The Countdown is on

The countdown is down to 5 days until we become 'Casseltonians'--I think that's the official term for us. I took some photos on Saturday but haven't uploaded them yet. my dad, Owen, and I headed down to the Twin Cities for the Vikings game, and we're on our way back now. the bulk of the house project is finished with final touch ups occurring this week. We close on the house on Friday and the movers bring all of our gear Friday morning. while we've been in ND since August, having our own home will really make our move feel complete. the Puntons have been gracious hosts, especially with the lousy fall weather making it an uncertain harvest. One nice by product of mooching off of both of our parents is that the kids have grown considerably closer to all of their Grandma's and Grandpa's. You can tell a kid is comfortable when they accept discipline from a grandparent without running to mom and dad. This has come true, probably out of necessity, but it's really been a blessing. Amy has boldly declared that we are hosting Thanksgiving this year but her parents have told her to wait until after the move in date to confirm it.
The kids are pumped to have their own rooms again. they have been sharing a bed at Grandma and Grandpa's house, with no shortage of arguing about who is on who's side. that bickering will likely be replaced by arguments over the bathroom. there will probably be a couple days of cooperation after the move in date. Amy and I have appreciated the support and love we have received from our friends and family throughout our journey home. if you're reading this, you are welcome at our home any time.

It's been awhile since I've provided an update, so sorry about that. I chose this picture to show you all that it's truly a work in progress yet. While we had some issues with Xcel Energy getting heat installed in the house, we're pretty close to being on track. The closing date is set for November 20th. Amy's parents Rob and Jen think we brought the rain with us this fall from St. Cloud and they want us out of the house. I'm only kidding I think.....

The painting should be done by the 30th and the flooring starts next week. The kids are enjoying school still, and their Grandma Jen is taking them to Space Aliens tonight to celebrate their report cards (no "N's, but Owen does need to remember to write his name on his paper--no kidding). Amy and I are continuing to embrace our new community and the people in it. It's been a long time since we've been the new people, but it's been very welcoming. While we miss many of the people in St. Cloud, it's been great having time to just hang out with our families.

That's all for now. More to come next week.

We're looking forward to

The house is more than halfway done as interior work continued this week. Electrical work and the HVAC

work was mostly completed. The work on the porch and the sun room began and the main construction guy Jared even worked on Saturday after the rainy week to get the frame of the sun room completed. We continue to thrive on the farm, even though the longer commutes aren't a highlight of the move so far. Amy's parents have been very helpful and accomodating even as the soybean harvest began this week. Rob wasn't digging the rain, but was relieved that they only got about an inch and a half versus the 3 inches they got closer to Fargo. Grace got her own Bible at school today and Amy and I attended the orientation class with her at Martin's Lutheran church in Casselton. Owen played football and "31" with his Grandpa Dave. His buddy Will won a drawing and got to be on the field with the Twins, but we didnt' see him on TV. It'll be a good couple of days for sports in MN the next couple of days with the Vikes vs. Packers and Twins vs. Tigers showdowns looming.

Amy is picking out the final details on the lighting, paint, and carpeting, this week and the insulation and sheetrock will begin this week. The move in date still looks like November 13th, so we've got about 6 weeks to go.

The house is moving along pretty well with the framing completed and the shingling just about done. This week the windows come in and the electrical work begins. Amy picked out most of the detailed items (little things like colors, styles, materials--everything really) last week and the 50 day homestretch has begun. November 13th is the targeted closing date so things are on schedule so far. We've been blessed with good weather to allow the framers to get everything completed so now it can rain all it wants, except for the fact that the farmers (one of whom is our current Landlord) want to get in the bean fields.
Grace gave basketball a shot and decided that ice skating and the monkey bars are more her style. Owen is playing soccer everyday at recess and coming in fully drenched. I'm sure Mrs. Gierman will appreciate the cooler temperatures on the way. Amy and her sister are investigating an entrepreneurial venture, but it's too soon to spill the beans on that. This new itch must have come from her stint with Jr. Achievement. I'm not on the road to St. Cloud this week, so it will be nice to have a full week in Dakota Territory.

Here's a shot of the house catching the framer's 'in action'. Or at least they are waving to the crowd (the stalkers known as Dave and Norma). Framing continues into the week of the 8th and should be completed soon. Then the insides start to get completed, and the 60 day countdown begins. The kids are digging school. Owen was proud to announce he got only 1 wrong on his spelling test last week, and the word turned out to be his name. He used a small "o" and was docked for it. Grandpa Dave got a kick out of that one. We had our last weekend hurrah at the lake this past weekend and put both the pontoon and jet ski in storage. It was a good year, even if the weather was less than stellar. Things are going well at Punton's and harvest starts in about 3 weeks. Jackie's big 30th birthday bash is coming up next weekend and she is promising a karaoke rendition that will be sure to have the tomatoes flying!

Well, as of this week we are officially ND residents. We have a PO Box (33, Casselton, ND 58012), and are getting all mail sent there. We are living at Amy's parents farm (thanks Rob and Jen), and I start in the Fargo office on Monday, August 31st. The house moved along a bit this week with the framing starting on Thursday. I was clamoring for a crew of 12, but we settled for a crew of 2, who are apparently very efficient. The framing has started, but it's just off the foundation so far, so no new pictures accompany this post.
The kids have really taken to their new school, teachers, and classmates and it seems like they were custom made for Central Cass. It's been nice to be able to bop over to relatives' places and visit and play cards. Grace took Grandpa Harold to the brink in a game of 31 today, but alas, she was foiled by his 92 years of experience. We are patiently waiting for a Red BAron pizza to cook at my parents house while they are at Mert Palmer's marriage reception. Then it's off to the farm for a low key evening.
There are still lots of decisions to be made on the details of the house, but Amy is an old hand at that now and gets to make pretty much all of them. She has a flair for design, but still pretends to let Jonathan have some input, so she knows what she's doing. Jonathan will commute to Fargo from the farm and will officially lead the Fargo team on Monday. Let's hope they look to him as a resource that will help grow this region for Marco.
More to come as the house progresses.......

Here's a shot of the kids in me in our basement. They have the basement all poured and this week the framing starts. We were originally concerned about our lot size, but it looks like we'll have plenty of backyard for football, kickball, and baseball. We close on our Sartell house on Tuesday the 25th and Jonathan will stay in St. Cloud at a friend's house this week and work in St. Cloud. Amy will head back to Rob and Jen's on Monday night and be with Grace and Owen. Jonathan will be back in ND for good on Friday. There should be some good progress to show at the end of this week.