Closed

Tonight we met with title agents, realtors, and the new owners of our Minneapolis house. It was lovely. They were excited and told us that as soon as they saw the listing, they wanted to buy it. The called it their dream house.
I had worries that someone would buy it to rent out, or flip. I'm so pleased that they want to live in and love it. They even brought champagne to celebrate when everything was signed.

I still feel a little numb to it. Not excited, not even relieved. Maybe it will hit me in some way later, but for now I am very grateful for how smoothly all of this has gone.

Not sure how I feel

I had been divorced for six months. I'd been living with my brother, and trying to find a new place for myself. I was looking through the HUD Teacher/Officer Next Door program (now Good Neighbor Next Door program, as it has expanded beyond teachers and police officers). I think this may have been the only house I looked at.

It was amazing. 

It needed work, but the price was great and it had so many cool old features. And it was three blocks from my school at the time. I put in my name for the lottery, and asked everyone to pray for me.

Now 14 years (minus 2 weeks) later, someone else will be taking it over. I pray they appreciate it as much as I did. 

Goodbye

Tonight we said goodbye to our house in Minneapolis. We wandered around the house taking video talking about things we remember doing in each room. Rellie cried a bit. I'm surprised I didn't. Felix and Leo reminded us that we can still see the house, we just can't go in.

I think having these two months to get the house empty and sold have been a tremendous gift. We have been able to see and be in a house that wasn't really ours anymore, while learning to live in our new house.

And how are the children?

12 year anniversary

The changes are getting more and more subtle now that we no longer have any babies.

12 years ago	11 years ago
10 years ago	9 years ago
8 years ago	7 years ago
6 years ago	5 years ago
4 years ago	3 years ago
2 year ago	1 year ago
And Today!

I think our pictures are getting better. The parkway is open, so we could just park and take our picture. So nice because it was COLD this morning! Leo was shivering so much, that I gave him my sweatshirt.

Birthday Boy #2

Leo's birthday party went off pretty well. 

Piñata, Break out and cup cakes again! 

Using the backlight to find the word for the wordlock

We got in!

Birthday Boy #1

Felix's party was great! Friends came, we piñata-ed before the rain hit, broke out as the rain fell, and decorated our own cupcakes!

Trying to figure out Flynn the Fox's clue to Felix's presents

The countdown

Every day this week, I have gone over to our Minneapolis house to wrap things up. We close in one week. I'm a little sad or mad at myself. I'm just feeling so done with it. I wish I didn't have to go mow the lawn, or take stuff out of the garage. But then I know a moment will come when the house is no longer mine. 

It served me well for 14 years. MY house. I bought it on my own. The house I fell in love with FP in. Where we plotted and carried out our wedding. Where we brought home and cared for our children. So many projects. So much learned. So many memories. I want to soak in the goodbye for a little bit, but I can't. Not yet, and I don't want to miss that opportunity to say a proper goodbye.

Bakken Museum

We were planning to meet Ellen & Pam and their nephew at a park but it rained, so Ellen suggested we go to the Balken Museum. None of us had ever been. 

It was delightful!

Playing mindball. Felix beat everyone!

Sakatah!

We headed out to Sakatah State Park on Friday. We'd reserved a camper cabin and were excited to try it out. We loaded up the van and everyone's bikes and headed out after FP got done with work on Friday night. We were very glad not to have to set up a tent, it was getting dark just when we arrived.

Breakfast in the morning: gotta cook up all the bacon!

We set out down the Sakatah bike trail toward Waterville- about a mile and a half away. I wasn't sure Leo would make it, but he slowly and steadily biked the whole way- and back!
FP and the big kids went on ahead and when Leo and I caught up, they told us there was a store with a room that was all candy! AND you could get 10 pieces for a dollar! Of course we couldn't pass up such a deal.
Leo and Peder headed back to the park. Relia, Felix and I set out to find a playground. We passed one, and they wanted to stop, but I was sure I'd seen a better one on the map. Turns out the park I saw was a trailer park! We headed back to the school playground and played for a little while, then biked back. So fun.
After our official trial ride, the kids just biked around the campground much of the afternoon, of course making friends wherever they could.

We tried to take a hike while FP napped, but the bugs got to us so we hurried back.

It threatened to rain right around dinner time, so we headed into town and had floats at A&W (maybe some food too). Just as we got back, the rain hit. A pretty good downpour. Relia started a game of charades:

The next mooring was Father's Day, so we took FP into Waterville to eat at the Cafe. Good breakfast was had by all, and then we explored the hardware store and their resident cat. Then we packed up and headed back home.