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Welcome to Spence and Kimmy's page!August 10 www.gatewayofchaos.com It seems that my childhood dream is the same as many others in town, old and young alike. Build and be part of a professional haunted attraction. It's coming true! Visit www.gatewayofchaos.com to see what's coming! It may just be South West Iowa's new destination for haunted entertainment! Check out my facebook page for constant photo uploads! Also, www.gatewayofchaos.com is a great location! NOW ACCEPTING ALL SORTS OF CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS!!! June 25 The Attic Finally, the attic is nearly complete. We still have trim and molding to put up, but that won't happen for a while. We're also looking for a good way to cool/heat it, as inexpensive as possible. Although the insulation helps, it's not super efficient...it's insulation after all. :) Enjoy! June 08 Lightning Strike! WOW! Last night's storm packed a punch! Although the tornado didn't show up, I awoke this morning, went outside to feed the fish and OH SHIT! What's this? See the photo's for your own moment. We'll be figuring out what to do from here. :( Thankfully, the fish are fine, no oil from the pump has made it into the water, and everything seems to be fine, minus the heat that caused heavy duty plastic, EPDM, fiberglass, and other items to melt in their place. Isn't life wonderful? April 29 whew. I've learned through the last few months that things aren't always what we think they are. Life has also confirmed that I'm not the only one who sees things when I doubt if they're actually what I'm seeing. So, despite being asked to resign and now having to find a job, Kimmy and I are making our way through it. Kimmy was accepted to both UNMC and Creighton for her Ph.D in Pharmacy. She has accepted UNMC's offer, so she'll be Dr. Terry before too long. :) I will be uploading more photo's of the renovated attic, as well as our new fish, and new landscaping around the house soon..in the next week or two. Until then, send positive energy our way! spence December 20 Strahan-Terry EstateTHE HISTORY Situated grandly on the north end corner of Marion Avenue, this majestic home is known as one of Malvern’s important residences. Originally built by J.W. Strahan, the area’s prominent President of the local First National Bank in Malvern, the house reveals the degree of refinement which a person in such a position could provide for themselves. Many business, personal, governmental and situational meetings have been seen by its walls. (See the photo of at least 80 friends and business men of J.W. Strahan on the front porch in our video). The Strahan-Terry Home, an 1882 lovely High-Style Italianate Victorian, has been in the original family until recently purchased by the Terry’s. Once on a home tour, its nearly full acre of well manicured gardens, historic out-buildings, multiple garages (one of which is presumed to be the carriage house), cozy fire pit and large koi pond add to the home’s grandeur of both historic and modern ambiance. Located in Eastern Mills County, only 25 miles South East of Omaha, Nebraska – Malvern, Iowa offers quaint living, relaxing residences with a prospering and emerging small city feel. With a population of 1,300, Malvern is back on the map for its work in community engaging activities, beautification and enhancements, new 2006 library, plentiful shops and businesses. Malvern is also a stopping point on the Wabash Trace, a nationally ranked running/biking trail. Its distinctive structure houses three levels, with some 4,200 sq.ft., with approximately 3,200 as living space. Architecturally correct, you’ll roam through the 9 rooms (4 bedrooms), many of grand proportion. Over a painstakingly 2.5 year renovation process, the property was undertaken to maintain its original glory, while adding seamless and luxurious modernizations. These exceptional historic details include: GROUND LEVEL: Rare solid wood period doors all with transoms - including thumb latch doors throughout the home, 11 foot ceilings, luxurious parlor room (previously used as an inviting formal dining room), dreamy grand social hall/entrance hall with large wooden beams, period couch and six-panel stained pocket doors. The spacious kitchen includes some recently updated appliances, new portable dishwasher and boasts pine planks cut from the original owners’ family cabin property in South Dakota, hand built kitchen cabinets/décor (pencil marks and blue prints remain), plentiful pantry space boasting multi-square drawers. A smoking room/porch is just outside the kitchen entrance. The mud room (original kitchen) allows plenty of space for laundry, including a large coat closet with extra storage space. Just adjacent the elegant staircase, the den/guest room, also includes original pine planks, but also hosts the oldest electrical light hanging, gold family crest light switches and decorative woodwork in its adjacent full bath. The SECOND LEVEL required plenty of renovation but now demands the attention of it’s guests. Many plaster walls were rebuilt, many with original corner protectors. Rolled linoleum over the 6 inch wooden floors still is in immaculate shape and adds to the home’s appeal. With 10 foot ceilings, quaint closets, original carved flooring, incredible workmanship in wood details, thumb latch doors, meticulous radiator designs, connecting closets and very wide hallways create an atmosphere of hierarchy, yet pampering family members with modern updates. The study still welcomes you with it's warmth of the bay window, the Master bath is inviting, yet sophisticated, the Master Bed Room is designed with serenity in mind, and the Media room is perfect for any movie. Just recently, a staircase was constructed to the THIRD LEVEL (previous attic) which added nearly 600 additional square feet, fully insulated, with over 400 sq. ft. of storage space. This addition is now nearing its completion and includes 8 foot modern ceilings. The house also features a 350 sq. ft. PARTIAL BASEMENT, where the boiler system is housed. Plenty of storage space and lighting are offered in this area of the home. Through a doorway lies a Barrel Room, previously used for food storage. Given the history and time period of the home, one may wonder what else this undisclosed room may have been used for? Housing Underground Railroad refugees? A Moon Shine room during Prohibition? Perhaps a secondary vault since he was the bank President? Although no documentation has been found to support these ideas, they seem quite possible given the location of Malvern Iowa in the time period! Typical of the era, there are a number of porches of various sizes, on all levels, including three ground level and three roof-top ‘porches’ with access from the interior windows. All of the homes original built-in furnishings remain to suggest its opulence. MODERNIZATIONS: Approximately in 2006 the majority of home was rewired with new, up to date code electrical. Where available, re-plumbing has occurred during renovation, including all new bathrooms. Plaster walls have been restored and modern, but typical period paints have been used to maintain the historic feel with newer tones. Ceilings, where needed, were restructured and re-mudded for extra strength. Approximately in 2005, a full roof replacement and high efficiency boiler system was added to allow the home to heat better. In 2000, underground utility lines were installed. Both second floor bathrooms were individually custom built and designed with ease and mobility in mind. Indeed, every floor, every wall, every light fixture, every window and every plumbing fixture, has been reconditioned or replaced appropriately where available. All 28 windows (often soaring nearly 9ft. high and 3ft. wide) were recently replaced in 2008 with high grade vinyl, double insulated technology. Recent glass temperature tests shows these are 90% efficient. Like comparable houses of the period, the Strahan-Terry home is large, spacious, and almost over-scaled. The symmetrical elevations, exterior porches including the Master South porch, projecting cornice, and attention to detail set it apart. It is in the richness of ornamentation, however, that this home excels. Everywhere one finds examples of elaboration and decoration which could have been left plain had the builder a lesser commitment to detail. At the same time, the effect is not overly busy: many interesting points. Such detail can be found in the cornice, roof brackets, door woodwork, hinges, knobs and strike-plates, for example, which can be appreciated only at close range. The exterior of the home has also received updates including a few cornice and eave replacements, due to weather. The jutting cornice is supported by finely shaped brackets with pendent drops, 2 of which are in the home as decorative pieces, and are a must see up close! The EXTERIOR GARDENS have likewise, been richly executed. The Master South porch, once the front of the house, has now turned into the back yard, where a perching place overseeing the gardens and ponds, gives thanks to the privacy offered by the extensive wooden fence perimeter that blocks local traffic to the South and West. This porch offers the perfect place for afternoon naps, morning coffee, or an evening of beverages with friends. The remainder of the yard lends the house an appropriately spacious setting. To the East, a row of nearly 60 trees blocks wind and provides privacy from distant neighbors. The long stretch of grass provides plenty of play room for children or pets. To the South of the house, overlooked by the Master Porch, are a unique blend of around-the-world grasses, that provide xeriscaped zero water technology, however lined with hoses for drought conditions. The magnificent 20x20ft. pond proudly shows off 6 different type water-lilies (from Malvern’s local pond resource, Pondibilities), over 15 types of Koi and Shubunkin fish, 2 types of grasses and occasional frogs that come to visit. All maintained with a 5,000 GPH pump, UV light pond scum remover, skimmer…all housed completely underground. A fire pit (propane gas) is perfect for entertainment, or when the urge to cuddle or roasting marshmallows arises. As expected with a yard of this magnitude, a life size ‘Checkers’ board allows for alternatives to mingling when hosting engagements. Spotted throughout the south and west sides of the property are mature trees, providing shade and relaxing sounds all summer long. The majority of the Southern yard has hidden drip water technology when needed, and is fully set up with electricity outlets and landscape lighting throughout the area for evening enjoyment. To the North end of the property, adjacent the garages, lies the overly sized garden, providing organic vegetables in abundance. Although the property has been expertly cultivated and manicured, it requires very little maintenance time of the owner. Every effort has been given to its individual functionality. Very limited watering and weeding may be needed, but otherwise, the yard has been designed with simplicity in mind, both for the owners eye and back! Indeed, this home makes a big impression on anyone who sets foot on it’s property! Lastly, the OUT-BUILDINGS serve a multitude of purposes. The workshop (once believed to be a possible carriage house) has 2 stalls, and it’s adjacent, newer full garage offers 2 additional stalls, of which both buildings are wired for electricity. To the West of the home sits a small shed used for construction and storage needs. This original summer kitchen offers plenty of space for moving around or storage. The combination of style, setting, preservation, and high visibility make the Strahan-Terry Estate an exceptional architectural and landscape resource. All of this resides on the most desirable and beautiful street in Malvern lined with ancient trees, large homes and mansions…and is a perfect walk to downtown shops, grocers and accommodations. Location is just the beginning of the perks this home has to offer! You can also view the 12 minute walk through that was originally designed for selling the house, however we have decided not to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izJdpmWXCis Spence and Kimmy Terry spencerterry@hotmail.com
December 03 Thanksgiving We find it so funny how there is so much hustle and fuss over preparing the 'perfect meal' when many seem to forget that a majority of this planet is still eating 1 bowl of rice per day. None the less, we were excited to spend Thanksgiving with the two of us, Miss-C and Myster, who both got their share of food too. Kimmy ordered a slow roasted/smoked turkey from Tom Mullholland (God's gift to vegetarians) who has turned us to loving every piece of meat. I guess when you to to school for meat, you can have that effect on people. Regardless it's the best turkey we've both ever had (and our apologies to those this may offend) but it's true. So, if you're up for some yum in the tum, stop by next year !:) November 01 Halloween 2008 What an awesome Halloween. NO wind, perfect 68 degrees, and plenty of candy to go around. To give you an idea of what we've done: 2006: 22 trick or treaters 2007: 80 trick or treaters 2008: 125 trick or treaters!!!!!! And it was incredible. I'm glad I stationed myself at the entrance, as I often had to stagger people coming in....yup, there was that many people!!! The whole walk through is about 3 minutes and includes the cemetery, firepit cemetery, grassy encounters, the spider cove, KiKi the scaring machine, the glowing porch, and dinner with a vampire (which is were Kimmy gave out candy), and out you go toward the torches! We even had folks who paid at the door and instisted we take it, as it was THAT good. Nearly 1/3 of the folks came bak through again for the fun of it. The music was cranked up, and it was a night to remember! Other photo's and video's can be seen on our facebook pages! until the next update, Spence and Kimmy Terry, Lord and Lady of the House July 07 So much going on!When it rains, it pours. Literally.
Not only have we been planning an out of state wedding, we've also been co-chairing our city's Maui in Malvern event, an all day weekend celebration in town. Plus the rain, storms and wind have kept us quite comfortable on our ground floor. We've had 3 tornadoes come through Malvern in the last few weeks, which has been crazy. None more than 2 miles from the house! A week ago we had 90 mph winds that did some crazy damage too. Omaha estimates $10 million in damage!
Kimmy and I are officialy Mr. and Mrs. Terry, and I'm so glad she kept her last name, as her middle name. We've uploaded photos for you to enjoy. The wedding was nice, great to be with friends and family and the honeymoon to DisneyWorld (with pre-trip planning from our friends the Fossers) was incredible and made plenty of memories every day (and night)...the fireworks at Disney, sickos!
That's all for now!
February 18 Surviving the winterYay! It's February. Why the excitement? Well, yes, it is Valentine's...but it's also because we're a little more than half way through the winter!!!!!
This is great news.
Although the winter hasn't been as bad as last year, we've had a few dewzies when it comes to storms. I've uploaded a few photo's for you all to see just how crazy an ice storm is. Imagine raining ice, yup, that's about it. Covers everything.....everything. Not to mention you can imagine how fast it dams up on the gutters.
Going back a few months, we enjoyed some time with my co-worker at her home for Thanksgiving. It was very fun....not to mention delicious. Since Kimmy and I are the co-presidents for MABA (Malvern Area Betterment Association) we also helped head up this years Festival of Tree's. Not as big as the one in UT, but it's a big city-wide party, that lasts all day and has lots of fun, exciting things for everyone.
We've officially announced we'll be getting married (May 20, 2008), of which everyone is welcome to attend. It's an open invitation.
We were able to visit Utah for the Christmas week, which was very nice to be home. Lots of surprises (since no one knew I was coming).
Ok, that's all for now! I'm back to our 80 degree room (the only warm room in the house, but we hang out in here, so it's not so bad as out in the hallway. :)
Spence and Kimmy
November 15 1 year laterWell folks, it's official. We've been here for a year now.
How exciting.
The bad news is, winter is coming.
Kimmy and I have spent lots of time doing research, getting appraisals and feedback, but still have lots to do.
We've insulated most of our windows with that thick 2 inch pink foam insulation you get at Home Deopt. Not too much light coming in the house now, but we've left some open, so we don't turn into vampires.
I've added some Halloween pictures. It was fabulous. We doubled the amount of visitors too and had a glow stick system for our actors so they knew who they could scare (green stick) and who they couldn't scare (red sticks). Worked wonders!
It was also very nice to be back home in October. Funny how for a culture that I dread, I sure did love being home.....it's the surrounding of family that makes the difference!
bye for now!
spence
August 30 10 Month update!WOW! I can't believe we've almost been here a whole year already.
Ok, well, the last update was during the beginning of the summer. You know, I've heard people refer to the Midwest as hell, but now we fully understand that meaning. It's not because in some parts its desolate, it's because it is HOT! With the heat factor, we hit near the 110 degree mark. So much for getting outside landscaping done huh? NEVER! We were out when it was cool, but it did take a good month out of not working...we had fun with other things though.
Shall we walk through the pictures? Great idea, I know, I know.
The first is of Glenwood Lake (more like a really big pond). It's just a few miles from the house. There are about 20 lakes with in 1 hour of the house, which is pretty cool. Sometime, we'll take Miss-c out to one, just before we're ready to bathe her. Once it cools down more, we'll be spending the day with our friends the Pierce's, as we'll be canoeing down their river they have on their land. Miss-C of course, will be swimming along next to us no doubt. She's a water dog after all!
While at the pond, a HUGE butterfly came swooping into view. The wing span alone is probably 5 or 6 inches. One of the largest I've seen out here. Everything is bigger here it seems....and usually in a bad way, though (crickets, grasshopers, flies, spiders, land, corn, butterflys, veggies).
The next two photos are to give you a glimpse of some work we've done. While deciding not to make our paths in the yard concrete (due mostly to cost) although we wanted to make them accessible, we were able to do some, but not all. However, we lined all our paths with original brick from the house. This brick from the NorthWest patio was in really bad shape (not flat at all) so we pulled it all up. All 900+ pieces and distributed them by hand all over the estate to make the paths that would be filled in later with rock. So, these are the before/after shots of that project. Probably the most fun part of this was seeing the moss from over 100 years of growth. I took some incredible texture shots from these!
:) and of course we couldn't go without a season of crops without having some of our neighbors' famous sweet corn. And trust me, you haven't had sweet corn until it's picked off the stalk and boiled that minute. It's absolutely incredible. The Zanders (previous owners of our home and awesome next door neighbors) hold the status for the best grown sweet corn around. These pictures are both of our first time picking corn off the stalks less than 40 yards from the house!
We've learned a very valuable lesson out here: The soil really is made for growing. These are some of our peppers, tomatoes, squash and cherry tomatoes. Compare them to the keys!!!! ORGANIC too! Totally amazing. We've been giving away veggies just as fast as we can eat them. We also grew some incredible rosemary, lemon basil and other herbs too.....massively aromatic!
This beauty (often referred to as our dog Miss-C) was entered in the county fair for the fun of it. She one first place out of lots of dogs. The award was based on obedience, patience, calling, tricks and overall happiness. She walked away with Kimmy with a large 1st place trophy for the entire county! We're so proud of her. We have her trophy in our Curio Glass Cabinet in the main social room for all to see (well, we couldn't get it to stick to the refridgerator!)
Next is a large 5 foot x 5 foot mural one of my interns painted for his senior project. This was painted in the SE corner room, better known as the Earth room. So we wanted a cool, social justice themed mural. We left the design up to Neil, and we loved the outcome. We also gave him some monotary love too, to keep him moving in his direction of art. The earth is made up of different quotes from our hero's. Very cool. Definatly a eye pleaser! I'm happy to refer Neil if you need some cool abstract art done!
The next two pictures are before/after shots. The first is the 30x30 foot area we xeroscaped. The little plants in the middle are what size the grasses started as. They came from all over the globe and are arranged in a fabulous geometric figure that looks good from both the ground and the roof. After only a few months, they've already grown incredibly large. We seem to keep forgetting we have magic earth here, not crappy Utah desert mud. This was then watered by drip irrigation, layered with mulch and is a completed project. To the west of it will be the large pond and pondless waterfall system (put in next year).
And what would we do without our most valuable purchase. The Roo (Subaru) and our trusty trailer. We've really worked both of them quite a bit, but they've both been a huge help.
The next four pictures are one large story. We had 16 tons (YES, TONS) droped off at the south end of the estate. This was a bad idea, as we learned we should have spread the piles all over, but oh well, good exercise. This rock was then transported all over the acreage for the interior lining of the walkways. We wanted to keep it as original looking as possible, so we used the bricks from the patio (previous pictures) and had local lime trucked in from the local quarry (since Limestone was used during the time of the original building of the house). The end result are beautiful pathways all over the yard, connecting small santuaries, and after it rains the lime glisens in the sun...nearly surreal. We also found a place selling old 100+ year old bricks that had awesome stamps from the actual origin brickyard, so we hand picked 400 of them, put them in the trailer and hauled them home to add to the design of the pathways by the front of the house. It's neat to have brick from all over the world on one estate.
Ok, Ok, so perhaps it's gross, but I'd never had squid before. Well, squid cooked by my sweetie in our own kitchen. I can't say it was the most fun of her cooking, but it was different. I didn't like the chewy part that much, but because it's one of her favorites we cooked up some serious squid. Now, at least if I'm ever stranded in the ocean, I may be able to survive with fire and a bunch of squid...what a way to go.
To our surprise, lillies (by the hundreds) came up in a place just west of the old servant quarters (now the shed). So that was a nice surprise. We'll be pulling them up this year though, because the driveway will be going right over them next year! This picture even caught a little friend on the leaf!
The next few pictures are from our well needed vacation. Kimmy surprised me by getting these rediculously priced airline tickets that would have just been stupid to say no to. So, down to Atlanta we went. It was awesome. We spent two days in their state gardens where they have the nations largest collection of orchids...over 120 different species and we have the pictures to prove it. We also made a day at 6 Flags doing what we do best...riding coasters! It was a blast. We also spent a day touring the nations largest aquarium, CNN world-wide studios, downtown Atlanta, the UNDERGROUND (an underground mall) and spent some well deserved time chilling out in the pool. More so, we spent time with a long time friend of mine, Rachel, who managed Marriott hotels with me. It was so good to see her as we've been seperated for years. We also got to fly to/from Atlanta on Midwest Airlines where they have all first class seating and serve fresh warm chocolate chip cookies...now that's the way to go! :) We also toured the SWAN HOUSE, an old estate that puts ours to complete shame, but it was fun to see a home built only 50 years earlier, with lots more money!
Next is one of the bigger projects we started at the house. Our master bathroom, made from an old bedroom (as you'll remember in previous updates). We just finished adding the tile and it is officially complete, minus a few little things here and there. We're so proud of ourselves...not to mention it saved us nearly $5,000 doing it ourselves. :)
Along the far East side of the property (nearly 150 feet in length) is our soon to be wind screen and semi-fence of trees. You'll see the tree's when they were first put in, and just last week in Aug, as they've already grown nearly 4 feet. Those hybrids really are cool! We're keeping them trimmed so they grow deep rooting systems too, without branching out too far. These will eventually be a 15 foot tall fence, that will eventually be nearly a solid fence. Deep Purple Orchid vines will be placed about every 20 feet in containers to break up the color of just green trees too, so this will look awesome once done.
And that's about it. We were going to put pictures of Creighton and my office building, but we'll save that for next time.
Hoping everyone is well, and appreciates the update!
We love you! Thanks for your love and constant support while we're here.
Spence and Kimmy
April 25 Let the games begin!Well, it's been about 2 months since our last update regarding pictures and such, so we thought we'd add a few, as we know most of you are visual learners.
Let's start with the interior. We've officially finished (minus a few wall hangings) 4 rooms upstairs. This included some removal of walls, plaster, re-running electrical, plumbing , drywall-and some minor replastering/mudding. New paint, wall paper in some areas and a few little additions here and there really have made each room it's own work of art. We tried to keep at least 3 historic pieces to each room. Sometimes this would include the corner moldings, the windows, trim, molding, etc. These rooms include: The old gentelmens room (now 2 bathrooms), the study, old girls room, now EARTH room, and our master bedroom. The pictures are yours to see. I've labeled them as best as possible, with a drawing of the before/after line-ups of the bathrooms!
We also have been fortunate enough to have a good couple of weekends of great weather. So, we decided to get started on tearing out the grass that we don't want. With nearly 1 acre of almost all grass, it seemed so silly to keep all of it. So, we kept a long 150 stretch x 40 foot stretch on the west side of the house (where it's shaded and we'll host outside parties). The majority of the rest will come out in phases, but will be removed. The first phase of this happened and you can see the pictures. To say the least, it was hard work. Most of the neighborhood took advantage of the FREE SOD signs and picked up lots of it. :) yea!
As for us personally, we're both doing incredibly well. Kimmy is enjoying her time at Creighton University and has been fortunate enough to be linked with one of the leadership programs we run with Creighton. So, while serving as a volunteer, she immediately made friends with 40 or so students...most of them she still hangs out with. She's ready for the semester to get over so she can work on other things on the house she's been wanting to do, go on a short but well needed vacation for both of us, visit friends and family in Utah and head back home to enjoy the rest of her break before summer semester starts again.
I'm also doing quite well. Occasionally, I don't like the long drive, but when I get home, I remember why we bought a home clear out here. It's so surreal. There are millions of birds everywhere. Blue Jays, Cardinals, Crows, Sparrows, Double Breasted Robins, Robins, Geese etc etc etc. In fact, while outside, occasionally the geese fly over us as they're heading back to their summer homes. It's so amazing. Literally as if a large cloud that is 2-5 miles long literally changes the color of the sky to dark black for the moments. You can hear them honking as if a huge monsterous car coming in the air from miles and miles away. As they fly over you, they're so loud you can't even have a conversation at a normal tone as you can't hear the other person speaking. It's awesome. Work is busy for me, but the volunteers and community have been very welcoming and I've seemed to settle in quite nicely. At first (and occasionally still) I have a hard time without relationships with people. Most of those that I worked with in Utah have known me and my accomplishments for years. Not here. Starting from the ground up. In some ways it's nice, and in other ways, it's incredibly hard...but I'm perfectly fine with working a bit harder at relationships! :) We've officially changed the name of our organization. You can visit w w w. c f i c o n l i n e. o r g to check out the new organization, logo etc. I'm really excited for it. We still run the same programs, just under a new name!
The girls (Myster the cat and Miss-C the dog) are both loving this place. Myster gets the entire mansion all to herself when we're away at work/school. Miss-c gets the entire outside. Although she has a kennel, when we're home, she gets to hang outside, where she guards the house, usually sitting on the south porch soaking up the sun, but will warn us if anyone dares set foot on the grass( or what used to be grass).
I think that should just about bring you up to speed. Keep us in your thoughts as Tornado season is about here. Already this week we've had 2 tornadoes in NE. None in IA. The one that was closest to the house was about 2 hours away, but still, we had one! :) I'm excited and hope to see one (from far away of course). You better believe you'll see those pictures on this website! :) Love from us both,
Spence and Kimmy November 23 House and Iowa UpdateSo, things have been quite crazy since my arrival to the house. I was able to leave the NCCJ Utah office a little early, and thus got to give Kimmy the surprise of her life by showing up on the front porch much sooner than originally expected.
Kimmy had unpacked nearly 80% of the boxes and furniture we sent out and things were ready to get dirty. So, we went to work.
Our first room to remodel was the Upstairs South West room which have the large 8 foot high bay windows. We've added before and after pictures for your enjoyment.
The second room was the master bed room. Two tone colors and the plan is to have many black/white photos of utah in the room, accenting the other paintings.
The current renovation ( and by far the largest and most expensive) is the addition of a full bath and another 1/2 bath upstairs. To do this, we had to take out a wall, and will be raising the floor by 10 inches. Quite a project. It'll be ready for use by guests soon, so pack those suitcases!
We've also had the time of our lives riding COMBINES. What are they you ask? It's that large green machine (about the size of a small house) and is like nothing you've ever seen. It can even be controlled via GPS from the operators living room, and can still run without a human. Totally crazy!! There is more technology out here on the farms than in the city!!!
Our neighbors and city of Malvern are quite a joy, and we've been able to meet many new friends and those with the same ambitions. We love them. In fact, Kimmy and I had the conversation just the other day about whether we would even consider leaving...we really do love it out here, and are quite happy.
That's all for now! More updates when we have time (or perhaps the next holiday!)
Love, Spence and Kimmy Happy Thanksgiving!Dear friends and family,
Our first Thanksgiving has come and to say the least, we have enjoyed it greatly. Don't get us wrong, we miss all of you, however, it is quite nice to be able to enjoy our first holiday, with eachother and the girls in our new home in Iowa.
We've added a few pictures in the slideshow for you to see, so you can be part of our festivities.
Hope your holiday was as scrumptious as ours was.
Spence and Kimmy |
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