We have a roof!

It's not even a week into our big project and we have a roof! After months of things not changing, it is refreshing to move from architectural plans to real life changes. We've got about 3 more months of lot's of activity and then hopefully we'll be able to move into our new master suite and return to a more "normal" schedule.

Even at the shortest ceiling height hubby is able to stand up fully straight!

Just pretend I'm standing in front of a vanity and washing my hands- this is where our new bathroom will be!

Day 1 & We Survived!

Today was a very strange day- we woke up as if we were going to work, but instead we were just preparing for the arrival of the construction crew. We intermittently worked on our computers, answered questions from the crew and did some crazy shopping for the new addition.

The funniest part of the day was when our contractor was using his snowblower to make room for the lumber to be delivered. With it being so cold here last week, Libby (our dog) didn't get as many walks as she normally does. Instead she would just run out in the backyard and then come back inside as soon as possible. So as the snowblower went, all of the sudden out flew frozen dog poo that had been covered by the snow. We think it all got caught by the fence, and we're hoping it didn't launch into our neighbor's yard. If we do discover that it was launched into her yard, what is the appropriate way to apologize to her? Do we just get her a nice plant in the spring since she'll have a well fertilized yard? This is likely just the first of many adventures of the project- and we're happy we were able to get a good laugh to start things off.

In any case, here are some photos of the project- one from when we moved in & the second from this evening.

Let the Rebuilding Begin!

We survived last week's streak of sub-zero temperatures and we're enjoying our "balmy" 20-degree weekend.
Tomorrow morning the contractors are supposed to arrive to begin the big construction on our master bedroom upstairs. We're excited, anxious, and nervous. We're definitely looking forward to the project being done- hopefully by mid-May.

Happy Holidays 2008

So this year we decided to set up our holiday newsletter online to be good stewards of our natural resources and not increase our carbon footprint. So here we go, our year in review:

First Quarter 2008
Krista spent a lot of time with her parents in Houston while Dad went through chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Drew kept the house going and began his last semester of grad school courses. We spent Spring Break in Houston celebrating the great news that Dad's first set of scans after radiation showed no visible signs of the brain tumor! We also managed to squeeze in a quick trip "Up North" for some late winter hiking around Lake Superior.

Second Quarter 2008
Drew graduated from the Carlson MBA program at the University of Minnesota. We had a great long weekend and both sets of parents were able to make the trip for graduation. Drew began his "internship" at the Hensel home headquarters completing a lengthy honey-do list including rehabbing both the fence and deck, while managing to have the chimney rebuilt and house painted.

Third Quarter 2008

It was a beautiful summer here in Minnesota, but even more spectacuar in Hawaii. We spent 10 days on Oahu and Maui. While visiting Honolulu we spent time relaxing on Waikiki Beach and visiting the USS Arizona Memorial. On Maui had fun scuba diving, snorkeling, biking down Mt. Haleakala (a dormant volcano), sailing, surfing, and survived the Road to Hana. We celebrated our fourth anniversary from sunrise on top of the volcano to sunset on a sailing cruise. We also managed to find time to just relax on the beach and poolside. It was a fantastic vacation and perfect for celebrating our anniversary!



After we got back from Hawaii, we had an unusual event occur, so unusual that there's just a one in 700,000 chance of it even happening. Just before Labor Day our home was struck by lightning. While the lightning did catch the house on fire we were fortunate to catch it early and as our home is close to the fire station the fire was contained quickly. We did have significant smoke and water damage, and this winter we are still in the process of getting things back to normal. We are extremely grateful that no one was hurt. We sort of wonder, in a year when you get struck by lightning, should we be buying lottery tickets? A little research and no, our odds of winning the Minnesota state lottery are one in 1.5 million, and odds of being struck by lightning and winning the lottery in the same year are even more remarkable.

Fourth Quarter 2008

Drew started his first project with the Strategy and Operations practice at Deloitte Consulting. We've also stayed really busy working on the house. The crazy thing is this fall seems like it has been really busy, but it's hard to say what we've been doing- doesn't it seem that's how life goes? Amidst all of the work and chores we have had opportunities to enjoy some fun events, including the United Hospital Foundation Gala and some Deloitte events.

Looking forward to 2009

We won't make any predictions for 2009, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that lightning doesn't strike twice. We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season and wish you the best for 2009. Love, Drew & Krista

Welcome to Hensel Headquarters!

Yes, we are a bit behind the times- but it seems that many of my friends have blogs and I love being able to read them! So, I felt it was only fair that I return the favor. :)