his tail. It's kind of fun to watch. Though not as much fun a watching Pinot and Livvie when they used to play. But I digress... I'm sorry, I really can't talk about the secret project. I mean, it's secret!!! If I were to tell you all about it, it would not be secret anymore, right? I can say this though... No, actually I can't. Sorry.

The Stewart, El. III

We're building a new house in Geneva, Illinois. To be more specific, it will be in the Oakmont neighborhood of Mill Creek. The model we will be having built is the Stewart, elevation III, and after all of our additions (or bump-outs as they call them), it will tip the scales at roughly 3000 square feet. Nothing spectacular compared to everyone else we know, but hey, it will be plenty big for the five of us (Christie, Zachary, Gonzo, Pinot, and me). If you look at the website, elevation III of the Stewart model more closely resembles the Remington model that they have pictured, though it will have a front porch.

We signed the contract and selected all the structural upgrades at the beginning of February. The last few weeks we've been going back and forth trying to choose all the non-structural upgrades we'd like. We're still not done, but at least the plans were drawn up and they were sent to the city (county?) for permits. Hopefully they will break ground by the end of March, and if so, they say we'd be closing in the beginning of August (we'll see about that).

Chicago Bears

Well, well, well. Ron Rivera has essentially been fired! Good news for the defense. I think they will drastically improve next year on the defensive side of the ball. On the offensive side? Well Ron Turner is not going anywhere, but Wade Wilson is out. I mean really! Wade Wilson was the QB coach? What was he really going to teach Rex Grossman?

OUCH!!!

After an exciting start, the Chicago Bears stumble and lose to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI. It was not pleasant. Oh well, we move on.

What's next? My opinion? Get rid of Ron Turner, Wade Wilson, and Ron Rivera. Turner and Rivera might get new jobs as head coaches somewhere. One can hope.

Bears are going to the SUPERBOWL!

NFC Champions!

Splish Splash I Was Takin' a Bath!

Zachary's First Christmas

Today, Zachary visited Santa for the first time. Unlike one of my memories of a visit with Santa, Zachary did not cry. Take a look. Click Pics over there on the right --->