Attack of the Realtor

I posted this story a while ago on a blog that I had started to share funny stuff that happens with Ryan and I. However, I haven't been back to that blog since posting this story, and I'm not sure that I'll keep that blog going.
I thought this story was too funny to just let it die when I delete the other blog, so it's time to share it on here! I apologize if you have already read this. If you haven't read this before, though, please enjoy!

Too many hours spent watching HGTV and too many nights being woken up by our upstairs neighbors' enthusiastic games of adult jumping on the bed drove my hubby and I to do some house hunting of our own. We weren't stupid enough to believe we could actually afford to buy one, but figured it couldn't hurt to look and dream. 
Watching all of the house hunting shows made us realize that we couldn't just show up to random open houses as ourselves. No, we had to reinvent ourselves into more successful, home buying-type people. We were no longer Ryan and Brittany, the pre-approved for absolutely nothing security guard and college students. Nope, we were Ryan and Brittany, paramedic and PR professional, newly approved for $250,000. 
After tromping through a series of houses that we informed the realtors were "not quite what we're looking for," we decided we needed to look at some brand spankin' new construction. The "it's all included" Celebrity Homes commercials must have been particularly catchy that week because that's where we headed. 
Upon pulling up to the Celebrity model home, we were greeted by a sweaty little man who was busy wooing another couple. Not one to lose a sale, he excused himself from the couple and rushed over to us in his pit-stained shirt and food-stained tie. 
Sweaty man spent five minutes offending my nose with his BO and my ears with his idiotic gibberish. It was clear that he had no intention of listening to what we were potentially looking for in a home... he was set on selling this one. He then sent Ryan and I off to explore the quaint model villa on our own, daring us to find anything we didn't like about it and promising to give us more info before we left. 
A broken door knob, peeling linoleum and a hole in the wall convinced us that this Celebrity villa was not for us. We agreed to skip stopping back by sweaty man's office and hoped he'd be too busy talking to the other couple to notice us leaving. We made our way to the front of the house, slowly opened the door, made sure the coast was clear and ran like heck to our car. 
As I opened my car door, I realized we had been spotted. I saw sweaty man opening the front door and heard him yell, "Wait! You forgot your information packet!"
Realizing he was losing a sale, sweaty man started to run down the driveway towards our car, frantically waving the info packet in the air and yelling for us to wait. That's when I realized he wasn't going to give up. Panic set in. Who knew how far this crazy, smelly little man would go to sell this cruddy house? 
"GO, GO, GO!!!" I screamed at Ryan. 
Ryan hit the gas just in time! I turned and looked through the rear window just in time to see sweaty man reach the end of the driveway. Screaming something I should probably be glad I didn't hear, he chucked the info packet into the street and threw every ounce of his sweaty hatred into flipping us off. 
Watching sweaty man's ticked off face and pudgy middle fingers fade into the distance, Ryan and I broke into hysterical laughter. 
That was the day we swore to never buy a Celebrity Homes Villa. That was also the day we vowed never to return to that neighborhood again.

Standing Up for Love

In November, Minnesotans will be asked to vote on an amendment that will be put on the 2012 Minnesota ballot as: "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in Minnesota?"

In November, I will be voting NO. 

In the past couple of years, many of my friends have come out and let the world know they are gay. They are all amazingly strong people, who have already had to fight through stereotypes and unnecessary hatred. It hurts me to know that most states already would not recognize a marriage between them and whoever they choose to spend their lives with. It completely breaks my heart to think that my state could permanently take that away from them. 

I truly believe that all people should be able to make a lifelong legal commitment to the person they love, regardless of their sexual preference. No one should have the right to block someone from marrying the person they're in love with simply because that person is gay. Love is love. It doesn't matter if you're straight, gay, bi or whatever... you should have the right to love who you want and to marry whoever you want. 

Please, if you live in Minnesota, take a moment to consider what voting yes would do to the gay and lesbian couples and families who have fought so hard for the few rights they have been granted in the U.S. You would be responsible for taking away their hope. You would be responsible for telling them that their love is not as important as a heterosexual couple's. Please, join me in taking a stand against this proposed amendment. Vote no. 

United We Stood

September 11, 2001 was a day that could have completely broken America. Instead, it was a day that brought Americans from all walks of life together as a united front. I watched as people stepped up to support those who lost their loved ones, as rescuers flocked in to search for people in the towers and as people came together to show the terrorists that they had not won.
I will never forget 9/11, and I will never forget about all the men and women who lost their lives that day. The first responders who rushed into the towers to save the people they could were true American heroes, and their legacy will live on in the hearts of Americans forever.

Grandparents Day

It's hard to find the words to fully express just how much my grandparents mean to me. For as long as I can remember, they have played an important role in my life, teaching me, supporting me and loving me unconditionally. They have seen me through the best and the worst times in my life, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them and love them more than words can say.
In 2007, I gained even more grandparents when I married my hubby. These grandparents have welcomed me into their families and have made me feel incredibly loved and accepted. I love all of them, too, and am so thankful to have them all in my life!
I thank God every day for these amazing people, and on this Grandparents Day I hope they all know how very loved and appreciated they all are!

Grandma Welch

Grandpa Welch

Gone, but certainly not forgotten. I miss my Great Grandma Kermmoade every day!

Grandma Gibbs, Grandma Welch, Grandma Seek and Grandma Kermmoade

Grandma Kermmoade

Grandma and Grandpa Gibbs... We still miss Grandpa Gibbs every day... He was an amazing person!

Grandma Jane

Grandpa Kermmoade

Grandpa and Grandma Stevens

Good Grief!

The dreaded unfriending came without any warning. Our friendship had been on the rocks for a while, with her pulling away from me and shutting me out of her life. But, I had held on to the hope that things would change. I had held on to believing that she would figure life out and want things between us to go back to how they used to be. This weekend, she made it abundantly clear that all the things I had hoped for will never happen. This weekend, she hit one button and ended over 17 years of friendship.
I know how you grieve the death of a friend, but how do you grieve the loss of a friend who is still living, breathing and going on with life? 

For two days now, I have tortured my husband by trying to analyze exactly what happened that led this friend to delete me from her life. I have spent more time than I should crying, wondering why this person doesn't want to be my friend anymore and feeling like she truly hates me. I have picked myself apart, asking what I did wrong that caused this friendship to end. 

All of my analyzing, crying and self-pity has led me to one conclusion: I didn't do anything wrong. My now ex-friend and I simply grew apart. We grew and changed into different people, and the lives we both lead now simply aren't compatible anymore. 

I truly believe that some people are put in your life at certain times to help you through specific things. While I thought, this particular friend was going to be a forever friend, I think she really was probably more of the type of person who was put in my life for a certain period of time for a specific reason. She gave me someone to relate to as I went through some of the hardest parts of my life, and she was a great support at one point. I think I acted in the same way for her. Now, it's time for both of us to head our separate ways and focus on other people who need us. 

While the loss of this friendship still stings and probably will continue to hurt for a while, I know that it's time to move on. I am SO blessed to have other friends who I know will be with me forever. It's time to stop focusing on this friendship that is over and to start focusing more on these forever friendships that I value so much!