Harmony

Hey everyone. We are confirmed for the house on Lake of the Ozarks. I have been talking to the owner's friend but received an email from the owner today. Its a description of the property with pictures above that were taken before the remodel.

The total cost is $4052,50. Half, or $2026.25, has been charged to Sally & Tom's credit card. So as of right now, each couple owes $405.05 to T&S. The remaining half is due one month prior (July 11).

The dates reserved are August 11, 2007 to August 18, 2007 (Sat.-Sat.).

Sorry for the long post!

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Hi Becky,Debbie forwarded your e-mail address to me so that I could send you some information about our property, Harmony. The pictures enclosed are prior to the remodel. I will send you updated pictures as they become available, if you would like. I hope this answers your questions, but feel free to call me (805) 522-9729 if you have any others. This is very exciting for me, as you are our very first renter! I am looking forward to hearing about your vacation.Debbie Iverson

Harmony - 3400 sq ft of Rustic Charm with Modern Amenities
Location: Linn Creek, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, USA (located at the 28MM)
Accommodations: House, 5 BR/5 ½ BA (includes 4 master suites and bunk-room) (sleeps 12-14)

Rent this spacious 5 bedroom, 5 ½ bath lake-front home. We are located in a beautiful cove with a gorgeous view of the main channel. The gently sloping lot offers a path with 10 steps down to the lake and a 3-slip boat dock with swim platform.

Located in Linn Creek, between Osage Beach and Camdenton, at mile marker 28, we are just minutes from a variety of activities including a large selection of restaurants and shops, a 110-store Outlet Mall, water park, go-cart track, day spas, golf and miniature golf, just to name a few. It is privately owned and managed, newly remodeled and new to the rental market May 2007.

The main level consists of a large living room with vaulted ceilings, wood-burning fireplace, bar, big-screen TV with Cable programming and DVD, as well as full view of the lake. You can also relax on the spacious upper deck to enjoy the view and fresh air. The dining room has vaulted ceilings, table with seating for 12-14, and a beautiful view of the lake. The kitchen is very open, with vaulted ceilings, custom oak cabinets, dishwasher, stove, oven, refrigerator with ice-maker, microwave, dishes, utensils, pots, pans, bakeware, crockpot, coffee maker, blender and many other amenities to make you feel at home. The main level also has 2 master suites with queen-size beds, a third master suite with 2 extra-long twin beds, and a powder room. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, TV, alarm clock, bed linens, extra pillows and blankets.

The lower level has a grand game room with lake view, complete with bar, pub table, billiard table with ping-pong conversion top, air hockey, dart board, sleeper sofa, TV, and kitchen with refrigerator. Adjacent to the game room you will find another master suite with queen-size bed and bathroom, a kids' bunk-room (2 full-size futons with twin bunks), another full bathroom and laundry room with washer and dryer. The lower deck and patio has a hot tub, outdoor fireplace, gas and charcoal BBQ's, tables, chairs and a kids' sandbox.

Amenities: 3-slip Boat Dock with Swim Platform and Fish Cleaning Station, Phone, Air Conditioning, Central Heat, Wood-burning Fireplace, Cable TV, VCR, DVD, Stereo, CD Player, 2 Full Kitchens, Microwave, Dishwasher, 2 Refrigerators with ice makers, Blender, Coffee Maker, Crockpot, Cooking Utensils, Dishes and Silverware, Bed Linens, Pillows, Towels, Washer, Dryer,4 in-room Safes, Billiard Table with Ping-Pong Conversion, Dart Board, Air Hockey, Board games, Play Station, Gas and Charcoal BBQ Grills, Hot Tub, Outdoor Fire Pit, Sandbox, 2-car Garage with Circular Drive and parking for 6-8 vehicles.

Activities (on site or nearby): Golf, Miniature Golf, Water Parks, Go-Cart Track, Fishing, Shopping, Restaurants, Cinemas, tours of Bridal Caves and Ozark Caverns, Sightseeing Lake Cruises, Swimming, Boating, Waterskiing, Parasailing.

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The Millers

This is merely a rebuttal....

You may have seen this forward "Child Abuse." I don't know who these people are. And some day others won't know either.

Cove

Here is a picture of the view from the house next door. When looking at the lake, the house we are discussing is to the left.

Final Destination

First, please don't let this post take away from the 2 below. They are worth reading. Again and again.

I spoke to Debbie from Lake of the Ozarks and this is the info on the house we are renting. If you have any objections, please let me know, but it sounds like we're all ready to do this.

-The home will be finished mid-April and we will get pictures then.
-Cost is $500 per night - $3500 for the week - $700 per couple (Scott only owes $600 - get a
job. hahaha)
- 5 bed, 5.5 bath
- all bedrooms have their own bath
- Front hall is beautiful vaulted ceilings with all windows on first floor facing lake
- new deck
- new hot tub
- walk out basement to yard and dock
- game room in basement with bar, pool table, ping-pong top for pool table, air hockey, dart board, pull-out couch, kitchen with fridge
- master bed is in basement off game room
- bunk room is on opposite side of game room
- the house in in a large cove with another cove to the right that is good for waterskiing. to the Left is a view of the main channel. Beautiful view - best of both worlds. Debbie is forwarding me pictures of the view from the house next door. I will pass on.
- firepit or fireplace tbd
- no gazebo but yard is very flat and goes all the way to seawall.

$$$$$
$3500 per week + 8.5% taxes + $150 cleaning fee = $3947 = $789 per couple
%25 due now with %25 due March 1, or %50 due now.
Balance due 1 month prior to reservation.
taxes cover state taxes and lodging taxes

I guess this is a little expensive. Tell me your thoughts.
Remember, the boat is around $2000 a week, so $400 each.

The Morning After

After mulling things over in my head last night and in an effort not to seem too crazy I have a rebuttal of a few of Leah's points:

1. Raw ground beef - I love it and I'd still be eating it if I hadn't worked at Jewel and seen those crazy butcher's behind the scenes.
6. Leah started kindergarten at 4 - she was of the legal age. At least I didn't force her to drink at 21.
7. Eating off Leah (and Becky and Jason's) plate - it was less calories when all you got were the scraps.
8. Cracking Cal up - that was a momentous occasion for me!
9. Cousin Beth's wedding - can we all just try, as in put some effort, in to forgetting that one.
11. Fart/burp - that was mean!
14. Worm in salad - hey I thought I'd hidden that one from you but I probably started running around screaming. and dumping everyone's salad in the garbage. Eeek.
15. One Life to Live - it prepared you for seduction. Leah never would have landed Eric without it.
16. Pool kiss - yeah, that was fun.
17. Burning Leah and Becky's heads - just for the record, I cried.
18. Leah's sewing lesson - after taking the summer to teach Leah how to sew she stated "Isn't it easier just to go to the store and buy a skirt?". I don't think she's sewn since.
21. The pearl necklace - I will never live that down. Again, I'm sorry. I am a bad mom/person.
23. Becky's mouthwashes - she was a tough cookie.
25. The birth of both my grandkids - again, momentous occasions! Wouldn't miss it for the world.
26. Puke and poop plunge - OHMYGOSH!! It's true and as horrible as it sounds.
28. Taking the kids to school in my robe - is it as bad as it sounds?
30. The motorcycle trip - sun and wind will do strange things to your skin.
32. Sex in the car - yes, you are always to tell your kids about sex in the car specifically so that they cannot run away. Right Tom and Scott?
34. -Leah I cannot believe you put that in a public post. Can we not do that anymore and just keep it my dirty little family secret?!! Probably the one time I wonder "why didn't I just lie?". Surely I would have been justified.
39. Cuddling with your dad in a hospital bed - I'd do it again in a heart beat.
41. Mayonnaise next to the cheese - I knew it all along. I hated it but didn't want to hurt your feelings.
42. Talking stuffed animals - what are you talking about? That was really them talking. I visit them in storage once in awhile and they still talk to me.
45. Slaves - can't remember the context of that one. Was it a song?
49. Calling out of school - hmmmm...... Yeah, I told you Becky was a tough cookie.
52. Ice cream cake - Jason always told me how much he loved it!
54. Sweaters - I'm working on Easter. :)
55. Talking - I love our conversations.

It was too much fun to think about all these memories and they prompted many others since I've slowed down to think about all this. Too much fun Leah (and Eric too I just found out)!!!

Happy 55th Birthday, Mom!

55 Awesome Memories of Mom

1. She used to eat raw ground beef.
2. She made pizza for my birthday parties every year.
3. She shouted, “Pull this damn car over!” on the first Christmas without dad because us kids were fighting.
4. She never talked bad about anyone.
5. I loved when she would color with me in the rec room with the red shag carpet.
6. I dragged her into the classroom on the first day of kindergarten even though none of the other kids were with their parents. (I was only four! She must have wanted to get rid of me…)
7. She ate food off of my plate instead of her own plate. (She claimed it was less calories that way.)
8. She was the first person to crack Cal up. He was three months old and she was bouncing him on the bed.
9. She got nasty drunk at Cousin Beth’s wedding.
10. We took naps together everyday when I was in kindergarten.
11. “Ewwww. Who farted?” We all ask. Mom says, “I burped…”
12. She sang solos at church. “Hallowed be Thy Name”
13. I asked who Santa was. “He’s not real,” Becky shouts. “That’s true,” mom says.
14. She found a worm in her salad over dinner.
15. We watched One Life to Live together.
16. She got a point for catching Eric and me kissing in the pool.
17. She burnt my head with kerosene by trying to get rid of lice.
18. She took the time to try to teach me to sew. We made a vest and a skirt.
19. We would dunk her under water in the pool with her sunglasses on.
20. “Mama needs a new pair of shoes! Oooowwww!”
21. She took back the pearl necklace we bought her.
22. She always gave me back scratches whenever I asked.
23. There were many times she had to wash Becky’s mouth out with soap.
24. The one time she farted (or the one time she admitted it…) in the rec room.
25. She came to see both of our kids right after they were born.
26. She plunged my puke and Jason’s poop at the same time.
27. She made me wear the same clothes two days in a row.
28. She took us to school in her robe.
29. She came home smelling like deli meat.
30. She came back from her and dad’s motorcycle trip looking like a black person.
31. We made home-made play-dough.
32. She told me about sex in the car when I couldn’t run away (Becky remembers this, too).
33. She bought me a mini chocolate milk when we went grocery shopping to keep me happy.
34. She told me in the kitchen that she once did bad heroine.
35. She used to make tons of Christmas cookies and freeze them so we could go down anytime and eat them.
36. She bought lots and lots of frozen pizzas and we ate lots and lots of frozen pizzas.
37. When I asked her why she quit her new job at The Octagon, she told me that she quit to spend more time with us kids.
38. I used to brush her hair until it was totally frizzed while we watched TV (probably The Cosby Show).
39. When Dad was in the hospital, he convinced her to hop in bed with him to cuddle (lots of people were there).
40. Her really short 80’s haircut.
41. I tricked her into eating a mayonnaise-next-to-the-cheese sandwich.
42. She used to make all my stuffed animals talk. I loved it!
43. I got a new Easter outfit every year and she let me pick them out!
44. She runs all crazy into stores when it’s raining- usually she even screeches.
45. “I’d buy me some Hawaiian slaves.”
46. She was so brave and moved into the city when she was 50!
47. I once joined mom at her aerobics class and we exercised to “Physical.”
48. She rubbed my head by my hairline whenever I was sick or needed love.
49. She called me out of school whenever I didn’t feel good. She called Becky out of school whenever she wanted.
50. She was there for my college graduation, took pictures and then got all the film wet.
51. I missed her first wedding, but got to be there for her second. She looked beautiful.
52. On his birthday, she would make Jason’s favorite cake- Oreo Ice cream Cake.
53. She let me eat raw cookie dough.
54. She has made five sweaters (and counting) for her gorgeous grandchildren.
55. The ongoing memory of always being there to talk.

Thanks, Mom!
Please post your own awesome memory of Sally!

Family Vacation 2007 - again!

Hey everyone. I think I found us a house. Check it out here.

Summary:
5 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
2 futons
1 pullout couch
3 cots
grill
washer & dryer
3 decks
boat dock
swimming on dock w/ ladder

and that's all I can think of right now. Check out the site and I'll forward an email with more pictures to all of you.

Cost
$2250 for the week - nice! It's 12 miles from Lake of the Ozarks town so hopefully that's ok with everyone. Lake of the Ozarks is the main tourist area with a damn, shops, strip malls, golfing etc. The other main town is Osage Beach which has most of the restaurants but i'm not sure where that is located yet.

Deposit - $500. The deposit must be paid to hold the property and won't be returned until after our week at the house. Can anyone cover this? If we charged it, we could all pay that person back within a few weeks or maybe someone has money in savings that wouldn't be missed. The deposit will be returned in check form even if its charged.

To mapquest: Rocky Mount, MO 65072

Honestly, I haven't found very many 5 bedrooms and definetly not for under $3000. I think this looks great as long as no one minds being 12 miles from the biggest town.

If we want this property, we need a volunteer for the deposit and to pick out the dates. All weeks in August are available after Aug. 4. He prefers Fri-Fri but said Sat.-Sat. is ok. (is everyone ok with August??)

I also think we need to move quickly. Today or tomarrow if possible.... I'm worried about finding something else and loosing the dates for this house.

Weekend Update

Karin & Daniel flew in from Seattle and stayed with Cheryl and I this weekend. We had tons of fun including going to the Museum of Science and Industry and seeing Body Worlds II. In case you don't know, that's the exhibit with real human bodies that have been put through a plastification process and you can see all the muscles and organs. No skin, just muscles and bones and organs. It was wild. The bodies were all posing doing something like pitching a baseball or a couple ice skating. They also had organs in exhibit boxes to get a close look at just about everything. Brains, lungs, uterus... fetus... one of the bodies was 5 weeks pregnant when she died so you could see the change in her uterus. Like I said, it was wild. But very very cool and interesting.

The museum, however, was a complete dump. Has anyone been there lately? Disorganized, dirty... and the only worth while exhibit was the Body Worlds. That was only dissapointing b/c I remember it being sooo cool. But I was about 7 and nothing is really how I remember it at 7.

Did anyone else see the nervous system as it winds its way around the insides of our bodies?

I'm sick

My eye is squirting out stuff like Leah and my teeth are hurting like Mom. Thanks ladies, thanks.

Also, I'm loving the sound of my own voice. Thanks Jason, thanks.

Best Friends Forever

The Picture Says it All

Leah looking Fuiiiiine in her new apron

Cal got a new apron, too. I know it's dorky. $2 at Old Navy.

We made cookies with Sammy and Jess.

I'm crafty!

I made this cool bulletin board from a regular ol' cork board. Yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself.