the eternal student

Gid's 3rd Bday Pictures online

Check out Gideon's third birthday party on
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theeternalstudent/

Don't miss out on the wheel riding, hummer crushing, mosquito larvae, bunny making madness!

Another one down

Recent pictures of the cousins at the Green estate in Chickamuaga. Check out Isaac in his cuteness at the end.

Gideon, Isaac, and Phineas.

I had to move my PhD defense date from May 25th to... late July maybe? I feel good about it though, this gives me more time to really write the papers I want to and put my disseration together. Earlier this month i felt like the journal papers were something I had to do to appease my advisor. After writing two of them now, I 'm beginning to feel somewhat of a voice in me that wants to write more. I guess this is what is supposed to happen.

I don't know what you think about immigration issue, but it certainly seems to be developing into another civil rights movement. Me, I'm not sure how to handle the 'illegal status' stuff legally, but I know that spiritually it doesn't make sense to not help those in need and who are here. I think it would be a step in the wrong direction to make it a crime to help illegals. I bring this up because while we were in Boise we were held up in traffic for a bit by a pretty good sized Latino and Hispanic crowd showing their patriotism. It's funny because Lynn was so worried about the diversity in Boise and all of a sudden pops up thousands of Hispanics and Latinos. Apparrently Boise has a decent sized refugee population.

If you come visit us in Boise you can ring our neato doorbell.

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Welcome Amy Beigel to the blogging community.

We've got a contract on our Farmhouse!

Four generations of the Cole Family:
(top row) Joseph Bown, Mrs. William King (Orrie Cole's daughter), Orrie Cole (bottom) Mrs. Bown, Bertha King, Ella Bown Cole. Picture and text from http://www.boiseschools.org/schools/cole/history.html

Things continue to fall quickly into place. We put in an offer on Saturday but did not hear back until Monday morning as the seller is Mormon. He counteroffered very reasonably and we accepted. Monday morning we met with a lender and easily qualified for the loan. We decided to do an 80/20 loan since we have not sold our house in Atlanta yet. The 80/20 means $225k is at an interest rate of 6.625% and then $55k is at an interest rate of 8.5%. It was about $200 a month cheaper than a 30year fixed because we don't have to pay mortgage insurance. Once we sell our house in Atlanta we pay off the 20% loan and everything is good to go. Anybody have good/bad experiences with an 80/20 loan? We are going to try to rent our house for a year to MissionYear and then try to sell it again next year.

Check out the house complete with pictures and lots history. Apparently there are four types of grape vines on the lot. And who wouldn't want a skeleton key for their house?

Below is an excerpt from the owner of the house on some of its history.

"AS YOU NOTICED ABOVE I AM THE OWNER AGENT OF THIS HOME. OUR FAMILY LIVED IN AND LOVED IT FOR 16 1/2 YEARS. EVERYONE COMING TO VISIT TOLD US THEY FELT LIKE THEY HAD COME HOME. THE HOME IS REGAL, CHARMING, AND ONE OF A KIND. AS WE LIVED IN THE HOME WE LEARNED MORE AND MORE ABOUT ITS HISTORY. ORRIC AND ELLA BOWN COLE BUILT THE HOUSE IN 1895. THEY LIVED THERE WITH THEIR TWO CHILDREN, ORRIC SETH AND LADY. ORIGINALLY IT FACED NORTH AND SAT JUST ABOVE WHERE THE HARRISON (PLAZA SUITE) HOTEL IS LOCATED ON COLE ROAD. MY WIFE WHO GREW UP IN BOISE REMEMBERS SEEING THE HOUSE AS A CHILD. THE HOUSE WAS MOVED TO ITS CURRENT LOCATION IN THE EARLY 1980s. ORRIC AND ELLA OWNED ALL OF THE LAND FOR MILES AROUND. COLE ROAD AND COLE SCHOOL WERE NAMED AFTER THEM. THE FAMILY DONATED THE LAND FOR THE SCHOOL ON THE CONDITION THAT IT REMAINS A PUBLIC SCHOOL. WE LATER LEARNED THAT ELLA WAS THE OLDEST DAUGHTER OF JOSEPH AND TEMPERANCE BOWN WHO OWNED THE HISTORIC SANDSTONE "BOWN HOUSE" THAT NOW SITS ON THE RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GROUNDS AND IS OPEN TO SCHOOL AND TOUR GROUPS. WE KNOW THAT WHEN JOSEPH AND TEMPERANCE SOLD THAT HOUSE THEY MOVED NEAR ORRIC AND ELLA BUT DON'T KNOW FOR SURE WHERE. WE HAVE A THREE RING BINDER THAT WE HAVE COMPILED THAT HAS INTERESTING HISTORIES OF THE COLE FAMILY INCLUDING PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE COLE AND BOWN FAMILIES, OBITUARIES, COPIES OF PAGES FROM THE BOOK "HISTORY OF IDAHO" AND COPIES OF PAGES FROM THE IDAHO STATESMAN, A HISTORY OF COLE SCHOOL AND MUCH MORE. THIS BOOK ALONG WITH A SKELETON KEY THAT FITS SOME OF THE DOORS WILL GO WITH THE HOUSE AT THE TIME OF SALE. ANOTHER "FAMOUS" FAMILY THAT LIVED IN THE HOME FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS IS THE ZAMZOW FAMILY. GRANDMA ZAMZOW IS SAID TO HAVE JOGGED DAILY FROM THE HOUSE, DOWN LIBERTY STREET (BEFORE THE FREEWAY) AND OVER TO THEIR STORE ON FAIRVIEW (MAYBE THAT IS WHY SHE LIVED TO BE 102 YEARS OLD!). MY WIFE HAS TALKED TO THE ZAMZOW FAMILY HISTORIAN AND HE TOLD HER THAT THIS HOME WAS GRANDMA ZAMZOWS FAVORITE. THE HOME IS ON A CULDESAC AND WOULD BE A GREAT GATHERING PLACE TO MAKE MEMORIES FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY (LIKE OUR PICTURES OF THE KIDS LINED UP ON THE STAIRWAY CHRISTMAS MORNING WAITING TO SEE WHAT SANTA HAD BROUGHT THEM). OUTSIDE THERE ARE LOTS OF PERENIAL FLOWER BEDS TO BRIGHTEN THE YARD, AND FOUR VARIETIES OF GRAPES IE., CONCORD, THOMPSON SEEDLESS, PINK SEEDLESS EATING GRAPE, AND A PINK CHAMPAGNE GRAPE THAT WE USED FOR MAKING JELLY. THE PRIVATE BACKYARD IS PERFECT FOR YOUR GATHERING WITH FAMILY OR FRIENDS. THE OLD WORLD WARMTH AND CHARM OF THE HOME HAS BEEN PRESERVED AS THE COMPLETE INTERIOR REFURBISH WAS COMPLETED. IT IS FRESH, CLEAN, AND NEW. WITH ALMOST 2,400 SQ. FT. THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR A LARGE FAMILY, OR FOR SOMEONE WHO WILL APPRECIATE THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND HOME. AS YOU CAN TELL, WE LOVED LIVING IN THIS HOME AND THINK YOU WILL TOO!" VISIT www.pickettauctions.com For Buyers Registration and information.

Our transplanted farmhouse in Boise.

Lynn has been oohing over this house ever since she saw it on the MLS. We finally got to look at it today. Read the MLS description, watch the movie, and then go to the pictures on Flickr.

Wonderful Auction Opportunity, April 25, 12:00 pm. Live a part of Boise's History, this is the original Cole home (Cole elementary, Cole Rd.) Beautiful turn of the century Victorian farm house with all of the beautiful adorments of yester-year. Just like all of the homes of this period, craftsmanship and quality are throughout the home including leaded glass, wonderful Oak and Sugar pine staircase, Crown moldings, Abundance of wood trims, solid wood doors and tons of Style and Grace.

The house all the necessary quirks of a Perkins house. Watch the video to get the feel of it because the pictures don't do it justice.

Right now it is going to be auctioned off, but the seller is willing to take offers before that. I'm not sure how we will finance it yet seeing as our house hasn't sold yet. We'll work it out.

I know I'm ready now

I HAVE A PhD DEFENSE DATE OF MAY 25th! A professor shared with some grad students last week that if you have to ask if you are ready to graduate, then you are not ready. Six months ago I didn't know how/when/if I would graduate. Now I know I'm ready. I can feel it, sense it growing, and gaining a life of its own. For some reason (I think I now who is responsible) the past two weeks have seen everything I've been trying to do the past 5 years or so (who's really counting at this point) come together. It's been a rush. I've slept 5 hours in two days and I still want to keep going. Little annoying problems that have hindered me the past two years are disappearing. Alot of it is the fact that I have a new sense of confident in what I'm doing now. Something clicked, and I can't exactly describe what. Alot of PhD students leave in a rush and bitter or dissappointed with how their whole PhD experience ended up. I am in a huge rush and have a bazillion things going on...but I feel really really good right now. Part of it is due to Lynn, my folks, Shannell, and Budgie and Julie who have helped Lynn wiht the boys the past three weeks. I've been able to put family duties aside for a while and immerse myself in my PhD.

I know what my story (dissertation) is now and I can feel it wanting to write itself. Alot of the pieces I've been trying to force into place have suddenly fit.

In two hours we head to Boise for our 5day fully paid house hunting trip. Hotel, Car, food, miscellaneous is all covered for us thanks to Micron. Gideon and Isaac are with Lynn's mom. I think Lynn is ready to see me for a little bit, and she should be able to see me plenty writing my disseration and journal papers madly in our hotel room. I have about a month to write my dissertation. Fortunalety alot if it is written in bit and pieces of conference papers I've had.

In intense times like this I like to buy a new CD and play it obsessively to keep driving me. I bought two CDs for this go around; Johhny Cash American IV: THe Man Comes Around. A must own album, even if you have not been into Cash before. Here's a man who knows his end is near and has a few things to relflect upon. The second album is The White Stripes' De Stijl. Jack White wrote a few of the Cold Mountain soundtrack songs and recently produced Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose. I've had passing interest in him for a while and finally picked up this CD. I don't know how to describe it expect that you need an appreciation for the older blues of Son House and such, otherwise it wil lsound like noise to you. De Stijl is the only White Stripes album I can fully recommend. Jack and Meg's raw, garage, punk/blues sound hits a really good vein in me right now. Go figure.

And, here are some recent pictures of the boys. We checked out the Georgia Aquarium with my parents and found it to be okay. I think the layout of the Chattanooga Aquarium is much better because it's serence and peaceful the whole time. The Georgia Aquarium is a bit broken up, although they do have some impressive displays.

Oh, and go check out The Bodies Exhibition while you can. You will not be disappointed.