Weekend in Pullman

Well, thought I'd better post a bit about our weekend at Blake and Maren's (and Braden) in Pullman, WA. Like all good Oregonians, we headed out the Wednesday of Spring Break to visit Blake, Maren, and Braden. It turned out to be about a 5 1/2 hour drive from Portland. The drive was worth every minute as the most adorable baby was waiting to greet us when we arrived.

Honestly, I've seen cute babies before, but Braden takes the cake. Easily the cutest baby I've ever seen! Probably the cutest I'll ever see...at least until the next grandchild is born. :) Each morning, I was fortunate enough to get some alone time with Braden as mom or dad brought him downstairs when Blake headed off to work which allowed Maren to get a little sleep. Needless to say, once everyone else got out of bed, I had to take turns with Braden. It was hard to leave after only a few days.

We really liked Blake and Maren's home. Virtually brand new and a nice size for their growing family. Kudos to Blake for picking out a complimentary yellow and blue to paint their family room. Who would have thought that he has the design savvy in the family?

I was 14 the last time I was in Pullman to visit Uncle Bill and Aunt Colleen when they were Bill was completing his undergraduate degree. I didn't remember much about the town and Washington State University. The school seems bigger than I remembered and the town smaller. Although it clearly has grown since the "old" days. We visited the WSU campus and went to the bookstore and Ferdinands which is the equivalent as the USU or BYU creamery. Delicious ice cream! During our stay, we drove over to Moscow Idaho which is only 6 miles away from Pullman. The University of Idaho is located in Moscow. Two state universities located just 6 miles apart.

Thanks to Blake and Maren (and Braden) for a great weekend. I look forward to going back sometime after it warms up a bit and the wheat is growing in the Palouse.

Dad

House Update

All the dry wall is up, the cabinets are in, and the paint is on the walls. We thought we would give you a little preview of the house. Things are on schedule to be done by the middle of May. The floors and carpets need to be put in, as well as the counter tops. We are waiting for the plumbing (toilets, sinks, etc). And finally the finish work. Enjoy the photos.

Pantry Door (used to be the old wash room)Pantry (there will be shelves throughout the whole thing)

Kitchen (looking into the family room- there will granite counters on top of

Kitchen (new lighting, one of three hanging lights)

Kitchen (taken from family room, looking at garage door)

Kitchen (closer look at cabinets)

Kitchen (taken from front door- notice there is no overhang)

Master Bathroom (separate toilet room)

Master Bathroom (shower)

Master Bathroom (one of two vanities)

Master Bathroom (recessed medicine cabinet that I installed above the sink)

New Master Bath (in Blairs old room- this is your moms dream soaking tub)

Master Closet (old master bath- obviously no shelves up yet)

New Cabinets on Towel Closet

Doors leading to the utility room (upstairs- part of Mallory's old room)

New Dining Room (Old Living Room- french doors leading into kitchen)

New Living Room (Old Den- we hope the flooring looks better installed than in the boxes)

Powder Room (Downstairs)

Family Room ( from kitchen)

Kitchen (taken from family room)

We're Getting a Puppy!

The Forsberg Family blog has been looking a little bare lately, so we've decided to spruce it up with our big news: we're getting a puppy!!

I've been begging Toren for months to let me get a puppy and he finally gave in.  Actually, since we aren't allowed to have pets at the apartment we're living in he always had a good excuse to tell me no, but our new place in Ohio is pet friendly and he had no other good arguments.  I'm thrilled!  I've really needed a companion while he's at school all day, and I think it will only get worse over the summer.

So, we decided on a Beagle (Toren really wanted a French Bulldog, but I think bulldogs usually look like angry toads).  We found an Amish family in Ohio that breeds dogs, including Beagles.  We put a down payment on the cutest male and we'll be able to pick it up once we get out there.

We haven't settled on a name yet, though Toren's offered up a few that just won't work (little killer, for example).  I guess we have a month to deliberate about it.

Here's a picture of the little guy.  Cute, isn't he?

And since that's not a very clear picture, here's a better picture of a Beagle.  This is what we hope he grows up to look like.

Maren's Blog

Just so you know, I have been posting new pictures of Braden on my blog. You can find the link to the right side of the screen. It is blakeandmaren.blogspot.com.