Roadtrip!

Well, back from the weekend...again! Tom left yesterday from spending Wed-Sunday with us. What a fun and productive time we had! My kitchen floor is now done, trim and all, except for in the closet, but who looks there anyway! The floor went from an old dark red tile to light gray square tiles...it looks SO nice! Pictures to come later, when I do a post on the whole house itself! Anyway, we worked outside too. We tore the garden all up, it just needs mowed and tilled and it's ready for winter, but taking all of the posts, woven wire, and other things that were in it, was the hard part! We also worked on cutting down dead limbs, picking up sticks, and opening the trees up so we can have some breathing room! The guys also worked on the corn crib, because a lean-to that was added on years ago, is going to get torn down soon. So lots of good jobs done!
Saturday was the Hawkeye game in Iowa City. Gunnar went to a friend at 5:30 that morning, and we hit the road after dropping him off. It's around a 4 hour drive, so with the rain coming down practically the whole way, it made for a long trip. We parked at Coralville and rode this amazingly huge train (we thought we heard it that it holds up to 1000 people!) which is the Hawkeye Express. It's the only way to go, when going to a game, so we were told! And it worked out great, took us right to the press box, and in we went! After getting to our seats, the rain started....and never stopped :( Luckily, Nathan's uncle Gregg and Aunt Rita had bought ponchos to wear, now if they only made those to go down to your feet, we would've been set! I stayed warm except for my feet, which were sopping (along with everyone elses') and my hands were cold too. The game was a blast, just the environment of a stadium that big, and all the people cheering was awesome! I saw some friends that had great seats, so I got to talk with them for a bit. The Hawks won 45-0 against Ball State, so I'm glad that the score was in our favor, otherwise I can't say it would've been THAT fun to sit in the rain! I was just thankful we didn't have Gunnar! We headed home after the game, and while we ended up taking the l.o.n.g. or (wrong) route home....we all 3 had a fun time talking and enjoyed our road trip! Needless to say, Gunnar was so excited when we went to pick him up that night! I missed my lil' guy that day!

This week we'll concentrate on the house....again. Our furniture will be here soon, and slowly but surely things are coming together. We need to go through the storage unit and see if we can salvage anything else, otherwise after the insurance people look at it, it's getting tossed :( I'll be glad to see it go...out of sight, out of mind.

My parents were in CO for the Modrell wedding, so Mom had her camera, and even if I would've had her nice camera at the game, I couldn't have used it due to the pouring rain! I used Tom's though, it was small enough to fit in my pocket and keep dry, but now, he has the pictures! SO, no pictures for this post, but you can just imagine me wearing a yellow poncho looking like a wet duck standing at the game! :) We'll always have that memory of Tom and Nathan's 1st Hawks game, what a fun time we had, even if it was raining!

Harvest is in the air...combines are a daily site and you can see the farmers itching as they wait for the beans to be ready. After a weekend of rain, I see that this week is in the clear for a sunny and dry forecast! Thank Goodness! This is my favorite time of year, and Gunnar will be getting plenty of time riding in the combine and tractor! We wish everyone a safe harvest, let the busy and bountiful season begin!

A few setbacks...

Well, while we should be moved into our new home, we're not. Where to start....last week we opened our storage unit, the one in town that has our whole life of 8 years in it. Anyway, we go to all the trouble of borrowing a huge enclosed snowmobile trailer from Evan's to-be in laws, start loading our things, and start to notice....M.O.L.D. and lots of it. I handled this very well keep in mind, I stayed calm and cool, but my husband on the other hand, well, he lost it! We started making phone calls. The storage unit guy (who lives across the street) if he was home he could've seen how happy we really were! Insurance was called, and they got back to us. Nothing they could do. Keep in mind this is our brand new mattress which is around $1000, our new couch, another $1000, and our gorgeous bedroom set, $2000. Oh yeah, and the $400 we've paid over the last 8 months to store our things there. So there we sat, sitting in the trailer, just mad, crying, and frustrated. I keep my cool for quite awhile longer than I thought I would, and then finally lost it when I discovered my huge wedding bouquet that Mom had made me 5 years ago for our wedding, was complete mold. It's been a week now, and while we're saving a few things, washing them in bleach and hot water, our tempers are cooling down! Last night we got a phone call from the guy who owns the storage unit and he said to submit a claim with his insurance and see what happens. We pray that we get SOME money, anything will help, with replacing these things. I know everything is materialistic, but it's so hard to see our hard earned money go down the drain. We've been working hard, along with good friends of the family, to get the house painted and updated so that we could move in. I said in a sarcastic voice "HA, look at it this way, we're all moved in!" as tears streamed down my face. Darn humidity and wet summer anyway!

On Friday we took a break from the farm and everyday life and headed to the Spencer fair. I hadn't been there in at least 10 years, maybe more, so Mom and Dad, Gunnar and I went up to it! It was a FUN day, especially seeing Gunnar's eyes light up at the animals! He loved the chicks and baby pigs, and whinnied at the horses in the show ring! It was adorable! Next year we're making it a point that Daddy gets to come with us!

Tomorrow Nathan's Dad will be coming to visit, and on Saturday morning Tom, Nathan, and I will be heading to Iowa City to watch the Hawks play! My parents will be in CO at a wedding, so Gunnar will be going to a friend of the family. They have a 5 year old little guy, and Gunnar gets a big kick out of playing with Colton! Everyone will be busy traveling this weekend, and I hope it's a nice Fall weekend for all the events going on!

Here are some updated Gunnar pictures! He'll be 17 months on September 30th! He has aquired the nickname "Monster" and "Pistol" lately!

This morning he wanted his boots and spurs on! Grandma went to get him out of his crib, and he wasn't going anywhere until those were on his feet with his jammies and milk! He sat this way for quite awhile!

Outside looking at the trees and blowing bubbles!

Some of my favorites...

Thanks for checking in with us!

Patience

Patience. This is something that is so hard for me! I just want moved into our new place SO bad!! We've been working our tails off, and I know that in the end it will be beautiful, it's just the getting there. It's so hard with Gunnar being 16 months, and into everything! We had tons of help this weekend, and without such great people, wouldn't even be this close to moving in! Carpet in the living room is going to be ordered within the next couple days. We talked to the carpet guy and he said the kind we picked out is in stock, so now it's a matter of getting my living room finished painting (mostly just the trim is left) and getting all the sanding clippings, and white texture mud off my floor! We started laying the kitchen tiles this weekend, which I will admit, do love. I didn't think they needed replaced, but now, I just loovee it! Some day when we have our minds and money in line-ha-we'll have our dream kitchen, but for now, our kitchen will be fine! The dining room floor has been a bugger all along. We've spent more time on that, than anything! They are beautiful wood floors, but getting to them has been the impossible part! We'll keep working and sanding them, and maybe, just maybe they'll shine through!

Gunnar is now 16 months-yikes!! He hasn't learned any new words from last month, but has acquired an attitude. If he doesn't want picked up, the teeth go to your hand and he tries to bite, which leads to me disciplining him, which I've come to find out, is NOT easy! Or he'll give me lots and lots of hugs, and while I'm saying "you are so nice Gunnar, Thank-You for the hugs" he'll lift his head up, bring his hand up and threaten to hit me! I know, these are minor issues in life, BUT, in the Wagner world, Gunnar is trying to run the show! So we're learning about being patient and disciplining in our parenting aspect too!

I can't believe it's been one week since Megan's funeral service. I sit back and think of Justin and Lane all of the time. I wonder how being a single dad is treating him, how sleeping at night would be, and seeing all of the constant reminders of Megan, little things such as her hair ties, makeup, clothes, and every little thing is going. I would want to scream, but I'm sure Justin is holding it together, he is so strong. I miss my friend, a lot. Her daily email to me, and the fact that she was always one of the first to comment on new FB pictures. Her status' on FB were always so funny, and controversial at times. She made people think, smile, and giggle on a daily basis. Yep, I sure am missing that girl. I did however get to bring home a Peace Lily from her funeral. I was more than excited to put it at our new home! I also bought a ceramic tile, and put her sticker on that her other friend had made. It's of Megan's horse tattoo that she had, and they put Megan's name and date in the inside, it's very neat. Once we're moved, I'll take a picture of it.

I read another friend's blog about being Thankful for everything that we have. It's so true, and easy to take things for granted. I know last week when Gunnar was being a stinker about wanting me 24/7 and after finding out about Megan, I told Nathan that Gunnar can want his momma all he wants, because Megan won't get to hold her little Lane or tuck him in, like I can with Gunnar.

Hopefully once we're settled, which should be happening in the next 2 weeks (cross your fingers!) I'll be able to update weekly again, with pictures next time too! Enjoy this beautiful fall-like weather, I absolutely love it!