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| Abbygail Sandra |
As I begin 2016 I have think back to 2015. I'm going to refer to 2015 as the "Year of Change"...or the "Year 1 of Changing Diapers".
Deven and I experienced many changes during the year. It was my first full year in Real Estate and Abbygail was born. Here are my month-to-month reflections.
January
We started the year off with the process of filing paperwork with the ND Secretary of state for a new business, Kindly RSVP. Deven and I met with web developers to build the site for this complex idea. I received the estimates costs the build the site and thought I better make some money first to pay for my ideas. :) Stay tuned as this company rolls out...
February
Deven and I sold our Fargo condo mid-February. Our place we lived together. We didn't have a home to move into, so we packed all of our belongings in a trailer and hauled them to Grand Forks and unloaded them in my brother's garage. We were officially homeless. Thankfully my aunt and uncle allowed Deven and I to stay at their home in Fargo until we found a place. It took us a while to find a place, too.
March
We went Las Vegas. It was Deven's first time there... and he didn't like it. We lost some money, ate great food and saw Jersey Boys. Deven went home and I stayed for the REMAX R4 conference to get some real estate education.
April
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| Our New Home. |
This may have been the most stressful month of the entire year. Being a home buyer is very emotional, add on being 8 months pregnant and you have tears every day. I now have an experience I can share with my clients of how emotional the buying process can be. We closed on our home April 30th and officially changed our address to Grand Forks. We have fabulous neighbors and Deven has been painting ever since.
May
We were mostly preparing for baby. Deven and his family were starting springs work in the fields. All the crops were planted by the end of May. Thank the LORD! My biggest worry was Deven would be in the field when the baby was born.
June
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| 6/10/15 Deven painted "Baby Efta!! 6/11/15" in our new paint color. |
We welcomed our baby girl, Abbygail Sandra, on June 11. She has been a bundle of joy. She is a sweetheart. Motherhood has been a lot of fun. She brings a smile to my face just thinking about her. Soon after Abby was born, Deven's grandfather, Ed, passed away. He was Deven's role model on the farm. One life begins...
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| Abby in Daddy's arms at the hospital. |
July
We celebrated the 4th of July at the lake with the Meyer/Johnsrud side. Abby was passed around the cabin and held for 4 days straight. She didn't mind it. When the three of us returned to Grand Forks, we returned to 3 inches of water in our basement. So the demolition of our basement began...the project I wanted to complete in 3 years moved up.
August
Nothing "BIG" in August. We put in a new sump pump in our basement and harvest was right around the corner.
September
I attended the ND/SD Real Estate Convention in Watertown, SD. It was the first time I have ever been away from Abby. Sandy, Deven's mother, came to Grand Forks for a few days and took care of her. When I returned home, I was scolded by my little girl. Daddy had to hold her the whole night. By the next day, she let me hold her again.
October
I was elected to the Grand Forks Area Association of REALTORS Board of Directors as a 3-year Director. My office colleagues did a lot of campaigning for me to get elected. I have only one meeting as a director and already learning a lot from this role.
November
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| Abby and the Johnsrud Cousins. |
We hosted my sister's , Natalie, baby shower at our house. It was a lot of fun to see everyone. Abby really enjoyed it too. She got held and played with everyone. We celebrated Thanksgiving in Watertown, MN with the Johnsrud's. It is a lot of fun being with the family. Abbygail really enjoys her cousins.
December
This month was a blur. I kept thinking I had all the time in the world to get gifts and create gifts for my past clients that bought homes this past year. We took Abby to her 6-month photo shoot early in the month and received her photos December 20. That meant my Christmas shopping started December 21 and past client gift "creating" started December 22. Let's just say the photo gifts of Abby turned out. My past client "creation" that's a different story. Deven continued to finish the basement project and it was completed by the end of the year. It looks AMAZING!
2015 was a very emotional year, I think I experienced nearly every emotion. I'm very thankful to my Lord for the strength to get through all the changes. I'm looking forward to what 2016 or "Year 2 of Changing Diaper" has to bring. Hope everyone that reads this has a safe, happy, healthy 2016.
