March 13, 2012: Purchase Agreement at Stillwater

My mom went to the bank yesterday to get her cashier's check for $20,000.  We went for a meeting with Ron Stroup at 6 p.m. to sign the purchase agreement and give him the money.       I still can't believe we are actually going to have a condo built and that my mom is going to do it.  I think this will be a good thing for us.

On our way out of the office trailer, we ran into that young fella and his girlfriend. He asked if we had bought and we said yes.  He asked where would it be and we said right across the street from him.  

Then, my mom and I walked on the bike trail that goes around the complex.  It was a beautiful trail that curved.     It will be nice to be able walk on this bike path everyday.       

March 10, 2012: Stillwater Springs Condos

I sent an email to the builder of the Stillwater Springs Condos in Fruitport, as I wanted to see what the cost would be to have a condo built.    I told my mom about the appointment, so we met with Ron Stroup, to figure out what would be our best needs.

He showed us 2 Greenfield models that were in the process of being built.   It was hard to visualize the rooms, but we thought we would like the smaller one with 2 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms on the top floor.

He wrote down the price at $149,000 plus $2500 for the gas fireplace in the living room.    He worked it out with my mom that she would need $20,000 down and then give him another $30,000 in April and then another $30,000 in May when her CDs mature.  The remaining balance would be borrowed through the bank.  He said he could have the condo built by the end of July/beginning of August.

We picked out a wooded lot on Turning Leaf Circle, which is across the street from the young fella that we stopped while we were driving around the complex last week.  He was very helpful.    He has lived here about 5 years.     He said he really liked it. He works 12 hour days so he said it was nice to come home and not have to do yardwork.      He told us we could stop by anytime with additional questions.   He told us he was living in the unit that has the red pick up truck.

We have been touring these condos for about 5 years. It was just never the right time.   I think my mom is excited about this building, but I think it will also be stressful for her to make all of these decisions.

March 2, 2012: 10 Year Anniversary at Work

Well, the day finally came when I became vested at work.  I can't believe I have been working at the County of Muskegon for 10 years.   I am finally vested, which means I will get a pension when I retire.    It has not been an easy road at all. I have tried to leave the health department on 3 occasions, only to end up back in the department. It must be God's way of saying that I need to be working here for some unknown reason.

I celebrated my anniversary with a buttercreme frosted cake from the famous Ryke's Bakery and shared it with my co-workers.     I know that whenever I bring in a Ryke's cake to work, I am going to have a bunch of friends that day.

February 26, 2012: Homeward Bound

I was not looking forward to driving through Tampa.   I am glad it was Sunday as the traffic should be less.  Well, that was what I thought. We got into Tampa and the traffic was horrible. I hate driving on I-4 or anywhere around that area. I was glad to drop off the rental car and be done with that part.

The flight home was a different story.    I had these two kids sitting behind me who kicked my seat for almost the full 2 hour flight.  I was so pissed. Finally, I pushed the button and slammed my seat back into their laps. I think that helped make my point for a little while.    The mother barely did anything to them. I would have separated those kids.    

There was a nice family sitting next to me.  Their son was afraid of flying and crying throughout the flight.  The father said he was from Grand Haven.  He was pretty nice.  The mother was sitting in front of us with the daughter.

Jeanne and Kevin Reenders picked us up from the airport and we went for a wonderful dinner at Turk's Restaurant in Nunica.  That cheeseburger was fantastic.  I loved the bar cheese and chips too.

When we got home, we went inside and Maggie came to see us. I think she was happy to have us home and we were glad to be home.

My mom and I have wanted to move to Florida for many years and have travelled there on several occasions checking it out.    We both agree that the traffic is terrible around there.    It is a nice place to go on vacation in the winter.    

I have been following the job market and news around Florida and North Carolina and it's bad. The unemployment rate in Ft. Myers was around 12% for the past year.     My mom read in an article that Tampa has a high rate of suicides due partly to lack of jobs and people getting depressed about their situations.   

Steve Dykema moved down to Florida 3 years ago and wasn't able to find a good paying job, nor was his wife able to find out.   I read on his facebook he was glad to be moving back to Michigan, as he thought the people in Florida were rude and crackheads, not to mention the bad traffic, especially in the winter months.
Leah said she wants to move in about 5 years.    She said the summers are so hot and miserable.      I think she misses her family and friends back in Michigan.

So, now, we have to figure out what our next step will be in our lives, as moving out of state was our plans for many years.

February 25, 2012: Wiregrass Mall in Wesley Chapel

Mom and I had a nice breakfast at the hotel and began our trip back to Zephyrhills. We stopped at the Wiregrass Mall in Wesley Chapel to do some shopping.  The weather was alot cooler here than down in Sarasota or Naples. People were wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts.

My mom and I had dinner at Sonny's BBQ which was fantastic.    We went to Zephyrhills and went to visit Norm at Heartland.   Cheryl, Norm, my mom, and I went for dinner at the Village Inn Restaurant.   My mom and I had dessert there and they had dinner.     

Then, we went back to Norm's house to stay the night.   Cheryl has been such a fantastic hostess.   

February 24, 2012: Ringling Brother Museum

Peggy picked us up at the hotel and we drove to the Ringling Brother Museum. There was quite a line.  I didn't think it was very organized this time.   We paid $25 for the ticket to tour the grounds, but it only included the tour of the first floor of the mansion without a tour guide.    You had to get a separate ticket to have a guide or to go to the 2nd floor. I thought that was ridiculous.
This was Ringling's winter home. It is on the water.

We went to St. Armand's Square and did some shopping at Chicos and other stores.  We had a nice shrimp lunch at one of the restaurants. Then we had some gelato for dessert.    I am glad we finally got to go to St. Armands.

Ken took us all out for dinner at Spanish Pointe which is near Venice.   We had a nice dinner and there was a band.  Ken said I look alot like my Grandma Gonyo and remarked how nice I was.   That made me feel good.   It was nice to sit and chat with Ken and Peggy.       I remember going to the cabin as a child and they would come visit us and we would chat for hours. I miss those days.        

Peggy said she helps out at the beauty pageant each year in Baldwin.     I didn't realize they even had a pageant there.   It was good to see both of them.     

February 23, 2012: Naples

My mom and I left Jim and Marty's place and drove back to Naples.  We wanted to go to Dilliards at the Coastland Mall to see if Lori Lear was working.   We ran into Lori as she was coming into work.  She looked great.     We got to visit with her.  She said they had moved to a home but were buying it on land contract.  Her youngest daughter is in high school. Her other kids are back in Michigan. She said she misses seeing them and her grandkids.       She said she has arthritis in her hands.       I think she was happy to see us.  We love the Dilliards in Naples. They carry the good quality clothing which we like.

Then, we went to Tin City and had a nice lunch down on the water.   We didn't think too much of Tin City. It had restaurants and touristy kind of shops.       Then, we drove around the neighborhoods to see the big mansions. I picked out the one I would love to move into. 

After Naples, we went to Sarasota and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express.  We called Peggy Katt to let her know we got there.  We were going to go with her to the VFW in Venice, however, we got in late.  Peggy wasn't too happy with us at all, even though we had called earlier in the day to say we didn't think we would make it by 5:30.   It's hard to make definite timed plans on a day you are traveling from one city to another.