Daniel's Graduation

Dear Friends and Family,



The last two weeks in Nebraska have been productive and a great time to visit with family. We've been really busy and have gotten more done than we ever expected. Jimi and Dad took a load of furniture to Bonnie (my niece) in Lincoln. We also moved all of her stuff out of our storage unit and to my sisters house. Then we moved our storage items from my sisters basement into our storage unit with our LTD. Jimi stretched the legs on the LTD one afternoon. We unloaded the truck, trailer, and car; went through things to get rid of more stuff, as we were too overloaded. We repacked things and reloaded all the vehicles for our trip. Jimi was able to finish post processing Jennifer's wedding pictures, We attended a couple of Brittany's softball games; that was fun. We spent time with my Nephew Jason, his wife Angie, and their daughter Amaya.

Mom, Dad, Jennifer, Tim, Marie, and I went to Daniel's graduation in Idaho. It took us 21 hours driving straight through to get there and 23 hours back home. We spent two and a half days with Daniel. It was a really great time. The graduation ceremony was nice and the party his dad threw was nice. All three sets of grandparents were there, including us. Jimi tried to ride out on his motorcycle. He got as far as Rawlings, WY and had to turn around. The combinations of high winds, rain, and 40 degree temperatures were more than he could handle. We really missed him, but we understood. Daniel is now on his way to Alaska; he arrives tomorrow.

Jimi and I are ready for our three day drive to Florida. We'll leave in the morning and are expecting to arrive in Cape Coral Monday evening. We have a place lined up for one week. This should give us enough time to find an apartment or something, and if not, we'll extend our stay in Cape Coral.

Please say a little prayer for our safe travels. I'll try to write again early next week with another update.

Love everybody,
Lorie & Jimi

Happy and Homeless:

Hello all,

The week is over, the closing is done, and a new week is upon us. The appraisal came back well within the contract price and we were happy with that. As time went by, we planned and calculated, and though we were right on track and had plenty of time, yet at times we got a sense of panic to get everything done. The real panic set in when we realized we didn't have enough room to take everything we had planned.

We had a fabulous going away get together at a local pizzeria and pub on Wednesday night. The turn out was excellent; the hugs never ended and the tears ran off and on throughout the evening.

Jennifer and Tim came over Thursday night to help us load the truck, trailer, and car. We decided to load the bed as well and sleep on the floor just to get that much more ahead. As I mentioned earlier, we quickly realized we had too much stuff and we began giving more away.

The closing was scheduled for 10am on Friday morning. We were ready and sitting around the empty house about 9:15 when Jimi decided to take St. Joseph (buried in the front yard) as a souvenir. He was having difficulty finding where he was buried, but during this exploration he received a phone call from our Realtor saying the closing had been pushed to 1pm because the buyer's funds/paperwork weren't ready. Jimi decided instantly not to mess with St. Joseph. :-) As far as we were concerned, this was a close call and a warning. Lol - JK. Now we had an additional three hours to find something to do. We walked to Cafe Luna for a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee.

The closing was delayed a little longer, but we did get through it and all went as expected. We were finally able to get on the road for Nebraska about 3pm. The six hour trip went well. I-76 was quite rough and the trailer bounced around a bit, but Jimi is a great driver and knew how to handle it. Molly cat did extremely well in the car. She found a few places to ride, either on a pillow looking out the window or perched on the console between the front seats. She rode like a pro; concerned yet content. We arrived at mom and dad's about 10:30pm central time.

Saturday we unloaded the truck, trailer, and car in to dad's garage and began going through more boxes to get rid of more stuff. Neither one of us want to drive all the way to Florida so loaded down that we can't drive comfortably. We'll continue the process through the week.

Daniel is moving to Alaska with his father. They leave on June 4th. We'll be there Memorial Day weekend for his graduation.

Jennifer and Tim are doing well. They've got their little basement room fixed up real cute. Tim is still waiting on his transfer paperwork to go through and as soon as that does, he'll be able to seek permanent employment. Due to our busy schedule, Jimi hasn't had time to post process the pictures of Jen and Tim's wedding. We'll get those out just as soon as we are able.

Anyhow, things are going well for all of us. We will write more in a week or so and hope all is well with you.

Love everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Friends & Family,

It was a busy week and not just because of our upcoming move.

Jennifer celebrated her 20th birthday on May 2nd. Her, Tim, and I went to dinner and then spent the evening at Tammy's house in Mead.

Wednesday was the inspection on the house and by Friday we had received the results. Everything went well and we don't have to fix anything. The only request was the buyers would like to keep the dresser in the bathroom. Fine by us - that's just one less piece of furniture we have to move. :-)

Jimi and I had our last special dinner in Colorado on Wednesday night at Japango. Somehow, the sushi just didn't seem as good to us though. Anyhow, it was nice to get away from the house and not think about things for a while.

Jimi went in to work Thursday night, which was suppose to be his last night; however, he had already been replaced. He was happy about that and came back home.

My parents, sister, and great niece came to visit for the weekend arriving on Thursday night. We stayed up until 2am visiting - tired but fun.

On Friday, we had a private and quaint wedding ceremony in the park for Jennifer and Tim. That evening we celebrated with a private dinner/reception at her friend, Aara's house.

Jimi cooked breakfast for those awake on Saturday morning, we did some shopping that afternoon, and Saturday night we went to the Colorado National Speedway aka red neck races. Friends Brad, Ellen, Glenn O, Janka, and Juraj met us there. We had a great time and when the evening was over saying goodbye the Brad and Ellen was tough. They'll just have to come visit us on our boa now. :-)

My family left Sunday morning. Jimi and I tackled the garage getting a lot done. We also managed to clear out nearly all the furniture in the house except for what Jennifer is taking. We are left with no chairs to sit in or tables to sit at. We each still have our desks though. I've been packing what I can. I don't think we are too pressed on time, though we only have a week and two days left. I think we are right on schedule.

Jennifer and Tim took me to dinner Sunday night for Mother's Day. It was really nice of them and I enjoyed my steak.

The appraisal was done this morning. We should get results tomorrow.

Anyhow, that's all for now. HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY

 

Love everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

 

Inspection Overload

Hello all,

The week went by quickly and we now have less than three weeks left here, if all goes as planned.

I failed to mention in an earlier email that Daniel may be moving to Alaska. His father is transferring there and Daniel is considering whether he will go or stay in Weiser. I'll keep you posted.

Jimi worked endlessly on the house in preparation for the inspection, which should happen sometime this week. We spent Friday without electricity and Sunday with out water. It wasn't bad though - a necessary discomfort. I've gone through a few closets in the house, and Jimi and I began reorganizing the garage; however, we don't want to do a whole lot until after this week when the inspection is done and possibly more negotiations.

Thursday evening, I attended my final Beta Sigma Phi Founder's Day dinner with my fellow sorority sisters whom I've been affiliated with  for 20 years. I may try to attend the meeting on the 16th, if time permits.

Saturday night, along with Jennifer and Tim, we met Brad and Ellen for dinner at our favorite sushi restaurant, Zo's. Yummy! It was sooo good and we really enjoyed our time with long time friends who are so dear to our hearts.

I delivered my latest order of cards on Sunday to the coffee shop and did a mass mailing to local businesses.

Things are going well and we push on...more to come.

Love everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

 

Happy Easter!!

Dear Friends and Family,

Holy cow - a lot has happened in the past three weeks and I kick myself for not writing sooner.

Tracy (Jimi's niece) had a birthday on April 5th. Happy Birthday Tracy!!

I spent April 7th through the 15th working in Texas, During my weekend there, I drove to San Antonio to visit long time friends; I had a wonderful afternoon with my best friend from high school Judy and lunch with Judy and her husband, Gary. Then I spent the evening with Sylvia (Judy's brother's wife) enjoying the San Antonio Riverwalk.

While I was out of town, Jimi laid new carpet and walnut hard wood flooring in the back porch. It was much needed and looks great.

I received another order for 24 greeting cards at a coffee shop here in Longmont. I continue to make cards and send out samples.

Jennifer's boyfriend, who lives in Chicago arrived on Friday for a 2+ week visit. We had them over for dinner and enjoyed a nice visit Saturday. We will spend more time with then while he is here. The plan is he will try to transfer his National Guard duty station to Longmont or Jennifer will move to Chicago.

Two weeks ago we received news that Jeff (Jimi's brother) collapsed at work and was taken to the hospital. With in a week of the incident, Jeff was on the operating table having open heart surgery. One of the valves in his heart had to be replaced. There were some complications a day after the surgery, but he seems to be doing well now and should be coming home in a few days.

Jimi and I went to the Pawnee Grasslands to camp overnight. We usually sleep in the back of the truck, but this trip we took the car and Jimi talked me in to sleeping on the ground. It was cold, but I got through it. The smell of the campfire made it all worthwhile. We roasted turkey brats and corn on the cob for supper and scrambled eggs on the fire for breakfast the next morning.  Lol

We watched the "Roots" series and began "Gone With The Wind".

Now for the big news - Jimi signed a contract with buyers on his house today; and we are on the fast track. The buyers want to close and take possession by May 20th. We have a lot to do in less than four weeks. This is an exciting time, as we finally move forward.

I will make an effort to write more often to keep you updated.

Happy Easter!

Love everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Introducing Mr & Mrs Faber

Dear Friends and Family,

Last Monday through Thursday was the 'same as always' - blah blah blah, but after months of trying to talk Jimi in to going to Chicago for Tom and Tracy's wedding, just five days before the wedding, he gave in. I was ecstatic and so were the Chicago clan.

We left Friday morning for the 16 hour drive stopping in Davenport to sleep overnight and finally arriving at Jeff's house at noon on Saturday. It was rush rush and we were thrown in to help with preparations. The wedding was at 5:30 in the evening, small, but perfect; I'm so happy for Tom and Tracy. Another great surprise was that Jimi's father came. This is the first time in 25 years Dad (Ron), Jeff, and Jimi have been together. It was so great. With Karen, Bob, Michelle, Tom, Tracy, Tommy Jr, and myself, the entire Nicolaus family was together. It was really neat. We failed to get a full family picture, because so much was going on; however, we did get a four generation picture and a proud picture of Dad and his boys. It was a night we will never forget and always cherish.





We headed home Sunday morning stopping to spend the night at my mom and dads and then finishing our journey to Longmont on Monday. It was a really fast trip, but so worth it.

These past few days have been back to the ole' blah, blah, blah - ha ha. It's really just work and no play. I've painted everyday producing some worthy canvases and some not so worthy canvases - the practice continues. Jimi spends all his time studying anything and everything he can regarding sailing. Jimi lowered the price of the house by 5k and the showings came to a halt. Weird - huh? I think I've said it before, we are in a rut. It's so hard to stay optimistic in our situation. I think we both simply try to stay as busy as possible.

That's all for now. We hope all is well with you.

Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Home again

Dear Friends and Family,

Again, it's been two weeks since we've written. Not a lot has happened during this time, but enough so that it is time to write.

The showings on the house have continued to increase. In the last two weeks, we've had nearly a dozen. Our Realtor says that with this kind of showing activity, we should be seeing an offer soon - we certainly hope so.

I spent the last two weeks in Texas getting additional training on the new software system, as well as some other instruction. I enjoy going to McAllen, Texas because the weather is so nice, being away from home I get to do things like allot of reading, but most of all I get access to the awesome gym equipment at the hotel. I just love doing aerobic walking while I'm watching my favorite shows. My mind focuses on the shows and I don't even realize I'm out of breath, that I'm sweating badly, or that my body is aching. While there, I went in to Mexico with some friends. We enjoyed shopping, lunch and margaritas. 

My flight home was scheduled to leave McAllen at 6am on the 18th, which means I would have been home by 10:30am; however, none of that happened. During the plane's inspection, something on the aircraft was broken. The airline attendant made an announcement that the flight would be delayed an hour. This meant I would miss my connection in Dallas, so I got it rescheduled. Then about 30 minutes later, the airline attendant announced that the plane could not be fixed and would need a new part. The part would be flown in on the next incoming flight, which was scheduled to arrive at 10:30; again I had to change my connection. Then about 11:30 the airline attendant announced that the flight was delayed until 9pm. Finally I rescheduled for an entirely different flight which left at 3:30pm and I arrive home at almost 9pm that night. I was exhausted, but grateful. These things are to be expected when traveling and I had plenty to keep me busy while waiting around at the airport.

Jimi and Matt went to Moab, Utah to visit the Anasazi ruins for a few days. They camped by night enjoying the cool evening air and explored the ruins by day. Jimi was able to do some photography in the mornings. Attached is a picture he took of the Anasazi ruins appropriately name “house of fire”. 

This past Saturday, Jimi and I spent the entire day together. We slept in. He made us a delicious breakfast, We ran a few errands during a house showing. Then we set off for a long walk stopping to check on my cards at the coffee shop, stopping at a rent to own store (I'm looking for an elliptical or a treadmill to rent or borrow until we leave), and then we stopped by the Restore. At Restore, Jimi found two light fixtures, a large 12 volt cooler, and I found the Torso Track 2. Yes, we had to carry all these items home and none of them were small. That in itself was a good workout. After looking through all of our goodies, we laid a blanket on the grass in the back yard. We laid on the blanket soaking up the sun and beautiful weather, while Jimi read to me about the Ft Myers and Sanibel Island area. It was a beautiful day. Afterwards, we did our respective workouts, we went to the grocery store, and then watched a movie. It's great to be home.

Sunday, I found myself quit sore from my workout and didn't do a whole lot; I laid around and rested mostly. Jimi worked on and around the house. He also hooked up a TV to the exercise bike, so I can continue my workouts at home. He's such a sweetheart.

That's all for now. I am home for a few weeks.

Love everybody,

Lorie & Jimi