SOLD!!! well, signed anyway!

Well by Monday evening we knew we had two offers...The realtor was excited to show them to us so she came over on Monday night about 8:30 and showed them to us..We had a few questions and so she got answers and came back on Tuesday night. Plus we still had a showing on Tuesday during the day. So then we accepted one of the offers and signed the papers that night. Now it's off to inspections and tests, and appraisal. Settlement is now scheduled for March 17th, if we can we'll move it up but not sure that will happen... It's hard to believe that it happened this fast..But why should we be surprised---every other thing has just fallen into place about this whole thing so.... Like I didn't want Matt (Berty's boss) to call between Christmas and New Year's because I couldn't get off then--he didn't but called in Jan when I could get away..I got lost coming home from the interview in New Jersey but found my way even though I usually have Beth or Gary to tell me how to go. I hated to tell Coresource that I was leaving but...that worked out--not the way I had planned but still worked out..They have someone taking my place from another office who has dental/flex background so not so much training..so that is good... My last day there is next Friday-Feb 5th..

So right now, we are finishing up those things we should have done years ago...like outlet covers, molding, finishing the window cases---we told them we would get that stuff done..And packing, and packing, and packing.....hahaha...And trying to find a place in Potter/Tioga County. So if you hear of something--you that are up there..Let us know..

love ya..

SOLD!!! well, signed anyway!

I took your advice, Phyl, and started working an 8 x 10. It's a portrait of a friend of mine holding her great-granddaughter at a Christmas party I went to. Sketched it out about a week ago and have it almost completed. Haven't spent nearly as much time going back over and repainting as I did the last one. Probably because it's smaller, maybe I'm starting to catch on.

I went to a class today at the school Cindy has been going to--basic web page design, you know, HTML and all that. I missed the first week, but considering that I had learned a lot of that before on my own, it wasn't any trouble to catch up. The class runs every Monday afternoon for four hours. Pretty interesting. I don't get any credit for it, but neither do I have to pay for it.

I might actually start making a living by working my brain instead of my muscle. Gonna' have to someday, since the muscles aren't what they used to be.

Moving news:

We listed with the Realtor on Tuesday evening..They came to put the sign up and take pictures on Wednesday..Yesterday we had someone come and look at it...And we have another person (s) coming on Sunday afternoon...Hope that's a good sign..


We'll be thinking of you, Bob as you go out to Rose...Drive safe and have a good time on your way..Our thoughts and prayer go with you...

Ahem! Drum roll, please. Ta Da!

Ok, ok, quit your grousing. Here they are. I am not satisfied with either of the photos, but you can understand what they are supposed to look like. I think I had too much flash when I snapped the painting, so it turned out quite blue.

Still haven't figured out what Numero Cuatro is going to be, but it's going to happen.

Knauer's are moving (hopefully!!)

Well, might as well make it official...I have accepted a position where Berty works at Seabrook House to be her assistant. My first day working there will be Feb 8th...A week of orientation in NJ and then up there to work for Bert!!! YIPEE!!! We have put our house on the market with a Realtor here (some of you remember the Rancks--this is Charlene Ranck-Merle's wife that Bob worked for...) They are very impressed with Gary's ability and work and feel like the house will sell rather quickly and for what we want...Hopefully that is what will happen even though of course they can't promise anything..

Not sure what we will do up there as far as housing as of yet...Going this weekend to look at some and see what we think..Probably I will just stay with Bert and Ed for a little bit (if they will have me) until our house sells and Gary and Brad move up...Not sure how that's all gonna play out but am looking forward to it all..

It has been a dream of ours for a long time to move back up there and not live in so much congestion and people, traffic and such...Didn't think it would happen until we retire or later but...it has and we are excited but very nervous and scared.. We have really felt that if God wanted it to happen that each step would be blessed and each obstruction would be taken out of our way...and that is what really has happened..I didn't want Berty's boss to call me for an interview between Christmas and New year because I couldn't really take off then..and he didn't..And then I got lost going to the interview and prayed that if God wanted me there on time I would see a sign..and I found my way... .just things like that........

So just keep us in your prayers as we make this exciting and scary journey and see what God has in store for us...We are looking forward to it but ...not looking forward to the actual moving day!!! Want to help move all our stuff???

love ya all!!

Patience, patience...

OK. It's done, or at least as much as I'm willing to do right now. I don't think that I'm going to improve it by tinkering, so I guess this is a good place to stop. Problem is, though, my camera battery is dead and I seem to have misplaced the charger. It appears that it will be at least tomorrow evening before I'm able to take a picture and post it for you. Sorry, you'll just have to wait another day.

Almost There!

Shouldn't be long now, a few more days and I'll have a picture for you. Looking pretty good, I think, and no I'm not biased. Purely objective.

Had a scare, though, the other day. Thought I might have to eat some crow and throw it away. I was having some trouble getting the floor to come out. Cindy even told me to quit or I'd ruin it and have to throw it out. Good thing I don't listen to people who know more than I do. Kept at it and managed to drag it out of the trash can.

This is fun! I'm really enjoying myself and am looking forward to the time when I can hang up the construction and make a decent living painting pictures. Course, if that happens, it'll probably become work and then I won't want to do it.

Lukie can hardly wait. I've been telling him that when I post, he'll become immortal. Or maybe he can hardly wait for me to play football with him, again. Never can tell with that dog.

UGH class

Well, just finished the final exam for the UGH class. Have to write the final of a 10 - 12 page research paper. I had to submit an annotated bibliography for the paper last week (it is a bibliography with notes about the source, the author of the source and his credentials, and how the source will be used in the paper). I knew I'd lose a few points because I was one source short and I had a few sources that were not written in the last 5 years - but...I got a 97! Pretty Cool - I was quite pleased because I was rather overwhelmed by the assignment! -- OK, onto writing the paper then this class will be completed!! woohoo

First thing I did when I got home this evening was to erase some of the lines and redraw them. Dang!!! Well, that was after I played football with the dog for five minutes or so. (We never know what the score is at the end, but time runs out when I decide to quit.)

Anyhoo, got started painting the floor again. Looks pretty good, but I reached a point where I couldn't make the colors work, so I quit. Started criticizing the lines and perspectives again, so I quit and started this post. Dang me!!! Engineers have a saying about the paralysis of analysis--in other words, you see so many things wrong that you never get anything done right. Gotta finish it, paint it, and move on. Probably it won't be too bad.

Phyl, do you ever have this problem?

Oh, in between times I cooked dinner and am expecting Cindy momentarily. Candlelight, soft music, butternut squash and baked chicken. Why am I complaining?

Almost had it!

I thought I'd be able to post my latest painting sometime soon, but t'ain't gonna' happen. I kept getting more and more frustrated with it and finally took a break for a couple days.

I'm painting a picture I took of my dog in my house. I have a Linoleum type floor which looks like hardwood. Pretty durable too, because the dog and I don't tear it up when we play football, which is about every night. But...let's get back to the subject.

I kept painting and repainting the floor, but couldn't get it right. Finally, I decided the perspective was all wrong, so I wiped it out and started over. This time I drew the floor boards in with a pencil and straight edge. Even so, I had to go back and make some changes until I got it. I'll tell you, it's easier to paint a house. I should have it done in a week or so and I'll drop by so you can see it.

I'm learning new things every day and starting to catch on. It's going to be a fun ride.

Same ol', same ol'

Well, I've tried to write a few times recently but seems that life doesn't change much from one day to the next so if you guys bookmark this and read it when you are wondering about me then you'll know what I'm up to!

Work, School, Work, School, Work, School, Work, School, Work, School, School, Church, School!

And there you have my week!!

I'm finishing up my fall semester this week. This final class was..., well..., un.... UGH!!! A Sr. level theology course titled Humanity, Sin & Salvation, It was a ton of very deep, often dry reading, it covered a lot of area and assignments were strange and very detailed even though they didn't cover the whole breadth of the material....UGH! Well, now that is over so....Moving on. The Life of Christ is next and I think I'll enjoy that much more! I may (depending on how aggressive a schedule I keep) be able to graduate Next June...not this coming but in 2011 but if not then definitely should graduate in Dec '11.

So, there you have it. dinner is on so I've gotta run! Love ya all!

I think we're all here.

So easy even a caveman...

Thought you might enjoy what I really look like. That is, before I shave it off. Every year it gets whiter. Some day I'll look like Bob and then I'll let it grow. Maybe.

If you wonder why I'm not smiling, it's because I'm looking at you!

Good News

I spoke to Rose on the phone on Monday evening. I flat out asked her if she wanted a divorce, she said "NO!". I told her then that she needed to make a decision soon whether she wanted to be my wife and live with and love me, or not - one way or the other. We also discussed some other things and I laid my feelings on the line about a lot of it - I said just what I felt. I did not converse with her at all on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I noticed there was a missed call from her on my phone, so when I got home from work, I called her back. She told me at that time that she was ready to come home, but needed to earn some money to pay for the trip. Also, she was nervous about driving home alone. I told her that I would fly out and we could drive back together. Sooo. I am flying to Omaha on the 27th of January and we will then take 3-4 days to drive home. We are planning to drive into Kentucky and Weet Virginia and do some sightseeing on the way home. This will also give us a great time to talk over and hopefully through some of the issues, and maybe get us started on the road to recovery.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this time and after. Do not hesitate to call or write and check up on us. We love you all. Bob

Home Again

We just spent four days "upcountry", mostly with Amanda, Justin, and the babies. Had a good time with them. The kids are growing up so fast. We have a lot of pictures and I will post a few for you.

We went to an indoor ice skating rink near their place one afternoon. The kids had never skated before and loved it. Even Emily (2-1/2 yrs.) got in on the act, although her version is to have someone push while she rides. Brianna and Gabriel did real well, both were starting to skate on their own at the end. Brianna didn't want to leave. She probably would be on the ice constantly if it were possible.

Cindy and I drove up to see Phyl and Wade Tuesday evening. We went to Lebanon the next morning to see Cindy's mother, before driving back to Philly for the trip home. That is exhausting! Tried to make a connection with Helen and Beth, but just couldn't do it. I think that, next time, we will go to one location and notify everyone where we are and how long we will be there. If anyone wants to see us, they can make the trip. That way we'll know how many people love us! Right? Of course, right.

Now it's back into the grind for a while. This trip killed my budget and I need to replenish before we go again.

Berty, I have a question. Who is Jess?

Love you all.

Our Day

Today, I cooked and cleaned. Didn't really seem like Christmas--seemed like a Saturday! We are celebrating Christmas with our family on the 29th, when Makayla can be with us. Michelle isn't coming home until the morning of the 29th (I think) and Joe, Shannon, Dave, and Jess all have to work, so we're having "Christmas" around 6:00 that night. Joe and Shannon will have Mattie and Lauren that night, so it all works out well. Not really sure what the kids thought about it--we just said "this is what we're doing" and they all said "ok", but it probably eliminated the rushing from one house to the other that you seem to do on Christmas day.

I wanted to do something special, so I made a nice dinner and John and Lynda came over. They always do their family Christmas on Christmas Eve and for years have went to Donna Plummer's on Christmas Day. Donna was getting elderly and moved from Knoxville to her son's in Nevada, so it worked out really nice for both of us. They brought us a gift--a picture Lynda had taken about 3 years ago of Morgan, Makayla, and their granddaughter, Terri, in a nice frame. The three little girls are all sitting in one "camp" chair and is an EXCELLENT picture of Morgan. Warms our hearts. Ed was pretty emotional today...cried several times...misses Morgan. I just kept busy (my strong suit, I think!). We're picking up Makayla on the 29th and will have her until the 3rd. Should be fun!

I did manage to get cards out, Phyl, but only because Ed addressed them all and signed them. I told him that I wasn't going to mail any because I didn't have time. He said that he would do a few if I wanted him to, so I gave him the cards and the rolodex and when I came home that night, he told me he had done 35 (or some such!). I guess it occupied him all day long. I was so proud of him. Well, it's been a long day, so I'm going to close.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for the cards--sorry I didn't get any out this year. Take care of yourselves. Hope you all can put difficult circumstances aside and enjoy the day. Love you.

One from Cindy

This is a picture that Cindy painted as a school assignment. She took the apple blossom photo I shot, cut out a small section, blew it up to fit the canvas, and got an "A" for her efforts. Looks good, doesn't it?

Numero Dos

Like I said. I can see a distinct improvement over the first one. Now all I have to do is decide who to give it to. Cindy says I should keep it, paint more, and do a show.

Enjoy