Our new home!

We "officially" moved into our new home in Manvel, ND last Saturday. I say "officially" because I am already back in the Chandler/Edgerton area this weekend. Jess came back to his parents' farm on Tuesday to work for his dad and will stay here to work next week as well. He will be going to Jamaica for ten days starting on Aug. 25. This is the work trip he was supposed to go on in March when he worked for Noteboom Electric in Orange City. He got a call from his old boss a couple of weeks ago asking if he would still be willing to go, and of course Jess said yes! Unfortunately, this means we will not see much of each other in the next month, but it will be an awesome experience for him (not to mention guaranteed income for a little longer). When he gets back from Jamaica, he will help his dad for another week during the busy time of chopping silage (farm stuff... I don't know...), and then he will (finally) move to Manvel and look for a job in ND. So, I ask for all your prayers as we go through the next month: not being with one another very often, travels, and my transition to graduate school.

I begin classes on the 24th, but I have three full days of orientation before that, so technically it all begins this coming week! I am very excited, and feel completely blessed in the whole situation between the opportunities of actually getting in to graduate school and then receiving a stellar financial offer from UND. All I can say is that God is SO good because none of this has happened by my own strength!

I will attach a few pictures of our home even though it is not completely as I would like it yet. There is still exterior work to be done in the next few years, lighting and outlet changes (thankfully I know an excellent electrician), and probably some kitchen remodeling, etc. But it is looking awesome compared to the state of it when we first took possession of it.
North part of living room before (notice the lovely green carpet and fake stain glass windows on the door-seriously, they were stickers).

North side of living room (after): new carpet and paint and all our stuff! :-)

Our bedroom... (also new carpet and paint)

Bathroom... (note the beautiful new flooring; Thanks Dad! and Jess!)

(This picture was taken in June on the day we took possession a.k.a "signed our life away." The dumpster is now gone as is most of the shrubbery.)

Sorry no picture of kitchen because there are no doors on the cabinets. I have them all off in order to paint them all white. Here is a picture of what the kitchen looked like before and you will just have to wait and see what it looks like when the cabinets are finished...

Now that we are moved in, I will remind you all that our home is always open to visitors! We actually have a spare bedroom with a bed so you won't even have to sleep on the floor! Another attraction: We are only about 60 miles from the Canadian border, so we can go to a "foreign country" with very little travel time... :-)

Love you all!

Darci