Last Wednesday, Chuck and Eric were both celebrating after taking exams at the Glendive Department of Motor Vehicles. Eric was taking his exam for his drivers permit for the third time and finally made it! Chuck had inadvertently let his drivers license expire after retiring from the military. Apparently, he struggles with taking exams and procrastinated for a long time but when Eric was ready to get his permit, Chuck was also ready to try again. Both succeeded and much celebrating followed!!! In fact, this was a great time for step-father and step-son to bond. They were listening to 70’s music, at a very loud volume and apparently even head banging for a little while. Go figure that one. It’s great that they were bonding as father and son, at any rate. Chuck even let Eric do some driving that night which was awesome for him.
Nila and Steve were invited over for dinner that night. The menu was simple though, consisting of sloppy joes, potato salad, and chips. 5 Year old Sydney decided she didn’t like the sloppy joe meat on her bun nor did she want any potato salad so her plate had only a bun and some chips on it. When she asked Mommy for more Mommy replied, “Don’t you think you have had enough chips already?” and Sydney answered back, “But, I still have more room in my hips.” How funny is that? Can you imagine a 5 year old girl saying something like that? Anyway, everyone had a good time and the guys were both happy they had achieved their goals for that day.
Ashley's Rental House - Picture was taken in March 2008
Last Thursday, in Minot, ND, a pipe had burst in the home of the “Thompsons”, Ashley and Denise. No one was home at the time it burst however, when Ashley arrived home after work that afternoon, there was some flooding in the house already and some possible damage. Ashley and Denise were very distraught over this.
The “Thompsons” rent the home through Anchor Management and when they discovered this had happened it was after hours. They did finally get the situation somewhat resolved. However, the owner of the house resides in Arizona and does not intend to invest much into this house so his solution was simply to repair the pipe and shampoo the carpet and stretch it back into place. Ashley and Denise had some furniture and things damaged and also have not been able to live in the house for over a week now. And there is also the possibility of mold after so much flooding damage. The “Thompsons” have a one-year lease with Anchor Management, which is not up until early next year. They have been fortunate enough to have friends who gave them a place to sleep during all of this but until everything is resolved, they are going to need some prayers and maybe more.
North Dakota State Fair Parade 2008
The 2008 North Dakota State Fair Parade was held on Saturday, July 20th from 9 AM to 12 NOON. Chuck, Amy, Eric, Charlie, Sydney, Mervin, Betty, Dalton and Trevor all attended the parade and went home with lots of goodies. The weather was a little on the cooler side. Everyone had a great time.
No parade would be complete without an assortment of vintage automobiles.
The variety of entries in the parade caught the attention of children of all ages.
This unique horse drawn carriage was entered by the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. The hall is located in Medora.
The El Zagel Plainsmen of Bismarck entertained fair watchers with their special rendition of favorite country tunes.
A young parade watcher is surprised as she lands a “whopper” with the help of Buddy the clown.
Dizzy the Clown is a funny hit wherever he goes. He maintained a big smile throughout the parade.
Gas Prices Lower in ND
Over the weekend, gas prices were at $3.99 in Minot and down to $3.89 in Bismarck. It sure would be nice if it would go down in Glendive, MT.
On Eric Avenue
Eric has decided to visit his grandparents on the farm in ND for a couple weeks to help them out and spend some time with his cousins, Dalton and Trevor. Eric is also hoping to visit his father in Fargo, ND, at some point this summer.
Water Damage
On Wednesday morning, Chuck and Amy awoke to find a huge bubble in their dining room ceiling and had to immediately move computers and furniture. A phone call to the landlady was made to tell her what was happening. Chuck went up in the attic to discover that it was the air conditioning that was causing the problem. Apparently, there was a problem with the ducting and the filters. So MDU was called in immediately and now they are waiting for the repair work to begin on the ceiling. What a mess!
