Back to work

So its really cold at my house.  57 this morning in the hall.  Not fun really.  After a fire it came up to 70 at one point today.

I walked at 7 and breakfast at 8:30 after a hot and pleasant shower.  Then to work for the day, only local jaunts out to shoot photos and then back to work in the office.

I'm so thank you tonight that I have a full board of work to get done, amazing for this time of year, God has been very good to me and I appreciate it very much.

Tomorrow morning I'm at the first house at 8 am, then to Oakland to see a couple dumps, then back to Mountain House for a noon appointment, then to Livermore to shoot comps photos for ranch property.  Then back to the office to get a couple out the door.

Life is good but very lonely after spending nice time with the kids, its hard to go back to being alone all the time.  Just something I have to life with, alone.

Love to all and special thanks to the family and Pam who I talk to every day and Art who I got to talk to a lot over the weekend.  Nothing as precious as family and friends.

Tim

A blessed day

Living alone is not something I enjoy at all!  While I am not one of those guys who is so anxious that he gets married in 3 weeks after his loss, not that I pass any judgment on any one and how they chose to live their life!  Its been 7 years and frankly being alone is getting very tiresome.

I believe that God has some very good answers for all of lifes challenges and I trust God to work his magic.

Art and I went to church this morning, the worship hour was special to me as I love my Tracy Church family, I've been attending there and was the pastor for 10 years.  I came to Tracy in 1976 and have been attached in one way or another ever since.

Today it was great to see friends and hear our new pastor give a very good sermon, I loved the music that Yvonne and Bernice made, just great music that cannot be excelled in my opinion.

Then Art and I went to Thai food, it was good also, then Art dropped me off and later in the afternoon I drove up to Elk Grove where I needed to replace 4 photos.  Once I was through and it was dark Nikki called to say they were on their way home from Tahoe, Kallie had never played in the snow before so they took the day, had a super time playing and sliding and were set to eat the Old Spaghetti Factory in 30 minutes.  That was how far I was away so I turned around, joined them and we had a wonderful time as the family told me about their snow day.

Now I'm home and thankful for my friend Art, my many Tracy friends, the good sermon and my family, Jason and family are visiting the Leonies in Napa tonight, former next door neighbors at MBA, former principal of the school where Jo teaches now, long time family friends.  So my family is happy and safe, life is good, God is great to us always.

Love to all,

tim

Jason and family stayed here last night, it was great

Dear Family and Friends,
It was so much enjoyment having time with my family over the last few hours.  On the day before Christmas Jason and Jo came by for a few minutes as they traveled to Stockton to have Christmas there with Jo's family and cousins.  They had a wonderful time and come back to Discovery Bay and Nikki and Steve's for Christmas breakfast and the tree.  The kids had a wonderful time and Nikki and Steve made a great breakfast.  Steve grows fruit on his property and his oranges are excellent, He makes a mean fruit salad and that is part of Christmas breakfast.  Nikki makes Swedish pancakes that are so good with powdered sugar and butter. 

Then there is the tree with its many enjoyable presents and the fun of watching Keanna open her new Iphone or Kallie and Timothy opening their Kindle Fire tablets, fun stuff.  Mia opened many wonderful presents to.  The adults also got nice things and a great deal of fun was had as we enjoyed our family Christmas.

I went to Tracy with Jason and Jo to visit the Ahns where little Lillie was home from Japan with Kevin and his wife.  We enjoyed our visit very much.

Then it was back to Steve and Nikki's for Christmas dinner.  That was fun too and with Steve's adopted family from Tracy the house was full of relatives and fun.  Steve has baked a turkey and it turned out great.

Jason and Jo with kiddos came home to my house last night, we built fires and got the temperature up to 74 at one point but it was a cold windy night.  We all made it through the night well and this morning we had breakfast at Big Al's a local eatery that is usually good, it was today.  Nikki came and joined us for breakfast before Jason and Jo left for the SanFranciso Zoo where they met friends. 
I can back to a very lonely house and a depressing life once again.  I'm still hopeful that God will make good things happen, I'm always praying about it and I know a loving God cares about each of us.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Jason in surgery

This day took me a different direction.  I had just completed seeing a home with 7 acres and which sat on a hilltop near Livermore this morning when Jo's text hit me.  She said they were on the way to the Stanford Hospital for Jason to have the big surgery on his sinus's and a lot more.  She said Jason was sad.

Well you parents know what that does to your heart.  Our family has had too many sad events, we pull together.  So I changed my day from work to family.  I drove over and reached him in a bed to preop where I got to talk to him for about an hour.  I observed as they tried without success to insert an iv, three sticks and bleeding hands!  They had to do it in the surgical room I guess.  He signed away his rights including the right to live and then he was gone, off to the surgery wing.

So Jo and the kids plus Papa had several hours to wait so we ventured out, found food, did individual searches for nice places and eventually ended up in a courtyard listening to a guy beat drums and sipping a drink, Timothy was reading a big book, one of a series he is reading, Mia was just plain cute reading an American Girl magazine.  We went back when they called but it took forever before he was finally released.  I was able to stay with the kids when Jo went in and was with him as he recovered.

Finally they brought a very beaten up Jason to the car and they loaded up and drove away.  Then I headed home to arrive about 9:45.  What a day of challenge and stress.  Jason needed this surgery very badly, his polops have been terrible for years. This is supposed to give him a great deal of relief eventually but the surgery is a rough one and it takes some days to recover from.  Jo will be doing the driving for awhile.

I thank the good Lord that I was able to go and be there for moral support today.  This is a good man who was having a challenging day and God was very good to us all.

Love to you at this Christmas time,

Tim

Blessed day

What a great day! 
This morning after communicating with Jason and Jo I headed to the city, it took awhile to fight traffic and find parking at Union Square but early afternoon found us seated at a table in the Cheesecake Factory on the top floor of Union Square, Macy's building.  the food was terrific, the service OK and a good meal was had by all.  Then it was to the Grace Cathedral for the Christmas Brass and Boys choir concert.  Like usual it was very good.  The kids were so good and played quietly during the beautiful numbers. The place is remarkable and Jason and Jo ended up seeing several people they know.
Then we walked a couple blocks to the Fairmont Hotel where there was a huge Christmas tree all aglow and a two story Gingerbread House.  There Jason and Jo found his professor from Keene University, Bob Mendenhall and wife along with close friends,  The close friends knew me and so it was a fun time of catching up.  Then I finally took my leave and drove home,  but upon arriving home I went next door to Ken and LeAnns to see the boat parade on the lake and eat many different deserts, so good.

Now I'm home ready to head to bed.  A good day.

Much love

Tim

Good solid day

Up and a walk to the park, then breakfast and a shower, then to a 10 am local appointment, paid on the spot, then back to the office to totally reenter an appraisal that had become corrupted somehow.  Got it done and send in time to leave for lunch with Roger and Carol Peden, great experience, wonderful people, good food.

Then quickly back to the office and pick up a file for Castro Valley.  There I inspected an Eichler home.  Some of you will know that for years Eichler homes were constructed in many California communities.  They had a design all their own, radiant heat with pipes in the slab floors and a small furnace in the garage to heat the water.  Most are still using original equipment after all these years.  The home I saw today was perfect, tastefully updated and yet the character of the Eichler home was maintained.  They sell for just under a million dollars thought they were first designed to be easy to buy and inexpensive.  Now they have such a following that the prices have risen rapidly.

Once I was through with the inspection I hit the road for Milpitas where Timothy was involved in his Christmas Program.  It was excellent and he did his part perfectly, of course. 

Then it was the drive home and I found Frys and got some Christmas shopping started. 

Now I'm home and going to bed.  First appointment is at 8:30 in the morning in nearby Oakley, then its off to Patterson to see a sale.  God is good with work even at this time of year when things are often very slow.

Love to all

Tim

Heath not so good

Bedtime now, 11:25 pm.  Long day but good one too.  The rain has been unbelievable tonight but of course I was warm and in my just listening to it.

Today I saw one in the middle of the day, sad, the woman just lost a husband of 39 years to a sudden heart attack a month ago, still reeling from the whole experience.  But I could relate and I think that helps a little bit.

I'm really suffering from a nasty tooth tonight, not sure what to do.  My dentist is a couple hours away below Gilroy in Hollister and I'm too tight on work to go there so I just hurt.

Had a visit with a Urologist, got Flomax and now prostate is behaving much better, I like Kaiser a lot.

Sending love to all

Tim

Ill

Last night when I finally went to bed, having finished a challenging appraisal it was early in the morning.  When I walked out of the office into the cold hallway I started to shake and shiver.  I could hardly get into bed due to the extreme shaking and it took some minutes before I warmed up enough to calm down.  Somewhere I had picked up a fever and I've continued to battle it today.

I'm just back for an enjoyable evening with Steve and Nikki celebrating Steve's birthday.  We went to melos and the food was perfect, the service timely and all in all it was a nice evening.  The girls were on their best behavior and it was just fun.  I wish I could have felt better but it was OK and I enjoyed being with them very much.

Now I'm home and inst4ead of working tonight I'm heading to bed.

Sending love to all

Tim

Late night

Hi Campers

Well its late, 12:36 to be exact but I just finished one I've been dreading, a duet in Clayton that was old, in bad shape and sold way low, tough to deal with but with 7 comps I hope it flies.  I thank God for insight in how to deal with this one.

Today I worked locally this morning and spent the afternoon helping a friend move from one apartment to a townhome in Hayward.  She and her son really needed some help and Steve let me use the Pilot so I could move some items for them, then went to dinner and it was an interesting experience.

Love to all,

God is good all the time,

Tim

Beautiful day

wow, first there is rain, then there is sunshine, part of the day was 70 degrees and then tonight its cool again.

Thought I was taking Keanna but she called this morning not feeling that great so that plan fell through so I just slept in my chair catching up for some very late nights of work.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with someone I used to see once in awhile, helping her with a move, should be fun and I get to meet her 17 year son.

I'm so thankful, I was paid some money on Friday by a client who pays twice a month, felt good to see some money coming my way again.

I guess my  post last night only ended up with a photo of Keanna.  Sorry, not sure how to make this new blog site work that well.

Love to all

Tim

Friday again

This week we got rain and it was very good, wet and nasty but with seat heaters, wool shirts and quick measuring it was all good.

I've included a photo of Keanna I took tonight, she had been to a dance with her friends and came back looking so cute.

Another day

Hi everyone

Well I survived another day, managed to avoid measuring in the rain. 

Today I inspected a nice little place in the Lakes, a newer subdivision of Discovery Bay, cute couple and nice place but no back yard so I was a foot taller with mud on my feet when I finished the back part of the measuring.

Then the next one was a mess.  Located in Clayton but very near the border with Concord this place is called a duet, meaning there is a common wall but each side is owned by different people, it was a mess and sold about $100K under value so of course the comps were terrible.  I ended up shooting 10 different comps and I'll try to figure it out when I get to the writing up part, not fun at all.

Then it was back home to see if money had arrived in the mail, no mail to my house today at all, bummer as the bank really needs it, then back to Danville to see a place at the exclusive country club near Crow Canyon, hardest gate to get through if you don't have a good reason to be there.  Well I did so it was easy, nice updated little place worth a ton of money for sure, backs right the golf course so that part is nice.  Amazing what homes cost in this area.

Now back home and working but soon bed is calling me.  Very tired and nights tend to be short as I wake with huge concerns about money. 

God is good and when I got home tonight there were 5 new orders waiting, which I've just set up in files but I tend to stay busy these days.  Tomorrow I'm in for the morning and then out to see a Vallejo property and then Richmond later just before dark.

Please pray for me that I'll have guidance I need so I can be the loving person I aspire to be and yet have good judgment as well.

Love to all,

Tim

 

God blesses

Sunday wrapup

Good evening,

Its been a wet one today here.  I managed to walk early this morning long before the rains started.  Then while I showered the rain started outside.  I have this wonderful radiant heater that George and Yvonne brought us years ago when our furnace was not working.  I use it every morning for that brief time when I'm out of the shower and the air seems very cold.  What a difference that makes.

This morning I build a fire and have kept the house warm all day with a few pieces of scrap wood.  Its been great.  I've worked in the office most of the day cranking out appraisals and have done pretty well.  I'm also fully researched for the ones I'm seeing during the week ahead.

So work is good, now if clients would just send money that would be very nice indeed.  Its always a struggle to be in balance financially.

So tomorrow I see three properties and will do a bit of driving, I really would rather not measure in the rain but I'll just do what I need to do to get my work done.

So I send love to all tonight,

Tim

Nice day

What fun
This morning I did the 3 mile walk around the lake with Pooka, then breakfast of oatmeal and banana, then picked up the girls for SS.  They enjoyed themselves very much and then we came back home.

I managed to be invited to join Jason, Jo, Timothy and Mia along with Julie, Jo's mom at lunch at a Korean place in Cupertino.  It was my first time but I enjoyed the food very much.  A lot of variety and the kids ate so well.  Then I followed back to visit at their home for awhile and then headed to a home in Cupertino where I needed a few more interior photos.  Then I headed home and between family and friends managed to talk nearly the whole way home.

Home to a very lonely house, cold since there is no heater that works and just miserable, so tired of being alone all the time.  Not my favorite part of life to be sure.

Tomorrow I'm work long hours trying to get caught up before the new week hits hard.

Sending love to all.

Tim

So ends another week

Dear friends and family,
Finally home for the evening after a late afternoon appraisal in the Oakland hills.  Nice lady and great house with a view of the bay and all of Oakland below.  Traffic going in was a mess, all over a couple cars crashing, why a care crash that is off the main lanes causes a total slow up I will never know but people are very strange behind the wheel.

The week has been challenging and I'm very thankful for the many blessings God has bestowed on this little household.

Tomorrow morning I've been told by her majesty Nikki that I can take the little princesses to Sabbath School so at 9 I'm be there to pick them up, that is a nice blessing for sure.

Thanksgiving was so fun, spending time with a very special family in Tracy and then on to meeting a new family in Stockton where Jason and Jo were visiting.  Very nice.

I enjoy talking to my brother every day and he mentioned having a turkey sandwich today for lunch.  I think many people did the same today between shopping trips etc.

Thank you for your prayers, my life remains challenging with a couple health issues and trying to get the work written up and out the door.

Love to all,

Tim

Thanksgiving

What a blessed day.

Worked this morning, walked to the park

3;30 caught up with Nikki and Steve in Tracy where Jill was hosting a very nice Thanksgiving celebration.

Then Kallie went with me to Stockton where we caught up with Jason and Jo and kiddos at a great Thanksgiving Celebration at a large home, relatives of Jo.  Her mom Julie was there so it was a great evening.

Now home and heading to bed.  God is good and is helping me through challenging times.

Love to all

Much to be Thankful for Kallie reminded me tonight.


Tim

Rough day

Good evening family and friends.

Some days one just needs to ask for the prayers of his family and friends, this is such a day.  I'm working with so many orders to keep in order and I'm not always up to the task it seems.

I'm thankful for health, for a home, for a wonderful family filled with real individuals and unique personalities and for a host of very good solid friends.

I do ask for your prayers that God will continue to be close to me, guiding me every day in all that I do.

Thank you for your friendship

Love

Tim

mellow day

Lunch with Bob and his son Ron today at the Olive Garden in Stockton, a great experience.

Christmas parade with Kallie this evening in Brentwood, what a treat.

New kitties at Steve and Nikki's house today, one happy household while they get acquainted with their new friends.

So much work its hard to see how I'll ever catch up, blessing I guess.

Love to all,

tim

nice warm fire

3 mile walk in the rain this morning but I survived it fine.

The week grinds to a halt but now we rest

Dear Family and Friends,
A very busy week with many blessings and high points to remember.  I've seen some nice places and some dumps too but all deserve an appraisal.  There are so many decent people out there in the world, life is good and its a pleasure to meet them.

I'm thankful for another week of safety as I drive and have appreciated the excellent help of Jessy and Steve this week.  Together we have gotten lots of work out.

Sending love to all tonight

Tim

big day

up at 6,  walk to the park at 7, prepare for the day, leave for Brentwood at 8:45, see house, leave Brentwood for Concord at 10, see house at 11 in Concord, leave Concord at 12:30 and see house in Petaluma at 2.  Drive home through horrible traffic and eat at Olive Garden at 6:30.  Traffic better and home at 7:30.  Work the evening and now to bed.

God has granted a safe day, couple hundred miles, helpers doing write-ups tonight, busy as can be again and so thankful for work.

Love to all

Tim

8:50 Kallie gets perfect attendance award tomorrow at her school, Papa will be there for the award!

What a long day

Blessed with work, so thankful, have bills to pay but the days are certainly long, When people ask if I'm retired I just smile a lot.

Not quite.  Today I went to San Jose and say a house that a church had purchased, then updated and now has sold.  It was perfect, everything new and nice.  Then I drove to Tracy to see a very nice tract home and a very kind Asian man, then to Costco for Mocha and home to work until now, just about midnight.  Life is so good but I hardly ever sleep any more, since dumping the weight I can get by on a lot less sleep, thankful for that.

many new orders today which bodes well for the next week to come.

Love to all

tim

At last Friday night

Dear Friends and Family,
so glad we have all made it through another week.  not sure about you but my week has been crammed full of long days, short nights, seen so many properties that they tend to run together and blur a bit.  in one afternoon I might see a 900 sf condo worth $385 and a 4000 sf custom home with high end construction and sitting on an acre, worth nearly 2 million.  yes it is enjoyable to see what people come up with in their homes and most people who worry that they home won't be clean enough don't need to worry, their places are fine and the people who never even mention that their home is a mess really should take a harder look around, my favorite is the dogs that don't bite, well its true they don't usually bite but sometimes you got to wonder how they know for sure that the dogs won't take a chomp out of the appraiser.

driving in bay area traffic is always interesting and every night when I drive into the garage I thank a loving God for another safe day, yes I try to be safe and I don't drive too fast, I do tend to watch what is going on around me and I try to think for the person who is driving too close, too fast or weaving back and forth. still traffic is a huge waste of time but sometimes a good book or XM radio gets you through the boredom of sitting on the freeway hardly moving.

I'm really busy still cranking out orders.  today I climbed out of bed into a cold room at 5:30 and showered, no walk today, yesterday it was the treadmill for 30 minutes, I came down to a cup of decaf with creamer and a spenda in a cup with a lid so it won't grow cold too fast.  then to work on writing, by noon two were completed and out and I was in brentwood seeing a property, then to lathrop to see a big one for a relo company, man is being moved to Oregon for pepsi company.  then to Livermore to shoot comp photos and to by diesel for $3.55 a gallon, filled for $41 instead of $52, that felt good.  then home to find no money in the mail but pets that welcomed me with open arms, someday perhaps there will be a nice woman to welcome me home with real open arms and a porch light turned on, we will see about that!   

Sending love to all

Tim
tomorrow Keanna does a 5 K right here around my lake so I guess I'll be urging her on as she does this for some charity.

Dr. George has wonderful birthday party

Talk about fun!  Today Yvonne threw George a surprise birthday party in Tracy at a Thai café.  It was such fun.  Yvonne did a super job of planning everything and actually got it through as a surprise for George.  A real nice group of family and friends gathered to celebrate this milestone in their lives.

There are some people in the world that just make you glad you are alive and you know your life is enriched because they are here.  George and Yvonne are that kind of people.  They have made things a little better for so many dozens of people and they really hold the Tracy SDA church together in a special way.  George has done so much for the school over the years and as a result hundreds of lives have been enriched and blessed through its ministry.

So it was just very enjoyable to be a part of this delightful day and celebrate as George blew out 80 candles on his huge and delicious cake. 

I decided to go to bed at a decent hour last night and as a result I woke this morning at 5 am and jumped up, had two appraisals written this morning, both were sorely needed so it felt good to get them completed and out.  Then this afternoon after coming home I have written another one. Tomorrow I have a series of appraisals to conduct on high dollar homes in San Ramon, Danville, Alamo and then back to San Ramon again.  It will be a fun but challenging day for sure.

I am so very thankful to a loving God for the work He has entrusted to me.  I feel blessed and I want to make sure I give him the glory for what He is doing.

Thank you Dr. George for the life you have lived and the lives you have touched!

Love to all

Tim

This was some week

To go from September with the 4 or 5 orders per week and nearly no money coming in to this week with over 20 orders, perhaps 25 and finally yesterday and today money pouring in, what a emotional rollercoaster.  But I'm very glad to be finishing this week with bills being paid and accounts solidly in the black again.

I'm very deep right now in work that needs to be completed, thankful for the work but really hate to be behind at the same time.  Orders are flooding in, sometimes 5 or 6 a day and its a challenge just to keep up with the setting up of the orders and getting them scheduled. 

The challenge is this, it takes from 1 to 4 hours to write up a report once it is started and providing there are no big time wasters on the phone so one can keep focused.  It takes research time, driving time, inspecting time and then return time for each field inspection.  keeping it all in balance is a challenge and of course getting people to take my calls, return my calls agree to see me at a time that makes sense, all of that is a challenge and of course now the lenders want the finished reports back in 4 days from when they send the order and for this the fees they offer are about 1/3 less than they paid 5 years ago.  No I would not urge anyone to join this profession but I'm so thankful that Vogels taught it to me years ago.

So on this Friday night I'm very thankful for God's blessings and His active involvement in my life.  He is doing some really terrific things that I'm very pleased with.

So tonight I'm sending you all a Sabbath Blessing,

Love to all

Tim

Long day, safe and sound

Hi
Started early and included setting up many orders, then research and finally a trip to Oakland, then the San Anselmo over in Marin county and then Lodi.  Finally a quick meal at the Old Spaghetti Factory and home at last.
Finally checks arrived both direct deposit and in the mail so I can go to bed with some relief on that front.  I don't do well when there is not enough funds to cover basic bills and now that problem is removed.

I am so thankful to God for work and payments too.

I'm thankful for safety when I'm on the road, for great homeowners who I enjoy meeting, for help from Jessy who does a super job of helping with write-ups.

I pretty much just work and sleep with very quick meals, I take peanut butter crackers in my little lunch box along with a mocha, an egg and an apple, That helps a lot as I'm traveling.

So far the weight is holding pretty well at 180 pounds, soon it will be time to take it down to 170 and then be stable there for awhile.

Sending love to all


Tim

A day of disciple and productivity

Some days are just meant to work out.

Jumped up this morning, walked the dog for three miles, downed my oatmeal with a banana, made some decaf and settled in to work.  the office is heated by the computers if the door is kept shut so I did.

I just settle down to work and the work flew out the computer door, some was very hard, Dublin relocation one for 1.3 million, high value Discovery Bay golf course one.  The nicest thing was Jessy came to help today.  She had to use the little laptop since the computer that is 10 years old has finally developed a terminal problem and Jim can't make it work no matter what magic he tries.  So I hooked up the little laptop with the big monitor and the keyboard and Jessy made it work perfectly from about 2 pm on.  She wrote up two reports and they are now at the lenders already, one is 3 days early if you can believe that.  Could someone be trying to get yet one more report on the pay sheet?  You bet.

Jessy really cranked out the work and fixed mac and cheese too for dinner.  It was a nice change from my lonely world and we even listened to her country music, the place rocked!

Now I'm heading to bed.  In the morning I'd like to ask for your prayers.  I have to give professional testimony in a divorce case where the husband is in the wrong I think.  But my testimony will just be about the work I did and why I did what I did.  Still I dislike being in court very much and I'll be so glad when I have my cash and am out the door.  so pray for me about 10 am please.

Good night one and all,

Life is good and God is great. 

Love


Tim

What a week

Well if future funds depend on past efforts then I'm about to experience a bunch of checks, I've had 5 days without checks this week and its been awful to live through.  For my little company survive the daily expenses for data, fuel, internet etc I need daily small amount of cash to drift in, this week it has not drifted in at all.  So I'm hoping tomorrow will turn things around.

However the orders have come in, my working board is totally full of orders, many of which need to be written up and others are waiting to be seen.  I am deeply grateful to a loving God who has allowed me to have this kind of volume of work. Now to be responsible and get it seen and written up.  Jessy, my faithful helper has agreed to come on Sunday to help and even though she will have to use the little laptop to do her work she will be an extreme help in the whole process.

So I drift off to bed tonight with a grateful heart knowing God is good, and all the time.

Love to all

Tim

A fun moment today was to catch up with Kallie as she went in the parade from her school to the little shopping center along with all the other children, all in costume and to collect candy from many businesses.  Fun stuff indeed.

its great to have work

I'm afraid I don't get those people who dislike work, sure its fun to be lazy but after a few minutes it gets very old, seems we were created to be active and produce something.

So today I produced something, jumped up early, skipped the walk and found it cold in the house, no furnace will do that to a person.  After a very warm shower I came down and made a decaf in my little Kurig and found the office nice and warm, heated by the computers that run all the time.  I settled in a finished an appraisal that was bugging me last night, one from Stockton that was of a house located east of Highway 5 in area area with widely divergent quality of homes.  Mine was good but no good comps to prove it. Finally got it done and out the door.

Left at 9 am for Suisun City, one hour drive, great place, I mean really nice and challenging to measure.  Then to Dixon and an on time arrival another great place and nice seller.  Then back to the office to discover a couple checks had arrived, I was so thankful to a loving God, I did the mobile deposit thing from my phone and tonight they are very much in the account, thank you Lord.

Tomorrow morning it is back out into the fray, a Livermore property with a lock box, no bothering anyone, just pull up and open the door, do the appraisal with no one in the way.  Then to Mountain House to confirm that a house is completed, then back to the office to jam out as many reports as I can for the day.  I just love to have work, it pays the bills and I have plenty of them these days!

Sending love to all

Tim

Putting the week to rest

Dear family and friends,

Tonight the week finally comes to its close.  What a week it has been, with many appraisals under my belt, many new owners met and enjoyed, many miles driven with safety and the chance to come home each evening in one piece. I am thankful for so much tonight and yet I always long for more, don't we all.

I am grateful that the pace of work has picked up, that new orders are coming in and that I'm healthy enough to do the work and keep up the pace.  God is indeed good to us every one.

So tomorrow I think I'll be with the kids doing what they are doing, not totally sure of that yet but it can't be bad if it is with the sweetest kiddos in the world.

So I'm sending love to all

God is good and all of the time, He is strangely silent sometime when I long to hear His advice and counsel but I know He loves and cares for me, for us all and I am grateful for His forgiveness for our foolishness, our sins and His guidance and protection always.

tim

Good day

As some people say any day you wake up alive is a good day.  I went to bed at 2 am and was up at around 6:30 this morning, dealt with some issues successfully and then had a very good day, inspected a local duet on the water, same tenant for 16 years and the place was perfect, now being sold so poor guy has to move after all these years.  Great people.  Then onto a nice place in Brentwood, huge house was over 3600 sf, guy worked at home and a sitter was caring for children, very pleasant family and super nice house, $76,000 in upgrades when they purchased a few months ago.

Today was good to me in the mail and I thank God for the blessing.  helped to clean up some bills that had been threatening.  Gradually things are turning around, I'm being more productive and there are more orders coming in, 3 today alone.  All good news.

Life is excellent right now, will explain more later.

Love to all family and friends,


Tim

Terrific day

Every minute of this day has been packed with meaning.  Many new orders are in, I've seen 4 properties this afternoon and only arrived home a few minutes ago.  yet I thrive on getting work done and so I'm pleased tonight.

I also possess a secret that will remain a secret for two more days but it gives me a great deal of pleasure to consider it.

God is so good in His blessings, this morning I woke to find that a major client had dumped a good amount into my account with direct deposit.  I earned it and have been working very hard to keep them happy lately and so the relationship is working out well.

Well I'm still trying to get something done tonight so I'd better do it.

Love to all

Tim

good day

nice time of year, a little sprinkle on the windshield, a good inspection of a little house, work being set up on my desk, many mochas later I'm heading to bed now.  had a great dinner with mixed veges, brown rice, a little thin butter and soy sauce, some little sausages mixed in and good eating for sure.

Tomorrow I'm in the field again.

Let me tell you a sad story, Tim pulls up at a house in Dixon, the loquacious owner comes out and chats me up, Tim starts measuring and forgets to take the front photos of the house.  Now tonight I'm writing the report, all done and ready but no front photos so back to Davis I go tomorrow, not fun but I'll go on my way to Richmond and get the two photos shot, even a veteran with 30,000 of these inspections under the belt can forget easily at times.  I just hate to vary my routine, it never fails that I'll forget something then, like if the homeowner says, can you do the inside first, bad idea since you need the outline of the house to put all the inside rooms in place.  Anyway it keeps me humble.  Some money came today, so thankful for that, always grateful for new orders, they came today as well.

Ray and Lois came home finally, so glad to have them back, good friends.  Get this, a circuit board failed in their relatively new clothes washer.  They just bought a new machine for less than the board replacement plus no one had the board to sell even.  So with discount they pay $300 for a washer and the board was over $400.  Figure that one out!

Life is good, God is great,

Love


Tim

working hard

I'm wrapping up now but I've been at this computer all day trying to get work out and fix things that have already gone out.

Life is not easy right now, money is tight and I've been happier but I know God is good.

Hoping for a good week for all of us.

Love


Tim

Beautiful day

Oh this time of the year is so nice weather wise.  My face is feeling the affects of sitting at a 1 hour soccer game today in the sunshine, I got a bit burned.  But it was enjoyable to see the little girls race around chasing the ball, Keanna's team got slammed by a superior team with a couple girls that are twice as tall as Keanna. But Keanna knows how to scrap and stay in the fray and kick and even has made a goal earlier in the year.

This evening I was in Tracy so found myself at the bar at Olive Garden where I enjoyed bowl of soup and some salad.  I was wedged between two couples and the wait for a table was an hour, no thanks.  The food was good and I got to listen to love in action, fun stuff.

Just had a nice conversation with Jerry, earlier to Art who leaves for a trip tomorrow. 

Tomorrow is a work in day to see how close I can get to being caught up with work.  I'm going to bed soon now and catch a full night of rest.

Sending love to all

Tim

Busy week

Dear Friends and family

What a busy week with orders coming in like old times.  This is a nice time of year with the summer heat abated and fall in the air.  During this week I popped a hose in the bug and had a stressful night getting home with the heater on full and the sunroof open to take out the heat. God was good and its only a minor repair, less than $200 and probably on Monday if time can be arranged.

This has been a slim week for accounts receivable so that part is not fun but God has been good in many ways and given me health again, great nights of slumber and raccoon free evenings. Well until tonight when Pooka barked, I ran to look and there were little raccoon eyes looking in at me through the slider.  The little critter did not leave until I ran at the door and then it bounded away.  Very bold and they love my dog food.

Well the Sabbath is here at last.  Its always nice to catch a change of pace.

Sending love to all,

Tim

A big day

Worked until 2 am this morning getting out an important report.  Up at 7 and started working again after a Starbucks run, got two reports out today and then left for the field to see two homes this afternoon, one 3600 SF and bank owned, so sad what people can do to a home.

Now heading to bed, very tired but happy.  Several new orders in today, a huge blessing and from companies that pay promptly!

Sending love to all,


Tim

Blessings and challenges

The challenge came when suddenly a red light came on in the green bug, engine was overheating and with an aluminum engine you don't have long to get it cooled down.  So I turned the heater on full blast, opened the sunroof so the heat could escape and found water, I slowly added the water to the overflow tank and soon the red light went out.  I limped over the Ray and Lois's home where I was meeting them and we went to dinner, then Ray gave me a gallon bucket of water and I headed home with the heater blazing.  About half way home at the top of a hill the red light came on again so with the engine running I poured water into the over flow tank again and the light went out.  It did not come on again.

I think I hit a curb just wrong to a driveway and cracked the radiator or cut open a hose and shortly later my problems began to take place.

The day went great, up at 6:30, around the lake, oatmeal with banana and then cranking out work, setting up appraisals and finally leaving to see three properties, one in Livermore, the next in San Ramon and finally in San Jose.  God was good to me today and traffic moved nicely.

Upon arriving home this evening some money came in the mail, I am so thankful, the bank needs the infusion.

Sending love to all

Very thankful for a safe trip home without further mishap.


Tim

Busy day

Busy day

I started with a 3 mile walk, then did research then hit the road for Vallejo, Fairfield and finally Stockton, all in all a good working day.  The little car ran fine, I'm listening to a good book, a gripping one about a police force in the 70s and the weather was not bad.  During the middle of the afternoon I remembered I had not eaten any lunch so I found a Starbucks drive through and while I was at the window asked if I could have a grilled cheese.  They had three left, well I only needed one and it was very good, a huge slab of whole wheat bread, three kinds of cheese and with an iced decaf over ice I was set.  The iced decaf lasted until I got home and until this evening when I had some brown rice and peas with corn and soy sauce I managed just fine.

Last night during the evening I heard Pooka bark once.  I went out and discovered that raccoons had come in, as I looked down at the family room there was one looking up at me and he could not get out, so I went down and opened the slider and thought he went out,  this morning the raccoons had opened the dog door, not an easy process and had made a huge mess, opened up a dog food sack of unused food, turned the water dish into mud and eaten a lot of food, the floor was a huge mess.  I was so upset just to have them in the house, they are dirty and getting more and more friendly, got to get one of them trapped and take him far away out in the field somewhere else.  Sick of them running around here.

So tonight the house gets buttoned up even tighter,  you can count on that.

Well I'm wishing everyone a good Columbus day tonight,

Love to all

Tim

Nice day - had Kallie and Keanna

Good evening

This morning Kallie and Keanna and I went to church.  The girls enjoyed their time with their leaders and I really appreciated the adult SS class I attended.

Then we drove to Olive Garden in Stockton where we met up with Bob, our dear friend and had a great lunch together.  Then we came back to my house and the girls relaxed with their computer games and walked the dog.

Later we took a little trip over to Toys R US in Antioch searching for just the right gift for a certain little girl who is turning 4 tomorrow.  Then I returned the girls to their loving parents who were enjoying watching the Giants win another game.  Upon arriving we learned that Kona, their 17 year old kittie had passed.  The girls were very sad over her death and spent some time thinking about all the fun times they had had with her over the years.

Then I came home and have spend the evening in the office.

I certainly need your prayers as I face the near future.  Oh how I need to know clearly the mind of God and His leading even over the next few days.  I do want to express my appreciation for the kindness of my friends and family, what a blessed life to have such great people around me.

Sending love to all,

tim

Friday night arrives

Good evening,
I'm on the way to bed now, been a busy productive day, nail in the tire, horrible traffic, wonderful little home with an 85 year old jazz singer who is doing clubs and festivals now but was only discovered 8 years ago.  They gave me his album and what a talent he is.  Its fun to meet people and see their very clever homes with lots of thought put into them.

This morning I wrote an appraisal, then wrote a second one and suddenly it was time to hit the road to drive to Richmond, that is never a fun drive but it was OK today, coming home was very slow and people seem to bunch up on the highways in the most unusual places, then suddenly everyone is going 70 once again.

Tomorrow is Twins Sale for Nikki, twice a year she enjoys helping out and selling hundreds of items there.  I'll have the girls for Sabbath School in Tracy and then we'll find lunch someplace, might meet up with Bob for lunch, that would be great.

On Sunday Mia turns the next year in her life.  Only yesterday she was born and now she is this very exciting little person that can charm you so easily with her smile and happy ways.

God is good and He continues to bless in my life.

Love to all

Tim

Good day

God is good, not just part of the time, not just on Sabbaths, no He is good all the time!

What a day, walked my 3 with Pooka, then showered and hit the desk to work, morning appointment cancelled out so just kept working.  Decided to take a run to Oakland to do a driveby that turned out to be a duplex.  Went and shot the photos, then back home to find a check, so I used my camera and deposited it to the account.

Then the rush orders started to come in.  One ended up being an appointment at 5:30 today back in Concord,  nice place, unusual people.  Then it was dinner time so the Old Spaghetti Factory came into focus.   Great meal

Now home and bedtime looms.

Love life

Love to all

tim

Good day

Good evening
So last night I slept well again, didn't wake till after 7 this morning, felt rested and jumped up for my walk, it was good in the cool morning breezes.  Then back to shower and have breakfast.
I settled in to write up reports today, I had hoped for 5 but I'm on #4 now and its bed time.  Still I'm pleased that I was able to crank out what was needed today and I'm pretty much on time for things.

I also enjoyed getting new orders today and having a nice direct deposit in the bank this morning, all in all it was a very good day.

This evening Lois and Ray invited me to bring a griller over and have BBQ with them, it was good and a nice break from the routine of the day.

God is blessing in so many ways and I thank Him for that.  I know He has my best interests at heart, its a good feeling.

Sending love to all tonight,

Tim

A very special Sabbath

It started with a nice walk this morning, I've managed to patch the holes where Pooka has been escaping, she was out almost every morning at the front door.  This morning she was home so I rewarded her by taking her on the walk.  She did great.

Came home and decided to knock a little dirt off the Civic, was in the middle of it when Nikki called to say I could take Kallie to SS if I wanted to, well of course I wanted to so I changed plans and we got to SS on time.  In fact Kallie was the first child there.

George and Yvonne invited me to join there class discussion and it was excellent today.  Great teacher, great and learning experience with everyone entering into the comments and ideas.  I found it to be a very good use of my time, thanks church for having the class.

Kallie had to go to Oakley, the other direction so we drove there to a place called Pump It UP.  Its a warehouse with jumpy devices that are powered by air pumps and kids climb them and slide down.  Talk about fun, there were about 16 kids there and they all had a super time, then it was pizza and cupcakes, then it was open presents time.  Well our little 6 year old boy got among things a 32 inch flat screen TV and a computer, wow!

So I  had some fun today with family and friends, at church and this evening with Ray and Lois at McDonalds.

Sending love to all,

Tim

A week to remember

Wow, here we are with Friday night at last.  For me this week has had some very low points and some incredibly moving ones.  And it ends with a positive tone.  God has blessed with orders, safe trips to see properties, money in the mail and very loving help from friends.  Without any details this has been a warm week from friends who have stepped in to help in amazing ways!  Outcomes would have been much different without generous help.  Oh God help me to remember to do the same in the future when I encounter others with needs that I can assist with.

One financial challenge that I've been facing for weeks is met tonight and I'm so thankful for that.  Its so hard to remember to be as thankful to God after His help as when begging Him for guidance and help.  Oh that we could begin to love like God does, we fall so short of His ability to love in appropriate ways, to know when and how to intervene.  We blunder through our days trying to do His work but He does it so perfectly and loves through it all.

I'm facing the reality of needing to sell my Civic.  Its a second car and I love it, great car and super on fuel, up to 39 mpg and runs like a top but I need to pay back my friends who have loaned me money over the last few months and this is a way I can do it.  There won't be enough money from the Civic, worth about $4500 but it will certainly help to repay their kindness to me.  This week God has helped me find the pink slip for the Civic, it has a new windshield so I'm getting there to a point of selling it.

Well its time to consider going to bed now.

Hope your weekend and your Sabbath gives you a chance to recharge your spiritual and emotional batteries.  If you have someone you love with you, let them know how you feel, to often we let chances to speak up slip by, one never knows when they will no longer have those chances.  I know from experience.

Love to all

Tim

Busy day

God is good, all the time

This morning I had an appointment with the sleep studies department in Martinez of Kaiser.  the lady was great and I ended up with a new mask, I love it, light weight and so soft, I have a new machine to try for a week and then return to them.  Took some time and $45 co pay but I'm good.

Money in the mail but so many places to put it right now, so many.

Thankful for a new order which came in the afternoon and I saw it this evening and am back home with the field work completed.  Great little condo.

Ellen and I are working things through right now for a meeting in Chicago using a ticket Dana supplied to me.  We are just praying about how to work everything out.

Please pray for us and if you feel so moved we need funds to pull the trip across the US off.

Do pray that God will guide please.

Love to all

tim

strange day

Can I remind you, God is good, has His own sense of timing, knows all and does not always reveal His secrets.

Woke this morning with severe coughing and have battled it off and on all day.  My Kaiser Dr. called me this morning to ask me to come in, I did and she listened to my lungs, they were clear but the coughing continues.  So she is trying a couple different things, thinks this is based on drainage from sinus and wants to attack it from that angle. My visit to Kaiser cost me $70 today, money I sure did not have as I got an amazing .11 in the mail today, that is right 11 cents is all.  That is a bummer for sure.

Tomorrow morning I'm back at a different Kaiser to see a sleep expert who will check out my breathing equipment, hope she can help thought I think I'm pretty good there in that department.  I've stood her up for two appointments so I think I'd better keep this one.  No work to do, at least no new orders so I'll just use the time for my health.

Ellen and I have had a chance to talk a couple times today and I've enjoyed learning what she is doing.  She managed to talk the front desk of her dumpy little hotel down from $75 a day to just $35 day, a good move which will save money for us.  We hope to very soon facilitate her coming this way.  We are tired of being apart. At the moment I'm waiting to hear from you but so far tonight her phone has not allowed her to make contact.  Her phone gets really bad at night, probably from sharing wifi with many other people nearby.

I ask you to pray a little longer that we can be together.  We have felt God's leading over and over again over the last 5 months and are just anxious that we can make this last step and be together.

Oh God please let it happen.

Love to all,

Tim

Good day, hard day, emotional day

Hi
This has been a tough day coughing wise for me, worse again, not fund.

Walked this morning, spend an enjoyable hour with Ellen.  She is facing severe challenges at her little hotel, needs her bill paid and soon and I'm not able to help right now, since bad people stole lots of our money it has created a severe hardship, bills need to be paid that were already paid in the past, very hard to find money all over again.  Our prayer is that the bad people be arrested and money restored from them but so far that has not happened.  so we really need your prayers big time right now as this is a critical week for our future and I do care for her very much.

I worked hard today writing up reports and God was good to me with checks in the mail , that helped a lot in covering bills that had to be paid today.

God is good to us but He must be so busy with so many people needing His help.

I'm about to sell the Civic, tomorrow it gets a new windshield.  So I'll be sticking close to home from 8 to 12, the hours a person might come to work on it.

Sending love tonight to friends and family,


Tim

Busy Sunday

Up and walking in spite of a really terrible cough, the meds don't seem to be cutting it very well, still coughing as I was when I started the meds last Monday.

Did an appraisal this morning, beautiful home with everything updated, what a kitchen, a backyard with outdoor kitchen, Tahoe blue pool, even a flat screen above the outdoor eating area, great people, they own a boat repair facility in Livermore, great to meet them for the future.

I worked in today and the girls came to visit for awhile, Kallie stayed the afternoon with me and is was great.

Now just finished talking to Ellen, it was late where she is, always good to catch up with what she is dealing with and I'm so proud of her accomplishments recently.

Hoping to be together this week!

Please pray that God will guide as He knows best.

Sending love to all,


Tim

Quite a week

God is good, all of the time, its more than a phrase, its the truth.

This week has brought great distress to me, to Ellen.  This week we discovered that some of the funds we paid through trusted channels were not used to pay actual bills but were stolen and misused.  That discovery really hit Ellen hard as these were people she trusted, they would hand receipts to her for paid accounts but the receipts were faked.  She discovered that she actually owed thousands of dollars when we had been told everything was up to date and paid.  It was a very hard hit and almost tore us apart.  Yet after she took in the hard hit she began to think about what she could do.  She knew I did not have more money to replace what had just been paid in good faith.  So she is working on selling some land that she owns in a tribal area in Ghana to raise funds.  This girl never gives up, I am so proud of her for her courage and positive attitude.

The week has been tough because all week no money came in the mails but today several checks finally came, one report that was paid for was 3 months old, why do they wait so long to pay?  Its sure hard to live with.  But I am so thankful that today funds did come in.

My health has been bad this week, constant coughing, lungs rattling, just not a great week in any way.  Was great to see my long time friend Roxanna this morning, she just popped in and we have a great talk like we always do.

So tomorrow morning is one of Keanna's last soccer games at 9 am.  Hope the weather holds for the game.

Sending love to all tonight and seeking your prayers for God's guidance and that He might recover some of the money stolen from us in such an awful way.

Love

Tim

Good day

This has been a good day, while I'm not feeling great, chest congestion and lots of coughing I'm still able to work and get things done.  Ellen and I have enjoyed conversation a couple times and I'm waiting right now for one more short session before we sleep.
We expect her to be able to fly in the morning, due to the kindness of our loving heavenly Father and a friend all the bills are being paid in the morning, hotel, rebooking fee and everything else which will clear her way to fly to SFO.  Please join us in praying for that flight.  It means everything to us to be together finally after such a long time apart.

New orders came in today and I was able to see one this evening in Pinole.  That one went very well, the lady got home just on time and I got there on time which was nice.  Now I've just driven home and I'm tired and worn out this evening.  I'll see a property nearby in the morning and then use the day to write up reports until its time to drive the airport to meet Ellen, I just pray that it will happen for us.

So grateful for generous help today, it means everything to us and Ellen is so thankful.  She has been telling me for the last day that she was praying for something big to happen and today it certainly did, her faith is stronger than mine and I'm learning a lot from this young lady from Ghana and her excellent training as a young girl in faith and trusting.  Her mom is a saint as she has to raise Ellen alone, her day died when she was just 5.

Please pray that God will be in full control tomorrow.

Sending love to all,

Tim

long day

woke up this morning coughing and feeling very rough

emailed my Kaiser new doc and she was on two week break but emailed back instantly a med to pick up at the pharmacy, started at 1 pm today, feeling better already tonight.

rough day with little money in the mail, needed a good mail day to settle things, did not happen, praying that God will bless with last push to get Ellen on a plane, out of her hotel and into my arms, she is very encouraging and prays without ceasing, keeps my spirits up by her messenger talks we have, she says she will "hit" me and then uses the messenger system to send a message.  At my end it lets out a loud signal and my heart jumps when I know it is her.

sure helps a long lonely day go by faster when I get to spend an hour with her sharing kind loving words and future plans.  she hopes to teach me things in the kitchen and I hope to teach her how to drive, she has never had a license, most people don't own cars in Ghana, Africa where she is from, they walk or use taxis to get from place to place.  she is looking forward to living in America and I'm so ready to move forward with my life and not be alone anymore.  We are both asking God many times a day to help us and so far He has helped dozens of times, just not right now.

we need your prayers and support right now.  it has been a 5 month friendship that has come to mean a great deal to both of us and we are not willing to turn our back on each other.  if we can't get her here by flight then I intend to fly to Chicago and we will rent a car and drive by across the country, will take 3 days and we will be home with no more delays.  we are both fed up with delays imposed by officials at the airport for different things that always cost money and never seem to totally work out.

Sending love to all tonight,

Tim

Good work day

After a rough night, chest congestion, neighborhood dog barking etc I woke feeling rough this morning.  Ellen helped a lot as I walked around the lake with her kind and caring comments.

Then it was shower and prepare for the day.

At noon I inspected a really nice place worth over 1.5 million, its a sale and has great appeal.  Then I drove back home and wrote and emailed the report to the lender

This evening I've been working on more reports and chatting with Ellen.  She is such a lift to me and always reminds me to pray for God help.

Love to all of you tonight


Tim

A great family day

Not all Sabbaths are the same for sure.

Today found me walking around the lake at 7 and talking to my sweet heart on the messenger.

At 9:20 I caught up with Keanna who was in the middle of a fierce soccer game at a nearby field.  Losing badly to the best team in the league sort of felt like a victory and Keanna got some great kicks in, so fun to see her race around on the field and face off with girls that are twice as large as she is.

Then she and I went to McDonalds at the newly remodeled one north of town, it is nice and we enjoyed a quiet meal there.  I go for the deal, $1 buys diet iced tea and $1 buys a side salad.  Then we went to the Dollartree and she found some very nice duct tape in colors, by the time we got home she had created a nice little wallet for me from her green duct tape!  Then I took her to a swimming party at our center here in discovery bay. 

I had a quiet afternoon at home and have been working on entering a years worth of checks into Quick book pro.  Lots of fun to see where the money went!

This evening I had the opportunity to once again spend some time with Ellen over the phone and now I'm heading to bed.

As always we ask for your prayers that God will help us with our lives.

Sending love,

Tim

At last its Friday night.

Jazz the big lab next door is barking, probably raccoons on the deck which she will not tolerate.  Ray and Lois are at their San Jose home this weekend so Jazz is here by herself.

I've just come back for the Spaghetti Factory in Stockton where I had a really good meal.

This has been a grueling day seeing property this morning and then writing reports afterwards until this evening.  Glad to have reports to write. 

Prayer brought in two orders this afternoon within minutes of each other.  I'm seeing one on Sunday in Danville, 1.5 million and of course they are paying me a whooping $375, we used to get $475 for that kind of report but times change.

Keanna has soccer in the morning, this little gal is becoming quite the sports person, no longer afraid of her own shadow she is doing great things now.  Fun to watch.  Kallie is also finding herself.  I've included a couple photos that I shot last night of Keanna getting the award for perfect score in Science in the state testing.  Nice!

Sending love to all,

tim

Early morning

So no walk today, I was in Pleasanton at a home ready to inspect at 7:20 after fighting traffic from 6 am on.  Still it felt good to get it done and it helped the family a lot as they go long days.

This afternoon was great, Kallie from school at 2:37 and then to her house at 4:15, then to watch Keanna play baseball in her final game of the season.  What a difference from the start of the season, she played second base and did it very well, she is so little that she has to work harder but she did great.   Steve coached this season and really did a super job, so proud of him.

Then it was back home to work a bit and to a 7 pm School Board of Education meeting where Keanna was honored for getting 100% on her science exam for the state last year.  Nice award and great honors, she was one of 4 from her entire school and I could tell she was proud.  She should be.

Want to say God is good and its true all the time, today was a very tough day in some parts of my life, was betrayed by someone I totally trusted and it cost me big time yet God will make good things come out of it I know.

Sending love to all

Tim

busy day

Wow what a race today was, in Oakland this morning and the duplex I inspected by terrible, stunk so bad, agent with me had to leave, probably take $100K to make the place right.  People can be such pigs sometimes.

Weather was good today, drove lots of miles and enjoyed listening to a great book by Nora Roberts.

Got an order this afternoon for Discovery Bay, saw it on the way home, wrote it this evening and just emailed it to them now.  Also got paid which is always nice.

God is good and no matter what comes this way I will love Him and treasure His divine love and forgiveness.

Ellen may come tomorrow, that is my prayer and will you join in with me for that to happen.

Much love to all

Tim

Jerry and Donna re OK.  Fire came within 1/2 mile of their home.  Scary

Weed burns so sad

My brother Jerry and his wife Donna live in Weed.  Yesterday Weed caught on fire and over 100 homes have been destroyed, churches schools and other buildings have all gone up.  My brother was evacuated last night and spent the night with Donna's daughter and son in law at their place which is further from town.  Jerry reports that their place is safe for the time being and that they are back home with the power restored now.

Thankful, yes we all have reasons to be thankful.  I've been thinking about what I'm thankful for today, its been a rough day for me as my friend Ellen was to fly to SFO today where I was to pick her up, it did not happen and so far I'm not sure why, what happened to delay the flight for her.  Right now I'm waiting to hear from her this evening, the last time we talked was about 10 this morning and its been a long day in between without hearing from her.

Please pray that God will lead in our lives, how we need divine guidance right now.

Sending love to all,


Tim

Great work day

Up early, walking the 3 miles, loving the morning.  Then to work.

At 11 I picked up Kallie and took her to her horse riding lesson.  What a great experience.  The teacher is a young woman who did a great job with Kallie saddling up the horse, riding, and then doing the wash down afterwards.  All in all a very good experience.

Then it was a trip to a nice new home in a subdivision and measuring it, finding comps and then coming back to the office to work.  This afternoon I've been cranking out work and I'm still at it tonight.

Can I ask you to join me in prayer this evening, it is possible that my friend Ellen may be able to come to SFO in the morning and I certainly hope so.

Take care my friends

Love to all,

Tim

heart still pumping

So today was a walk around the lake, work in the office and then have a Echocardiogram on my heart, why?  Not sure but I had it and it took more than an hour.  Tec said it was to see if there were any changes from 2011 when I last had it done.  Doc says no changes so I guess that is good.  Ordeal to go through.

Then I did an appraisal of a nice place over in Concord, really flipped, everything new and nice, then back home to work for awhile.

Personal distress today that was not pleasant, hard to balance personal life with making sure work gets done, lots of things are hard to keep in balance and I want my Ellen here with me so much but there remain hurdles to overcome before that can happen.

Please continue to pray that God will lead us both through this possible future together.  We just want what God knows is best.

Sending love to all tonight,

Tim

Good evening

Hi there
Busy day,

Walk in the dark at 5:30, chat with Ellen while I walked which made the walk faster and more pleasant.

Leave for Milpitas to see Mia at grand parent day at her little day care school, we had a blast and what a sweet heart that girl is.  We did some sort of hand on paper covered with paint, my hand was blue and hers was green, very cute.  Then I left to see a house in downtown San Jose,  then it was drive to Hayward and then to San Lorenzo to see yet another home. Then it was home to grab pill bottles and go to Kaiser to refill the blood thinner and the diabetes meds.  While I was there I grabbed a pizza and apple in the café.

Been home for awhile, set up files and chatted with Ellen for awhile before she gave up to go to bed for the night.  Hope she can come soon, please pray that God will help us as we try to make this last leg of the trip to be together!  Can't wait.

Now I'm off to bed and until morning I'll sleep deep and solid.  The dreams will be pleasant and joyful.

I'm so thankful for a safe day with Mia and Timothy in the middle of it.  What incredible kiddos they are.  And a safe day blasting around on the freeways in the green beetle with a great book playing.

God is so good to us, today was my first Social Security direct deposit and it felt great to get money that I've waited for years to receive.  What a blessing that is.

Sending love to all,

Work day

Good evening,

Well its just about bed time but at the moment I'm just winding down.  I started writing reports at 6 this morning, no walk and no breakfast, just reports.  I took a break at lunch and made a really good tasting tortilla with melted cheese and many cut up cherry tomatoes along with a chopped up egg and some salad dressing. Tasted very good.

Then this evening I drove into Brentwood to return library books and had Burger King.  Yvonne turned me onto this long ago.  I now have a vege burger without bun, just lettuce and tomato and a side salad, senior drink and the cost is very low and the meal is just right.

So today I've been able to crank out many reports and my eyes have held up OK.  I'm taking the steroid drops three times a day and they seem to be helping a lot, still lots of redness but much less pain and pressure. I'm thankful to God for relief.  I am so into praying for important things that I almost forgot to ask for healing.

Today was such a great day weather wise, cool and breezy, just like I like it.

Tomorrow is a big day.  I'm off to see little Mia at her school, and tomorrow is a special grandparents day celebration so I'll be there at 10 in the morning until 11.  Then I'll drive to a property somewhere in San Jose and do an inspection.  Once through I'll head to San Leandro to do another inspection and perhaps even yet another one later in the day.  So thankful for work that came in today.

Good is good and all the time.  Please pray for Ellen and me so that we can bridge this one last gap and meet each other.

Love to all


tim

Home again

Dear Family and Friend

Sometimes God gives us a break.  On Friday afternoon I drove the motorhome down to Henry Cowell Park in Felton.  Nikki had purchased tickets to camp months ago and the site was perfect midst the Redwoods.  We had roaring fires at night thanks to firewood from Ron, he had just brought it over for the winter ahead.  Steve loaded a bunch in the Pilot and we had huge fires both nights, so fun to sit and stay warm as the nights grew cold there, in the 50s.

Nikki produced great food and had everything we all needed.  The girls slept in the front beds in the motorhome and I slept in a tent while Steve and Nikki too the bedroom in the coach.  I was concerned about sleeping in the tent without a breathing machine but God was good. We discovered that the inverter system in the motorhome would hold all night producing 110 electricity to run the machine.  I ran a drop cord to the tent and slept very well.  But I failed to take any warm clothes so the mornings very very chilly and cold.  I lived just fine.

Tonight I'm dealing with a very bad eye, its red over the entire while part of the eye and it hurts when I blink.  I'll go to Kaiser in the morning for an exam I guess.

Right now I feel bed time calling.

Please pray that God will lead in our lives tomorrow.

Tim

Safe day

This morning it was up to Sonoma to see a little work/live condo.  what a nice town Sonoma is and both agents met me there, great experience.  Then I drove to Richmond to see a sale, one that just came in this morning and I grabbed it, got an appointment and researched it before I left.  So I ended up getting home after 5 today but it was a rewarding day.

Spoke to friends during the day and did a lot of business from my Iphone which is always nice.  There were pockets of bad traffic here and there but I hardly notice anymore.

Ron brought some cut up wood from his deck, it will be very nice for fires this winter but right now its in my driveway and has to be moved.  Well lets see, not in the morning as I have to be in Berkeley at 10 to see a little house.  Then back and up to Elk Grove at 5.  Glad for work and very thankful to keep busy.

Sending love to all

Tim

Kaiser to the rescue

This morning I was more dizzy than any of the other days, I could have fallen over very easily.  Ellen persuaded me once I was on the walk to give it up and return back home so I just did the park walk and gave it up.  I worked in the office for the morning and then was at the adult medicine department at 2:15.  They took me right in and found that I had already cleared the left ear, no wax but the right one had wax so they cleared that out with ease.  Then I met my new GP and I'm impressed.  We went over my meds, she added on that she thinks will help protect my kidneys and we talked about everything we needed to.  My lungs were clear and everything is in pretty good shape.  It was a great visit and a good start to a patient doctor relationship, she also said that any new family member would be welcome to come under her care, that was good to hear.

Then I went to have my blood drawn, not so good.  My girl with the needle was a student and did I mind?  Well of course not.  But I did mind when she missed the vein and things hurt a lot.  Then I waited until someone else came and of course they hit it first time and I was through.  Just not fun to be hurt by a needle.

I was quite dizzy driving and made it home, then did research and left again for Pleasanton, about 30 minutes away.  Did a house and looked like I was a drunk, could not walk a straight line if my life depended on it.  Got it done and finally got back home but had dinner at Fuddruckers and eating a full meal seemed to calm the dizzy situation down a bit.  Now I'm heading to bed, tomorrow I'm up early and then to Sonoma to see a home.

Sending love to all and thanks for the prayers for my health, I am better.  Its been so nice to have someone express caring and prayers for my health over that last few days.  Such compassions is rare and I for one appreciate it a lot.

Love to all

Tim

Incredible work day

I've used yesterday and today as work days, yesterday had me welcoming home a very dirty motorhome from Burning Man.  In prior years the renters carefully had the motorhome washed in a truck car wash so all the exterior was sparking clean, then they put a 3 person house cleaning crew on it at their home in San Francisco.  Let me tell you it came back as clean as when it left, yes there was damage to the undercarriage from acidic sand which can never be removed but that goes with renting to Burning Man.  This time there was no effort to clean it at all, the frig was a mess, carpets were bad, dust covered everything and the windows were filthy so now I charge a cleaning fee and the renters won't like it, but the contract clearly says it need to be returned clean or a cleaning fee can be charged, the renter promised that he knew how to keep the coach clean, he had rented 4 times before so I trusted that, well it was wrong.

So that weights on my mind, I don't like conflict at all.  My Ellen also weights on my mind, we have both come to the conclusion that this is the week for God to help us meet and begin our live together in SFO.  We are praying so hard that God will touch hearts of key people in Ghana to let you her travel, so far they have found various ways to block her from traveling this final leg of her journey.  We talked a long time this morning, over an hour and a half and she lifted my spirits so much by her encouragement and positive comments.  I woke feeling very rough, with fever and very dizzy, not as bad as yesterday but still rough.  During the night the fever broke again so my bed was wet and I was cold as a result.  She said the right things to encourage me and walked the entire 3 miles with my by messenger and then stayed with me for a long time after I got back.  I love this woman and I hope God can help us find a way to facilitate the trip to SFO.  We both can't for that to happen, we just want to be in each others arms but its really up to our loving Heavenly Father.

This morning after the walk all I wanted to do was come in and rest but I decided on a different direction.  I drove the motorhome into the driveway and dumped the tanks.  The renters brought it back with full tanks too, I'll charge for dumping.  Then I drove to Safeway to top off the fuel.  It only took about $14.00 so they did a good job of filling the tanks, the propane was down a bit but I didn't feel it was worth driving to Brentwood for 2 gallons when it would take 2 gallons gas to drive there.  So I went to Starbucks and had a multi grain bagel and a decaf with Splenda.  I drove back home and determined that the coach was driving correctly, the oil was up OK.  It was just dirty every place I looked, so disappointing, the last people have been so careful about cleaning, that was what I expected from these guys, did not happen.

Well I looked around after parking the motorhome and plugging it into electrical power to make sure the frig is working and the AC.  Then I started trimming roses and then with blood running down my hands from the thorns I loaded up the trimmer and trimmed the whole front yard area, then I moved to the back yard.  In my conversations with Ellen I had mentioned that I wanted to get the paddle boats back into the water but was not sure I was strong enough or steady enough to do it.  She wanted to be here to help me but said she would pray that God would give me strength.  God did help me, I felt very rough all day but I was able to carefully clear a path and then pull the paddle boat on its side to the back deck where I could let it down and then I could slide it toward the water.  Of course just before the water it has to be turned up on its side one more time to fit through a gate and then it was down to the dock.  It took time to hose the spiders out and then launched it.  In a few minutes I was out on the water paddling easily to the middle of the lake where I took a photo of the house and email it to Ellen.  I sat under the awning and sipped a Coke and then water before coming back in, I was so happy that I had accomplished something I've been thinking of for weeks and something I wanted done before Ellen arrives.  Then it was back to get the second paddle boat, this one came easier as it is lighter and it now sits on the dock.  Then looking around I tackled a very sticky and emotional spot.  Nan had a lemon tree for perhaps 20 years and kept it alive, it produced a couple lemons each year and amazingly made it through freezes, storms, heat and winters.  But a couple years after losing her I lost the lemon tree too.  So it has sat there with it very sharp branches looking terrible year after year.  Today I removed it,  not an easy task at all but it totally filled a big garbage sack from Home Depot and I had to move it with a hand truck gut its gone now and I feel good.  Once it was gone I look around and discovered a lot of leaves and debre everywhere.  So I went for my garage vac and using it worked for over an hour picking up stacks of trash and leaves.  What an amazing device and it did a great job so tonight the entire deck looks much better than it did and I hope that Ellen can come and will enjoy it.  

Will you please continue to pray for my health, this continual fever has me emotionally low and very low energy, that is why I pushed so hard today, I know that if I get outside and work hard my body responds well and tonight while I am beat, sore and tired I also feel good and my balance is the best it has been for 4 days.  How I appreciate having Ellen praying for me and encouraging me to trust in God's power, to drink lots of water and to get rest. 

Will you pray that God can help Ellen to be allowed to fly to me.  We are so close now and we both long to this final chapter to be over.  Please pray that God will challenge the forces of evil that are against her as a young woman.  Women in Ghana are not respected very much or even listened to,  Ellen longs for the freedom that living with me will afford her.  She is anxious to meet the church friends and to join the family. Her most frequent desire is to be in my arms and to be SAFE.  We take being safe for granted, she does not take it for granted at all.

This afternoon Carol called from N Carolina, it was so great to hear from she and Roger and we talked for awhile.  They are doing well and it was good to hear from them.  How Nan and I loved them, great friends in Christ.

Sending love to all,

If you feel like helping in our quest to get Ellen here contact me privately.  My cell is 925  998 9855.

Tim

Dizzy, Sabbath School, Kiddos, Kaiser Solution, Ellen affirms

I started off this morning by stepping out of bed and into a very dizzy world.  It was not fun and even after the walk it still persisted.
I took the girls to Sabbath School in Tracy and that was fun, then some lunch and then back home I talked to Kaiser, visited Kaiser this afternoon and in the process got a Dr. appointment, she found my ears were impacted with wax in fact the right one was totally stopped up.  so this evening I have 10 drops of Debrox in each ear and cotton balls holding in the drops.

This evening I felt rough, had fever and decide to go to Old Spaghetti Factory in Stockton.  On the way Ellen reached me using Yahoo Messenger and we had our best time yet.  She said some things that were so moving and romantic that I'm going to find a way to print them up, just beautiful and a gradual escalation of our love for each other.  She is an incredible woman, that is all I'll say at this point.

Heading for bed now, sending love to all


Tim

At last its Friday night

I am so ready for bed tonight, its been a very long week with short nights and many appraisal reports out the door.

I am so thankful to my loving Father for his safety and guidance given this week.

Steve and Jessy came to my rescue and wrote up reports in a very professional manner.  What a boon that is to getting work out the door.

I've had great conversations with my friend Ellen today and enjoy my time there very much, we hope to be together soon and are praying that God will help His will to take place.

Right now I've just talked to Pam and my brother Jerry, family and friends are so special and helpful, its gets very lonesome being alone all the time and facing everything by ones self.  Soon perhaps we can move forward into a new relationship that will bring happiness and meaning to life.

I pray that you will have a great Sabbath and weekend.  God is good all the time.

Love


Tim

Lots of work completed

If work is the way a man finds his sense of accomplishment then I should feel OK tonight.  Rose at 6 this morning, walked my 3, started working in the office, waded through a pile of conditions for several files, did research and then left at 2 for Rio Vista.  Did a nice little home in the 55 and over community there, then drove to Suisun City where I did two earthquake inspections to confirm to the lender that the homes had not been damaged by the quake.  They had not been hurt.

Then I was very early for an appointment in Vallejo so I went to Olive Garden for pasta and salad, great meal and I walked out for $14.00.  Then I went to the Vallejo home and it was very nice, once finished Ellen called me using Yahoo Messenger and we talked all the way home, about an hour and it was great just catching up with her and  renewing our feelings for each other.

Now I'm in the office taking care of some work and then its bed time very soon.  Thank you Lord for a safe day and a day in which you are in charge.

Please guide us step by step in our lives,

Love


Tim

A very long but fruitful day

I started this morning at 6, wrote up an appraisal that was needed, was overdue, then did research for the day, a day that had me traveling to Mountain View first, then to Fremont, then to Antioch where amazingly I had two little houses to see that were about 1 block apart for different lenders.  They went reasonably quick and then it was on to Brentwood to see one and finish the field work part of the day.  Got home about 6:45 and have been working in the office since that time with a quick break to take money to be deposited and do Safeway shopping.  My quick stop of a few things turned into a very full little basket and many things.

Today was a day when I had hoped that Ellen would arrive in SF.  But alas one shipping document was needed and so it will be yet another day.  My prayer is that God will bring her at just the right time, she is praying the same and she tends to have a very powerful prayer life. 

Life is good in spite of setbacks and disappointments.  God is so good to us, He gave me a safe day today in spite of the 204 miles I put on the Civic.

Sending love to all and we need your prayers please.


Tim

A big sunday

Dear Ones,

My motorhome renters came on time today, paid their fees and we learned how to drive a motorhome.  The young guy, 30, did a great job of learning and they left about noon for lake Tahoe, I've heard nothing so I guess they are good.

I've been writing up reports, setting up new files and having some good meals today, for lunch I made peas and pinto beans, griller and some cottage cheese.  for dinner I had a can of wonderful soup and some more cottage cheese.  Great food.

My friend is doing well and we've had a very pleasant day of conversation, it looks like her time of arrival is nearing, could be any day now I think.

Please pray that God will guide us each step of the way,

Love to all

Tim