Lars! That is so wonderful. Congratulations to you and Kevin. The house is so adorable and perfect for the two of you (and sis). So when do you settle? Any plans underway for a housewarming party??

I am very happy for you.

Yay Lars!! Great news :)

How wonderful Lars! I'm so happy for you!! And thanks for letting us know. When will you get to move in?

Beverly

Wow, that was fast! Let's hope the closing is quick too.

I look forward to the "new owner" reports.

Congratulations! That is so exciting.

Joanne

That's great news Lars! Congratulations to you and Kevin. I'm sure you'll be very happy there.

And what a wonderful time you're going to have in that big kitchen!

SharonCb

Whoohoo, whoohoo whoohoo!!!! Congrats to both you and Kevin on your fabulous purchase!
Ellen

Lars, Let me add my Congratulations as well! It's always good to have Jupiter giving its gifts when your turn rolls around. Enjoy the peace before the big move and have fun making plans.

Congratulations Lars! How exciting!

Wonderful news Lars and Kevin! I'm so happy for you (but have to admit I'm sad that you won't be coming to Denver next month).

I can't wait to hear more about your closing and moving dates.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Lee

That's *great* news, Congratulations! Enjoy your new kitchen! (and start doing finger pushups to get your hand in shape to sign all those darn papers!!)

How exciting! I'm very happy for you & Keven, Lars. Spring is perfect timing...a time of renewal & new things. It's a great house & I'm sure you'll create many wonderful memories both in that kitchen & around the fire pit.

Anxious to hear when you're closing...

Best wishes,
/tricia

Lars, congratulations! I do hope you will share pictures as you put your special design touch on the house to make it your home. How long before closing?

Brenda

Great news!

Lars, that is wonderful! I'm really happy for you and Kevin!!!

Nancy

Oh, happy day! Nice to hear some good news for a change and feel happy for your friends! It's a cute house with a nice kitchen. I hope you and Kevin have fun moving in and making it yours!
Teresa

Oh Lars I am so happy for both of you! it's a great house and you are going to be so happy making it your own.

When do you move in?

Congratulations. That's great!

I'm at work and don't get off early today, but I have time for a brief message.

I don't know when closing is, but in the agreement, we have only 10 days for inspection, and Kevin has already booked an inspector for tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. The house looks like it's in great condition, and so I don't forsee any problems, but one never knows.

Once we move, I'll be able to take lots of pictures again. We'll be able to get some of Kevin's paintings out of storage in the garage and hang them again, and Kevin says he wants to use the den area as an art studio, possibly because it has a skylight. This means he will get back to painting again, which is a very good thing, and I will set my sewing machines up in one of the extra bedrooms and have a dedicated area for sewing.

I'm so thrilled at finally getting the space we need!

Lars

Congrats Lars! I am thrilled for you and Kevin :-)

Alexa

Yay! That is great news, and man, that took no time at all!

Congreatulations to both of you! Glad you will finally have the space to spread out and et back to the things you love!

Will you still have citrus trees in your back yard?

Linda

Yee! Haw!!

Happy House Day Lars!

I was wondering about the citrus too. I saw that one tree between the house and the fire pit patio and I wondered if it was a citrus tree. To me it looked like and apple tree, but then I thought, no Lpink, in CA they get to grow citrus in the backyard!

You must be so excited!!

Lars!!
I am so happy for you CONGRATS!!

I would love it if you can photograph Kevins Art to share here??

Enjoy your newest dwelling!!

Cheers!
Susie

I'm happy that you're happy, if that makes sense, and so glad for you.

The house sounds perfect for you and Kevin and I'm just waiting to see what wonderful things you do to it to make it your own. You are so talented, and I didn't know that Kevin painted but I'm not surprised. The house is already very nice, it's going to be spectacular by the time you're done.

I hope you get a fig tree and some citrus, though, I know how you enjoyed those.

Annie

Yippeeee! I am thrilled for you and Kevin. Sending good vibes that everything goes smoothly!

Susie, I put a link to Kevin's on-line art gallery below.

I definitely plan to plant citrus trees in the back yard - a dwarf Meyer lemon and probably a lime tree. I probably won't plant an orange tree because I haven't been eating that many oranges, but I really like the limes. The existing tree in the back yard is an apricot, and I might take that out and replace it with a dwarf avocado. I don't think I'll plant figs again - they are a bit too messy. I could conceivably plant a fig in the front, and maybe also a silk floss tree, since they make beautiful flowers and both trees are drought tolerant.

I have some bizarre stories to tell you about Kevin's experience today while he was waiting for something to be delivered. He told me he walked down our street (Abbot Kinney) and went past a bunch of film cameras/trucks that were making a commercial for some kind of energy drink (he told me the name, but I forgot), and then he got some gelato at the ice cream shop and continued walking. Next he ran into a woman in a black bikini and stiletto heels who was also being filmed, and she approached him and asked him about his ice cream. It seemed that she wanted him to take her to the ice cream shop, but later she asked him which direction the beach was and decided to go there instead. I'm not sure how much of this was filmed, but some of it might end up on YouTube.

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: Kevin's art gallery

Congratulations Lars! I can't wait to see it after you get done with it, as artsy and creative as you are.
Definitely plant a few fruit trees now so you can start getting your own fruit within several years.
You must be very excited.

Lars I'm so happy for you and Kevin. Can't wait to see how your make this house your home.

Ann

I've heard apricot flowers smell nice. I love the smell of apple blossoms. I'll bet citrus blossoms are out of this world! I didn't plant a dwarf cherry in my small yard specifically because I did't want to smell their acrid blooms. That and I knew the birds and squirrels would drag cherries all over my close neighborhood making me unpopular with my neighbors. One year I planted sunflowers along my fence and the squirrels tore off the flower heads and dragged them all over the neighborhood and ripped them up to get at the seeds. People were finding my sunflowers torn to shreds in their lawns and on their porches and patios!

Anyway, it looks like the house is very spacious with a nice private yard. And yes, very nice kitchen too!

We did our first inspection today, and I took measurements so that I could draft a floor plan to help us with space planning. I think the art studio space is going to be interesting. The owners did a good job of opening up the space, and I can easily see what was added after doing the floor plan. I can see how the original kitchen was, which was very small, but I think the current space will be workable, although I would still like to have more cabinets. I have a feeling that I already have as much storage in my current kitchen as in the new one, although the new one is much more spacious. I won't get to keep my new stove, but the one in the new kitchen is almost identical - although a bit older. I'll have to sell my electric dryer because the new house only has a gas connection.

The back yard has a very small citrus tree, but I don't know what kind, and it doesn't appear to be doing that well - probably because they did not put it in a sunny enough part of the yard. There are several trees that I cannot identify, and some them I may prefer to replace. I'm going to miss my mango tree, and I might not replace it, since it requires a lot of water.

Lars

You and Kevin have waited a long time for more space. I'm really happy for you both Lars!

Beverly

Wow. Wow. I checked out Kevin's gallery and now I realize that I DID know he painted because I've seen "The Upbringing" which I really like.

The "Portrait of Matthew", though, that's just spectacular.

Oh, and I think apricots smell lovely and I really like the fruit too.

Annie

How exciting, Lars. I'm so happy for you and your family! Nothing's better than getting the space to pursue your art!

Sally

YAY!!! all the crossed fingers, toes, positive energy and prayers worked! I'm very happy for you!!

Kevin's artwork is amazing. You are both so talented and creative.

I finished drafting the floor plan, and it looks like we are going to have plenty of space to hang all of Kevin's very large paintings, one of which I have in my bedroom right now. I'll be able to put it into my new bedroom, but we will also be able to hang most of the artwork we have in storage in the garage, and it should make for an interesting space. Plus, once Kevin has a new art studio, he will be able to create new large paintings! Maybe he will be able to sell some of them, although he is reluctant to let anything go.

Lars

Lars Im so happy for you...I viewed your site and your story (bio) really touched me....your work is wonderful,amazing,beautiful...you are a very talanted person...good for you!!!!

Ohhh thats Kevins work...wow you both are amazing people...some people just amaze me...I hope you two have a great life in your new house!

Lars, thank you for posting the link to Kevin's gallery. Please tell him that I thoroughly enjoyed browsing & that he's got tremendous talent.

I know SoCA is loaded with art shows but if he's ever interested, the annual Mystic Art Festival is considered the premier northeast juried art show & I sure would love to see him exhibit. (Many say it's one of the country's best art shows?!) Last year, I believe the crowd size was about 100,000 coming from all over the world to attend. The show draws thousands of people from Europe as well as the US. So, tell Kevin I'd love to see his work displayed here.

What artistic talent in your family! I attended Rocky Mountain School of Art & Design (Fine Arts major) and was just happy to get through that program without too many incidents of serious humiliation...although there were a few projects I'd rather not discuss! lol

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Mystic Art Festival - 2009 Application

Lars, thanks for sharing Kevin's works...he is so very talented. I loved all of his pictures, but especially the one of the feed store, as you could almost read the story in the picture, or am I biased beause my grandparents had a grocery store in a small TX town, too. How did you and Kevin both amass such talent? Is your entire family as talented, or did you and Kevin get it all?

Brenda

I'm so glad that I returned to this thread. Kevin's background and his talents are so very interesting; and I thought Lars had the diverse talents in the family.

I thought it was neat too that one of Kevin's pieces is just down the road from me--The Steamship Agent, in Valrico.

Congratulations to the both of you!!

I remember seeing Kevin's work several years ago, glad to hear you will have more room in the new place to display it.

David

Trica, Kevin won first place in a juried exhibition of the Mohawk-Hudson Region in 1993, when he was a student at SUNY Albany. He also won a prize in a San Diego Watercolor exhibition contest, but then my furniture designs have also won awards, including Best Interior Lighting for 1999 from the International Association of Interior Designers for a chandelier I designed. This chandelier was recently purchased for a prince's bedroom in Saudi Arabia. This client bought several of my lighting designs.

Cathy, there are two of Kevin's paintings in Valrico, although I have no idea where that is, although I think it is near Orlando. I met the buyer when I visited Kevin in Albany.

As for our family talent - that is a rather strange story. Half of the family is artistic or musically gifted (my mother majored in music at North Texas and sang opera to me as a child), and the other half is strictly business - many uncles were bank presidents and my sister is a banking lawyer. One uncle who was a bank president in Lubbock married an opera singer from New York, and one of their children became a violin player with no interest in banking whatsoever.

Lars

I missed the original thread -- good for you!!!

The house looks beautiful and Westchester is not too far away. I feel sure you will be very happy there.