Yea! Finals!

Justin and I fought through a torrental downpour to get the final plans on the house yesterday. When we arrived they were still being printed so we had to wait what felt like an eternity. I am pleased that everything is taken care of!

Big Moment
Justin and I drove the truck through the wooded portion of the driveway yesterday for the first time. Yesterday morning a nice man named Frank (that kind of reminded me of my Dad) came and took out all the stumps. We originally planned for him to only take out about 20 - 25 larger stumps and Justin was going to do the rest on the tractor. Well - he took out about 60 of them, and we dont have to do a thing!! :-)

Awaiting Approval
Now that the plans are all taken care of we are sending everything into underwriting for the loan. Please, Please, Please - let this come through quickly and favorably!

Awaiting the Fixes
The home inspection was yesterday. I know the guy found something. Home Inspectors always do. It is only a matter of time until we know how much Justin and I have to shell out to fix whatever it is. My bet is that they will have us replace part of the railing on the back deck (it is kind of warped). Who knows what else there might be that we don't know about. I have also scheduled the Termite & HVAC Letters for the end of next week.

Going to Mt. Pleasant / Walterboro
Lori is having orthoscopic surgery on her knees today. Jeremy had to go to GA for work so Justin and I are going to pick her up from the hospital and carry her home. After driving from Columbia to Greenwood & back on Monday and then from Columbia to Florence & back on Monday evening I am not looking forward to being in the car all afternoon. I hope the rain clears up. Knee surgery is not fun in any way - I hate Lori is having to go thru this. Bad part is that if there is orthoscopic, then there will be worse survery later more likely. ewww...

From Dad
Dad sent me a forward - I happen to agree with it!

This is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a
Tampa, FL Newspaper. Note, I have edited for grammar and punctuation - that does not imply it is all correct or that any of the spelling is proper.

IMMIGRANTS & NON-AMERICANS MUST ADAPT.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge
in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However...... the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about
the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.

This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans...... we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!

"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan.. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women.......on Christian principles.............founded this nation..... and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools.
If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as
your new home.........because God is part of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from.

This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so! But once you are done complaining....... whining...... and griping....... about our flag.......our pledge...... our national motto........or our way of life....I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other Great American Freedom.......

THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

So, it may be a bit harsh but I think you get the point and I think it does a pretty good job of making things clear. I have often wondered what dramatic changes would occur durning my lifetime. For my grandmother it was the invention of conveniences like microwaves and TVs. For my mom it has been the emergency of the internet and mobile technology. For me and my peers it will not be a lifetime of advancement (which we ourselves have seen a great deal of). Our children will all be born on what I see to be the brink of deterioration. All the advancement has exploited natural resources and we are becoming the victims of our own success.

On one hand I am very fearful of moving out on our new land. The house we are building is so far from our final goals that if the economy breaks down we may never get there. Fortunately - if the economy does break down, we have 21 acres of land. We have the space to raise livestock, grown vegetables, refine bio-diesel, or whatever we may need. We will also be nearly 20 miles from work. But, I think that if the economy breaks that far my industry will be gone. People will always need to learn (my mom is a teacher), people will always need their homes repaired (my dad a contractor). The population will not always need high-end Web applications to optimize their business processes.

I could stand on this soap box for a good while longer, but I have work to do and while the economy can handle it I better do it.