Christmas In Nebraska

It feels strange to be in Omaha - we've been holed up in The Tiny House for a month - and we've only been here 7 weeks! The day before Thanksgiving, it snowed and got cold. Since then, we've have more snow/ice every week - sometimes twice a week! So, although I love the house, it feels weird to be so unconnected with the neighborhood. I still have to read street signs and count down numbered streets to get places. I also feel myself comparing distances here to their equivelents in Lincoln. Driving is easy but I still don't know where anything is. I've been using the internet ALL THE TIME to find locations for places I could just drive to without thinking in Lincoln! :) I've promised to post pictures chronicling our last few weeks and our house setup for certain friends! (Here they are guys!) Enjoy!

Our Most Recent Snowfall - 5 inches!

Eric working on the snow (Isn't this a great action shot?)
The big white building in the background is home to one of our most considerate neighbors: Certified Transmission. They keep their property nice and clean and are very quiet in the evening - although that may be because they're closed after 5pm.

Our house in the snow - doesn't it look cozy?This was the high temperature for the day - getting up the nerve to go outside has been tough for me!

The view from the front door - notice our very little Christmas tree in the corner - it's soft and has only glass balls and lights this year - our ornaments are gracing the garland in the doorway! Our stairway doubles as a coat closet and vacuum storage area. This house has only one closet which is packed full of clothes and shoes. We've had to come up with creative ways to store all our stuff. If you see something that may work better, let me know!

Here are the rooms we live in most of the time:
Living Room (Note our Temporary Bedroom through the door in the 2nd picture and the front door next to the TV)

Dining Room
(The Kitchen door is next to the piano. And the piano is decorated with Christmas Decorations and Christmas Music!)The Temporary Bedroom - it will soon be an office/guest room.The view of the bathroom from the bedroom - yes, you have to walk through the bedroom to get to the bathroom - a little awkward, but it works for now!The Kitchen viewed from the Dining Room (the Living Room is at your right and the stairs upstairs right behind you to the left) Look at the SUPER TALL kitchen cabinets! I think I actually have storage room to spare in this kitchen!Check out the really old-fashioned sink! I love the look of the sink - although it would be more practical as a laundry room sink. One basin makes washing and rinsing a bit of a problem. It's teaching me to wash RIGHT AWAY - something I hate to do, but I'm learning. Note the empty sink! :)I just realized how much of a camera hog Sadie is! She's in quite a few pictures! (But in this pic, she's trying to get her ball by the stove.) (And right now, Sadie is keeping my lap very warm by laying her very large head on it!) She's a good dog!The Double-Black-Diamond stairs to our basement - try to navigate those without skis and holding a laundry basket! Laundry Room - my 2 favorite features: the super long counter top for folding and the hanging bar for all our clothing that doesn't fit in the only closet!
Eric's Future Workshop - the walls are being prepped for paint at the moment!Heading back upstairs
And now all the way upstairs...
The future master bedroom and bathroom! The bathroom will (hopefully) be at the far end of the room and the bedroom will be the rest of the entire upstairs. Eric and I are very excited to get started on the upstairs renovation. I hope you enjoyed the tour! Merry Christmas everyone!

What's New?

Many things have changed in the last 6 weeks.
1. We've moved from Lincoln to Omaha
2. We sold our Lincoln house.
3. We gave away and sold many of our possessions (I don't even miss them!)
4. I'm washing dishes by hand again - it's been a long time!
5. I've moved from having a temporary job to having no job at all.
6. Winter has come - and with it, SNOW! (I love snow, in case you've forgotten!)
7. Our church family is still out there somewhere, we're just not sure where.
8. Eric and I actually had time to decorate for Christmas this year...together!
9. I feel stir-crazy from having SO much free time on my hands!
10. The dogs have gone into hibernation mode - it's great!
11. I'm trying to get up the courage to apply for and negotiate the terms of a new job! (More to come on that item.)

Winter is Here!

1. Why would I do this to my poor dog?

2. Baking Christmas cookies is not nearly as fun as it sounds.
3. The tiny snow pellets ping against the sidewalk.
4. My 50 pound pet thinks she's a lap dog.
5. I wish I was young enough to play with paper dolls.
6. Sometimes just getting motivated to get dressed is a chore.
7. I miss playing violin - although I was never very good.
8. Christmas trees should only ever have white lights.
9. Snowmen are my favorite holiday decorations.

A Random List...

1. Life isn't fair.
2. Why is it so easy for everyone else?
3. Dishes are the bane of my existence.
4. I love my dogs!
5. Friends are hard to come by - and even harder to keep.
6. I hate the phone: hearing it ring, talking on it and remembering to charge it at night.
7. Coke has more calories then Pepsi per can (140 v. 120)
8. Christmas lights make me extremely happy - you could say they make me giddy!
9. I want snow flurries every day all winter long.
10. I've wondered if giving up would be easier?
11. A new pillow is the best way to sleep easier.
12. Paper clutter is my nemesis.
13. I love taking pictures but wonder why I don't take more.
14. There are too many options in life.
15. Autumn leaves are beautiful: their sound, their smell and the colors they become.
16. Trite cliches disgust me.
17. If it's not working, end it!

A Christmas Shooting

This has been a strange day.
I attended a funeral this morning and talked with an old friend.
Besides being encouraged, I was also grieving for the family and the loss of a very special man.
Driving home, I took a detour to apply for a job.
As I walked to the door, a man screeched to a halt in front of me with a red sports car.
He jumped out saying, "There's been a shooting, the malls are closed down!"
I turned and headed to my car - the news about the shooting was on the radio.
Thankfully, the shooting was at a different mall.
But, it has been a strange day.

Just in Time for Thanksgiving!

Settling In...

I've been working in our new little house - 5 rooms on the main floor and a basement that will take forever to organize. But I love being in our Tiny House and am having a great time moving all our items into their new locations. I'd had everything settled into our old house for so long I'd forgotten how much fun it is finding a new home for everything. As soon as I'm done, I'll get some pictures posted. Also, for those of those praying for us and the sell of our old house - IT HAPPENED! The day after we moved out, we got an offer! This means that we won't have a single month with 2 house payments! :) God really stepped in and took care of our situation for us - isn't that what He does best?

Sorensen Hoedown

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Pray for This Weekend

As many of you know, Eric and I have a new house in Omaha (check out this post). I wish I could say we are incredibly excited - and we are to an extent - but the fact that our Lincoln house is still for sale takes the fun anticipation out of our new adventure. We feel that this house in Omaha is perfect for us - just the right size, much cheaper than the house in Lincoln and close to Eric's job and my new school (UNO). This weekend, we are having a 3rd open house. (Sunday) And although we've had great response to our open houses so far, there haven't been any offers from them. We will soon own 2 houses and even though we can handle it financially, I would rather not! :) I am asking for YOUR help! Please pray for our house this weekend! Specifically that the people looking for a house like ours will come to the open house and make us an offer that is close to our asking price. I have been praying daily, and although God answers the prayers of one person, I need the support from my friends and family! Thank you in advance and I'll post an update as soon as I can!

Ode to Facebook

A House Update

While I have few minutes, I'll let you all know that the housing situation isn't going well right now. While we have a contract for the house in Omaha, no one wants to buy our house in Lincoln. Our realtor tells us that the market has completely slowed down and we have only had 5 groups through our house in 2 1/2 weeks. This seems a little sparse to me, and I'm getting a little nervous. I suppose, if we can't sell our house, then we will back out of the other house (which will be sad, but we'll cope!) and then continue to sell ours and maybe move to Omaha later in the year. (Which could be strange - how do you move in the snow?) :) So, pray for our situation - we have some hard decisions to make and it's tough to know what to do. Look at this - 2 posts in one day - that is definitely a record for me!

Photos from Our Southern Adventure

Eric and I had a great Labor Day Weekend visiting Scott and Renee' in Slidell, LA. After getting off to a rough start (with a canceled flight the first day and standby on all flights the next day), we had three fun-filled days in the deep south seeing Scott and Renee's new home and experiencing some Southern culture. Here are some glimpses of our vacation...

We went to an awesome show at this casino - since they expect everyone to spend money gambling, we got to see Russian acrobats for about $10 a ticket!

Eric and machinery!

We took an unbelievable helicopter ride with Scott's boss, Jim. He is an amazing pilot and great tour guide - our trip along the gulf coast was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Doesn't Renee' look happy to be airborne?

This little guy hid as soon as we came close with the cameras -
but there really is a hermit crab in there!

We walked out on a rebuilt pier along the gulf coast. There used to be a pier every hundred yards or so, but since Hurricane Katrina, there aren't many left in the area were visiting.

The Mississippi River from the New Orleans bank

A restaurant with a French name in the French Quarter - we ate here our last night in Louisiana

During our helicopter ride, Scott practiced his piloting skills from the back seat.

As we bounced along Louisiana's highways, we spotted a turtle - after the photo op, Eric deposited him safely in the grass alongside the road.

As Renee' said "You've always got to have one of those pictures."

An extremely large alligator! (And we really were that close!)

A fantastic up-close-and-personal tour of the swamp!

"The Money Picture"

We are Proud Homeowners! (for the 2nd time)

This morning, at 9:00 am, Eric and I purchased our second home! The address is *now a secret due to Eric being out of town* and here are the photos of our new "Tiny House." :) (Note the SOLD sign!)















Everything seemed to work out perfectly with our search for homes in Omaha! I have relatives that live very close by to our new home and they had great suggestions for what parts of town to live in and good neighborhoods to look at. After looking casually for only 2 weekends (and checking the website every day for new listings), we changed our housing criteria and right away found this great house.















It needs work (not structural, just cosmetic!) and some help with its yard, but we love the style and quiet neighborhood! (Check out the great woodwork and I think it has 10 windows on the first floor alone!) We have a fantastic front porch (which we've always wanted)















and a basement where Eric plans to spend time tinkering with projects. (Note the half-door at the far end of the room - it leads to a short-ceilinged storm cellar. We've already decided to leave the door open and light on at all times - I think I've seen to many scary movies - the short door scares me!)















Our first goal will be to clean everything (it has an "old-house" smell) and then completely redo the 2nd floor which will be the master bedroom. Eric also wants to add a bathroom to the second floor by adding a dormer and cutting out the cupboards that flank one wall.















We're really excited to have our "Tiny House" and look forward to giving very short tours very soon!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Pray for us - we may have found a house!!!!

Longings

My Longing
I long for the days of super-high electric bills and moderately cool air seeping from our vents...You don't miss the old, inefficient air conditioners until they're gone! (And you're in the middle of a three-day heat advisory.)

Tiger's Longing
Sadie has a friend. His name is Tiger. Tiger is one of Sadie's constant companions. You'll often see Tiger hanging from Sadie's mouth as she pads through the house. Today, I walked out to water our flower garden in the backyard and was met with a curious sight...


Now, Tiger leads a good life: friends to play with, a roof over his head and mending on a regular basis. Even still, Tiger - like all wild animals - wants a life without fences, owners or responsibilities. Even those with everything, still long for more!