Catching up on the news...

Okay, I know, it has been a while since my last post. I have good excuses, really. I was traveling for work...Chicago and lovely Omaha, we were getting the house on the market, so lots of cleaning, hauling garbage, putting things away, and I have just been lazy. I think the majority has been the lazy business.

Anyway, the remodel is over, the house went on the market 2 weeks ago. The Open House was mobbed, according to the realtor, there were over 50 visitors. Some returned later with measuring tapes to see if their furniture would fit, etc. We decided we would review any offers 1 week after listing. Some agents that brought prospective buyers were kind of shocked at our brazen confidence. Many thought we were over-priced, but all agreed we did a fantastic job on the remodel. Well we got 1 offer on the appointed offer review day. How many offers did we need? The offer came in at 5% below our asking price, which was set at a premium. The realtor asked me what I thought of the offer...I laughed and said, "In this market, who the heck knows what this house is worth?"I thought we were asking a lot initially anyway, but prices have gone up so quickly, who knows? The buyer was afraid of other offers, so she added an escalator clause willing to beat any other legitimate offers by $500, with an upper end of $5500 over the original asking price...crazy! But that told me she was willing to go higher, so we countered closer to our asking price, and she accepted. So, our flip house is now under contract and should close by the end of June. My goal was to get it under contract before June 1, so I am pretty happy. We got our goal of profit as well, so all in all a successful foray. Now I need to find a new project house. I also need to build a spreadsheet to track the improvements, mileage, etc. for our accountant. I am not looking forward to looking at all those Home Depot receipts.

Now that the house is done, Lori and I feel weird just sitting around in the evenings...almost as if we should be doing something...so we just put ourselves to work in our yard...long neglected. It is hard to just relax anymore, but I am sure that ability will come back.

The neighbor down the street from the remodel wants me to take a look at his place...seems he just bought a bigger home in the neighborhood and wants me to do "the magic" on his place. It could use it, too. Looks like 4 different carpenters built it at the same time. But it has potential.

On the family front...Jeff returns from college in a week. Finals are this week. He also just finished his certification for Lifeguarding, so he will have a summer job. He will also look for something else to do, since the pool hours will be limited. Melanie also passed certification, so we will have two lifeguards in the house this summer. She actually started working already since the pool opened Mother's Day weekend. The new manager has been calling me regularly to help her figure out the pumps, filters, chlorinator and heater. I used to be the facilities board member, so I know the ins and outs of the pool system.

I am slowly getting ready for my trip to Africa in July. I know, I haven't said much about it, but it is happening. Lori and I are helping support an AIDS Orphanage in Kisumu, Kenya. The Ring Road Orphanage and School. Our church is heavily involved in feeding, housing and educating about 350 orphans in Kenya. There is always a need there...mosquito netting, clean water, electricity, food, etc. Our role is to pay the rent. Seems a group of Danish businessmen pledged to pay the annual rent, but reneged, leaving a huge whole in the budget. We had been looking for a way to get involved, and this seemed perfect for us. We send enough to cover the annual rent, plus a little more to give the children meat in their diet once a week. That was their number 1 wish...not Gameboys, or Nintendos, but a little meat. How could we refuse? Preparation for this trip involves getting shots, learning a little Swahili to get around (really for bargaining...you know how I hate to pay retail for anything!), and working on donated products. My latest request was made to Oakley for some sunglasses. It is on the wish list of the medical director at the AIDS clinic at the school. I guess the retroviral treatment of HIV leaves some light sensitivities, and Africa is not the place to have sensitivity to light! I am hoping Oakley will kick in a few hundred pairs of sunglasses. We will see. One of my personal goals going over there is to see if I can help them set up a cottage business of some kind. I want to use my business training, food science knowledge and imagination to come up with a business plan for them. I think self-sufficiency is my goal. Gee, let's see...Kenya grows some of the best coffee in the world, I know how to set up a coffee business...hmmm.

I leave for Kenya July 6 and will be gone 20 days. If you feel like making a donation to this effort, leave me a reply in the comments section and I will get in touch with you. I think the toughest struggle is the school getting accreditted. Seems the Kenyan government really doesn't want to give legitimacy to the orphans, but our little school had the student with the highest score on the national exam! Actually the 3rd place finisher as well. So threats to close the school have quieted down. It is amazing at how the children survive and thrive under these types of conditions. I credit their faith in God, and their pure survival instincts. I am expecting to be changed when I go over there. I think I will learn much more than I will teach.

Okay, I promise to make more frequent posts. Any requests?

Chow!