Recently I found myself in the woods near Bismarck, ND. You might be wondering, what was she doing in Bismarck, ND? Well, I was there for a high adventure youth summer program. And let me tell you, it was an adventure!
The first two days at this three day camp was a high and low ropes course called the “Circle of Courage” challenge course. This course is located just outside Bismarck, ND.
The morning we got there, the kids started arriving around 9:00 AM to check in. By 10:00 AM, we got all 20 girls checked in and settled. Then the facilitator (Adura) went over the “five finger contract” – the rules of our time there together. We always set ground rules at youth events, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen ground rules set in this way. Audra had the girls hold out their hands in front of them and told them this:
“Thumbs up!” Positive attitude
First finger extended, pointing – get all of the finger pointing out of the way, no blaming or finger pointing; take responsibility for your actions
Middle finger, don’t hold it up – no insults
Ring finger – symbolizes commitment, willingness to let things go and not hold grudges
Pinky finger, safety – most vulnerable finger
Amazing! An interactive, short and fun way to set ground rules with teenagers!
And that was not even the beginning of our adventure!
For the rest of the morning, Audra had the girls play games to get to know each other. Right before lunch, she split the group into two teams and handed each team a large rope with many knots in it. Each participant had to grab on to the ropes with both hands. The group had to work together to untie the ropes without letting go. It took them a long time – but it was amazing to see the teamwork.
After a lunch they headed over the low ropes course. When we go to the destination, we found four trees each spaced quite a few feet apart with a wire strung between them. The girls were challenged to get their entire group across the wire to the last tree with only 5 ground touches (as a group). They were given a large rope to use however they wanted and two hula hoops to use to create areas of “safety” where they could touch the ground without penalty.
It took them a long time but they figured it out. One kid climbed on the wire and walked to the first tree, taking the rope along with her and tying it to the tree. The participants used the rope to balance as they walked across the wire. Little by little, five kids made it on to the first wire. Then first girl again walked across to the second tree, taking the rope with her. This continued until the entire group made it across! It was so great to watch them, working together.
The next challenge was the high ropes course. The kids were challenged to climb a ladder in groups of two. The ladder was about four large rungs held together by rope – it swayed back and forth as the kids landed on each rung. Each participant was outfitted with safety gear. A helmet and a harness. When it was a pair’s turn, they were hooked into the safety ropes. It’s amazing what these kids can do, they were so brave! I heard one story about a participant getting to the top and cheering a reluctant friend on. She was telling her “Don’t look down – look at me! You can do it!” Amazing.
Unfortunately, I had to head back home before the end of the program, so this was the extent of my adventure. On day three, the girls hopped in canoes and floated down the Missouri river. Oh well, maybe next year!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
A Home of Our Own
My husband, Parry, and I have searched for a home for more than six months. The objective of our search has changed along the way.
When we first started out, we wanted different things. Parry wanted a brand new home, something way out of our price range. I wanted an older home, a bargain that we could fix up. After touring many (many) houses with our realtor – we found middle ground. We developed a combined must have list for “our” house.
A couple of weeks ago Parry and I gave our realtor a long list of houses we’d like to tour. This was just before I was about to go out of town on a work trip. After touring several houses on the list, each of us had a favorite.
My favorite was an older two story. The exterior was white with pretty peach shutters on the upper windows. Gorgeous honey colored laminate flooring on the main level. A huge kitchen with brand new appliances, countertops and cabinets. Four bedrooms on the top level. A spacious dining room. The living room and the family room were connected with beautiful French doors. Light poured in from all of the windows. The back yard had ample space for our dogs to run around. The promise of a double car garage and installed central air was included in the asking price. This house was at the very top of our price range.
My first impression of Parry’s favorite was not great. (But keep in mind I still had the two story beauty on the brain.) The 1925 remodeled ranch had two bedrooms, living room, dining room and decent sized bathroom on the main level. The kitchen was just big enough for all of the appliances with a few cabinets squeezed in. In the lower level, a man was working on smoothing out the basement flooring – so we didn’t get a great look. Just enough of a peek to notice the laundry area and two semi-finished rooms. The backyard was mostly fenced in, a decent size. A screened in porch area was attached to the double car garage. (These were two of Parry’s favorite features.) This house was also at the very top of our price range.
While I was away on my work trip, Parry and I talked off and on via cell phone. We considered touring both houses again and deciding between the two. We debated looking for cheaper houses so that we could save money. Neither one of us could decide what to do.
After I came home last week, Parry and I drove past the two story beauty. We saw the beginnings of the double garage that was promised in the advertisement. That convinced Parry. He said to me “Let’s buy it!”. We asked our realtor to tour the two story house again, this time with my uncle an electrical contractor from Arizona who was in town for a visit.
While driving past the house the evening before we were going to look at it, my realtor called and said the dreaded words “sale pending”. It was already all but sold to someone else! My heart was broken!
We decided to look at the 1925 remodeled ranch again. When we looked at the home on Friday morning – it was like I was seeing a different house! This time I noticed the freshly painted plaster walls and the brand new carpeting throughout the home. The backyard looked perfect for our dogs and for cooking out on the grill. Since we had looked at it, the owners carpeted the basement room that was being worked on during our last tour. My uncle said it looked like “a nice little house”.
Off and on the rest of the day my husband and I kept saying to each other “should we buy it?”. On the way to my parents’ house, I stopped buy and picked up the house summary sheet to show my mom. When I looked at the price I thought it was a mistake. The house had been reduced by $4,000! That made it a done deal! We decided to put in an offer on the house.
As long as everything goes through as planned, Parry and I will be the proud owners of a 1925 remodeled ranch home by May 16th. All of the home tours, debating, and waiting have paid off. We are both extremely happy and excited. Moving day can’t come quick enough!
When we first started out, we wanted different things. Parry wanted a brand new home, something way out of our price range. I wanted an older home, a bargain that we could fix up. After touring many (many) houses with our realtor – we found middle ground. We developed a combined must have list for “our” house.
A couple of weeks ago Parry and I gave our realtor a long list of houses we’d like to tour. This was just before I was about to go out of town on a work trip. After touring several houses on the list, each of us had a favorite.
My favorite was an older two story. The exterior was white with pretty peach shutters on the upper windows. Gorgeous honey colored laminate flooring on the main level. A huge kitchen with brand new appliances, countertops and cabinets. Four bedrooms on the top level. A spacious dining room. The living room and the family room were connected with beautiful French doors. Light poured in from all of the windows. The back yard had ample space for our dogs to run around. The promise of a double car garage and installed central air was included in the asking price. This house was at the very top of our price range.
My first impression of Parry’s favorite was not great. (But keep in mind I still had the two story beauty on the brain.) The 1925 remodeled ranch had two bedrooms, living room, dining room and decent sized bathroom on the main level. The kitchen was just big enough for all of the appliances with a few cabinets squeezed in. In the lower level, a man was working on smoothing out the basement flooring – so we didn’t get a great look. Just enough of a peek to notice the laundry area and two semi-finished rooms. The backyard was mostly fenced in, a decent size. A screened in porch area was attached to the double car garage. (These were two of Parry’s favorite features.) This house was also at the very top of our price range.
While I was away on my work trip, Parry and I talked off and on via cell phone. We considered touring both houses again and deciding between the two. We debated looking for cheaper houses so that we could save money. Neither one of us could decide what to do.
After I came home last week, Parry and I drove past the two story beauty. We saw the beginnings of the double garage that was promised in the advertisement. That convinced Parry. He said to me “Let’s buy it!”. We asked our realtor to tour the two story house again, this time with my uncle an electrical contractor from Arizona who was in town for a visit.
While driving past the house the evening before we were going to look at it, my realtor called and said the dreaded words “sale pending”. It was already all but sold to someone else! My heart was broken!
We decided to look at the 1925 remodeled ranch again. When we looked at the home on Friday morning – it was like I was seeing a different house! This time I noticed the freshly painted plaster walls and the brand new carpeting throughout the home. The backyard looked perfect for our dogs and for cooking out on the grill. Since we had looked at it, the owners carpeted the basement room that was being worked on during our last tour. My uncle said it looked like “a nice little house”.
Off and on the rest of the day my husband and I kept saying to each other “should we buy it?”. On the way to my parents’ house, I stopped buy and picked up the house summary sheet to show my mom. When I looked at the price I thought it was a mistake. The house had been reduced by $4,000! That made it a done deal! We decided to put in an offer on the house.
As long as everything goes through as planned, Parry and I will be the proud owners of a 1925 remodeled ranch home by May 16th. All of the home tours, debating, and waiting have paid off. We are both extremely happy and excited. Moving day can’t come quick enough!
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