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I wasn’t worried that it would sell, but I did worry about when.  As it turns out it happened sooner than I anticipated.  Fortunately for us the buyer of our home is willing to let us stay until our new home is completed.  Our builder has sped up things on their end too, so if all goes as planned we should be out of Lakewood and into our new digs by the end of January.  Just in time to welcome our baby into the world.  So much going on…

This is a pretty interesting article that was published in the NY Times from 1999.  For all those that like to blame the Bush Administration and Republican Party as to where our economy stands and the mortgage mess, I suggest you at least read this!

The cement walls for our basement have been poured and the forms are now off.  They begin framing the house this week and should have that completed within the next couple of weeks.  More pics posted in the gallery.

Our builder has officially broke ground on our new home.  We went out there this past weekend to see a big hole in the ground.  We’re planning on taking another trip out this coming weekend as well as meeting the builder to finalize all of our interior selections.

I started a new album in my photo gallery for anyone interested in seeing the progress of our home build. 

Amen!   

The opening bell has officially started to ring at the old homestead.  Our house is officially on the market!  If anyone, or if you know of anyone, who would like a nice smaller single family home in Lakewood please pass this link along:

1547 Olivewood Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107

Thanks!

I wanted to thank all of you who sponsored me for the Bike MS ride this past weekend.  With your contributions I raised $600 for the event.  The ride itself was great and both days turned out to be probably two of the nicest days we’ve seen all summer.  I managed just over 15 miles an hour on day one for the 75 mile ride and just about 16 miles an hour on day two for the remaining 75 miles.  It was a great experience and again wanted to thank everyone for their support!

After many months of shopping and contemplating last night Amy and I signed a contract to have a home built. It’s officially official and we have finally settled with a builder that we really love who is not only going to build us a great home, but is also building it exactly where we want to be. By the end of March Amy and I will transplant ourselves and our newborn baby to the East where we’ll be residing in Concord Township amongst the woods and somewhat rural life. Our new home is going to be built in a development that will have roughly 20-25 homes in it once complete. Our property backs up to a nature’s preserve where there are literally miles of dense woods behind us that nobody can build on or tear down. Ground breaking is set to begin by the end of September/beginning of October. Below is a rendering of the home we are building as well as a picture of Amy standing in front of what will become our homesite taken a few weeks ago. If anyone wants to buy a nice home in Lakewood let me know. It’s officially going to be on the market soon.

I’ve had my Specialized Allez road bike now for just over 6 years. It’s been a great bike and this year I’ve probably ridden it more than any other year of owning it. I’m not sure if the amount of riding I’ve been doing is the culprit, if the wheels have reached their expiration date or lets just face it - I’m not a small little Euro biker, but I’ve broke spokes three times this year. The last break occurred this past Saturday morning when I was about 26 miles into a 50 mile ride. While the bike remains rideable after breaking a spoke, it certainly throws the wheel out of true and requires the breaks to be opened up to prevent rubbing. Overall breaking a spoke takes some of the fun out of the ride and is certainly something you can feel while riding. With all of that being said I told myself after breakage #2 this season that if it happened again I’d fork over the cash for a new set of wheels. Saturday after I returned home I went wheel shopping. I opted for a pair of Mavic Aksium wheels. While not the top of the line, and actually closer to the bottom of the line from what Mavic puts out, they are certainly a great wheel for a cyclist of my caliber. They are definitley lighter and definitely stronger than my last wheels, and from the reviews I’ve read they hold true for a long time to come even throwing some rougher riding into the mix. I’m planning on putting 30 miles on them tomorrow night after work and really looking forward to how they perform.

On August 16-17^th I will be participating in the Bike MS ride known as Pedal to the Point.  The ride goes from Berea to Sandusky and back and covers 150 miles.  If anyone is interested in sponsoring me for this please go to the following link and you can do so.  I would greatly appreciate any contributions to this great fund raiser.  Thanks!