I just wanted to post that I have put up more pictures of the house. Many are interior, because our lights have been going up.

Time is getting tight with so many little details to take care of before the closing next week.

I'll post more when I can.

The electric company did connect the house, so the builder wants to close on the 30th. Woohoo! Okay, so that means lots to do.

I have made arrangements with the insurance company for the home owner's insurance (oh, and our car insurance drops a bit when we move). I have contacted the attorney about the closing date. I spoke with the bank representative about our mortgage. I have exercised my option to float-down our percentage rate. See, I paid to lock us in at a certain rate with the option to change to a lower rate if the rate dropped before we closed. Well, as luck would have it, the rate dropped a quarter of a percent. We will be saving about $60.00 a month. And, almost everything that we had purchased for the new home, but were storing at our current home, is at the new place.

I have been going to the house everyday for the past few days and will be going back tomorrow and Friday. There are some new pictures of the house on the Images page. I will post more as the house becomes more complete.

Meanwhile, The Wife is off tomorrow, so that we can pay for the insurance, take a couple more items to the house, and I think we should buy some vodka, cause, damn, I need a drink! I'm sure she will too! Fortunately she has this weekend off. I think we will spend it packing and drinking.

Oh, and on a completely different subject ... we have been doing really well on our weight loss. I have gone from 155 lbs (5/13/06) to 143 lbs (8/13/06). Okay, so maybe not too fast, but losing 12 pounds in 3 months is fine for me. Especially when I have still been eating foods I enjoy. I actually have to go out and buy a new belt, because the one I have is now too big to hold up my pants that are too big. Hahaha! The wife has done just as well. I think she has lost 11 or 12 pounds. She was able to fit into a pair of jeans she hasn't worn for about 5 years. We are very pleased with the information we were introduced to by Katie. Thank you Katie!

Well, if I don't get another post up before Monday, have a good weekend.

I know it's been over a month since I have posted, but things have been pretty crazy with getting the house together and the job search. Today's update includes a cleaning up of the Links page. I have removed a few old links, added a couple of new categories, and a few links in pre-existing categories. Additionally, there are some new pictures of the house on the Images page.

As most of you know my interest for employment is working in the courts, not a law office or corporation. There have been issues with residency for a couple of the jurisdictions I have been applying at. Now, it looks like there is an opening in one of the areas I am able to work. I had a conversation with the Chief of Staff and provided my resume and cover letter. I am encouraged that my CASA work will be considered when making a decision about looking at me further. Until we move into the new house, I am somewhat limited on the other jurisdiction I have interest in.

Meanwhile, The Wife is working her butt off while I handle all aspects of the house building and mortgage issues. I do still make time to get some game playing in, but it is not as much as I would typically like. For example, I wasn't able to play much in this past week. Even at night, I have been finding myself too tired to concentrate on a decent gaming session. Anyway, it's all for the best, as the house nears completion.

As for the house, we are hopeful the electric company will connect the power lines to the house this week. If so, we still might be able to close by the end of the month. A lot of work has been completed since my last posting. The well is in, the septic is almost complete, the sheet rock is up, the plastering has been completed (we love the look of the ceilings; skipped trawl finish), the kitchen cabinets were almost all up when I was there yesterday, the front porch is up, the back deck is up, and a foundation has been poured to support the steps from the driveway to the walkway to the front door. We are getting really excited and just wish it was already finished.

So, that's the update on things around here. Oh yeah, and Dustie the Cat has been doing great even with the extreme heat we have had recently. She has been healthy and playful. A bit on the noisy side with her occasional 10 minute meowing sessions, but her kitty arthritis might be bothering her. There's not much we can do for her about that other than what we are already doing.

Enjoy the updates and the rest of the week.