"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock...But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand."-Matthew 7:24-26 (verse used in the movie "Voclacno" (1997)
I've (Sal) been renting since graduating from UMM in 1999. I decided to do a photo gallery of the places I've lives so far:
Me in the Kitchen at E. 7th St.
My father was in the real estate business too back in the days...see story.
109 W. 7th St; Apt. 2 (June 04-Present)
South View of the Living Room
West view of the Living Room
North view of the living room
East view of the living room
Gardenting/Landscaping
Want to make your front/back yard looking beautiful? After renting in Morris, I would like to make the place I'm currently (5/13/05) residing more colorful. I plan to contact my landlord about gardening, so I decided to do some research on this...
-Gardening
A beautiful orange flower at bloom (June of 2007) during a Minnesota spring
If you want to save money, I've heard rumors that it's best to purchase them from the East Coast (North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey-affordable group)
IKEA, scandinavian based (located by Mall of America in Bloomington, MN Slumberland, a friend (Terrence G.) used to work here in St. Paul
-Inspectors A Better Inspection, company my brother went through (Saturday, January 26th 2006)
*tips he gave to my brother:
-Air Furnace-use 80% efficiency instead of a higher one because a 100% efficient works too well that it leaks water, which causes the metal to rust more
-electric outlets (hometime-how to projects)) should be checked with a special outlet inserter to see if the outlet is screwed on tightly. Also, some outlets are not necessary (water proof); however, the house we look at had a GFCI (3 pronged)
-look at the ceiling of the upstairs and there was enough plaster to prevent leaking for a good while (20+ years) in the roof (do it yourself roofing)
Praise Report-Testimony of Purchasing my 1st House
Purchasing this house came with an awesome testimony/story! Before this house, I was looking at 3-5 different houses in the market. I started in the month of March, hoping to be moved in before my rent/lease ended in my other rental unit (109 W. 7th St.)-end of May! I didn't make an offer in this house till mid-May! Yes, I was chugging to get all my paper work done! I kind of knew that I wasn't going to be moved in to this new house before the end of the month, so I was planning to find a temporary place to stay for several weeks and have my "stuff" stored till then. With God watching over my situation, I was able to rent the house I was hoping to own-thanks to the owner (friend of a new co-worker that just started in my current very new temporary job at the Stevens County DAC)-praise God! I didn't have to store my "stuff", but have it all moved in one single move. I'm glad this opportunity came because I began to appreciate this more after several days of moving in the last days of May. I had so much "stuff", which I didn't realize I had so many until during the long...I mean long move! God provided the many friends to help move-some were "last minute" helpers and "last minute" vehicles (e.g. boss' suburban). God is good...all the time!
I was able to officially own the house on the 23rd of June! The story doesn't end here... I was expecting to make a check of $3-4K as a downpayment according to previous paper work before the "closing date" (day of owning the house). I came to Homeland Mortgage with my checkbook and ready to write the amount. The loan agent (Katie) ended up giving me a check of $9+ because I payed too much for my downpayment/appraisal feel of $350. I didn't have to write a single check! The story behind this is "giving to the Lord". I wrote a $100 check donation to my local church ministry school (SIMT) a week before this "closing date" as a THANK YOU to God for his miraculous provision the whole month of June...
-$100 check from my dentist (reimbursement from insurance)
-$350 check from the lady I sold my old Chevy Blazer SUV to last year!
-$200 transaction to my checking account for my recent hospital visit (reimbursed from my FSA Account through my ft-job of 7 years)
-$375 check from my damage deposit refunded from my past landlord
Looking for a place to rent in Morris? Contact Sal (320) 585.5573 and I'll share with you about my personal reccomendations of local landlords I've had in the past:
1999-2001 Friend's House
2001-2002 Dale Ritter- 1BR (712 E. 7th St; Apt 2)
Tim, Sal, and Juan posing at the living room=>
2002-2003 Kevin Evink 3BR(105 E. 1st St.)
2003-2004 Geyen Properties (College Rentals-Marleen) 1 1/2BR (311 1/2 E. 9th St.)
2004-Present/2006 Fredrick Farrell 3BR(109 W. 7th St; Apt 2)
-Insulation
*R value of 38 is highly reccomended for northern states!
I just purchased Johns Manville Fiber Glass Batt & Roll Insulation for my attic at Menards' "Zero Payments & No Interest 'til Summer Sale" (September 11th-17th of 2006). I can "Save Big" with an Energy Tax Credit! Cocoon Insulation Fiberglass Insulation in the Attic 2 - Installation "Staple it to the rafters or scabbed on boards with a staple gun so that the paper backing is toward the interior of the room to act as a vapor barrier. Use 3/8" heavy duty staples every six inches. Attach it by the paper flange so as not to compress the fiberglass. Make sure the paper flange and the staples are flat against the board to create an even surface for attaching the finished wall material." Attic Insulation 7, insulating rafters "Where the spacing of the rafters is uneven, odd-angled, or not standard, you will need to cut the insulation to fit. Cut it 1" wider than the necessary width, and tuck the fiberglass in to create a flange for stapling. "Insulating the Home, from lsu Urban Options-Weatherization
Houses/Apartment Rental Unites Availability
2-Story Duplex House:
Upstairs-2 1/2 Bedrooms (Available Now as of January 2006)
Downstairs-3 Bedrooms (not Available)
206 Maria Ave.
|(corner of Maria and Surrey St.)
St. Paul's East Side
next to Metropolitan State University
$725/month
All Utilities Paid
Landlord: Cansiano Monteagudo (since 1988 )
Call 651.731.9505
"Landlords also need to be vigilant about the mold issue. A chronic leaking roof, leaking water pipes, bathroom moisture, or a poorly maintained ventilation system can be an invitation to a lawsuit"
"Question is what can I do about it and how much will it cost me. Obvious
solution is to put a second furnace in the attic. There is good headroom and
access up there so this should be feasable. Ducts fom the furnace to the
area above each upstairs room should be pretty straightforward, but it gets
complicated after that. Running ducts from the ceiling to the basebords will
not be easy. ...
Extreme makeover home edition helping 100th family
" that song is "how could happen to me" COPYRIGHT ABC NETWORK @ 2007"
*see America
*episode (shown this evening-Sunday, November 25th of 2007) is the Swenson Family (kids lost both parents: mother murdered-see domestic abuse and father killed in a car accident; kids joined their Aunt and Uncle's family) From tragedy to televised triumph
Morris Sun Tribune
Published Wednesday, September 12, 2007
By Sylvia Swenson "
In order for me to tell you how our son and daughter-in-law, Erik and Vicki Swenson, were chosen for the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” I need to reflect back to a year ago.
Vicki and Erik Swenson and their family admired Erik’s new Harley Davidson motorcycle, which was part of the package for having the massive crew from the TV show ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ build the family a new home in Minnetonka.
Vicki and Erik Swenson and their family admired Erik’s new Harley Davidson motorcycle, which was part of the package for having the massive crew from the TV show ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ build the family a new home in Minnetonka.
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Morris Sun Tribune Web Icon New home
When we went to visit them in their home in Minnetonka last August, they had just installed a security system. When I inquired about the necessity of the system, Vicki told me that her sister, Teri Lee, had been dating a co-worker and he had become abusive and threatened to kill her after she had broken off the relationship. Teri had pressed charges and gotten a restraining order against the man. Vicki and Erik felt his behavior was so bizarre they felt their lives may be in jeopardy.
Teri had lost her husband in an automobile accident five years before this. She was left to care for their four children, ages 1, 3, 5, and 7. Vicki and Teri shared a very close bond, and Vicki told Teri if anything ever happened to her that she and Erik would raise her children.
Never, in a hundred years, did I ever think that would become a reality.
When our phone rang very early on the morning of Sept. 22, 2006, it was Vicki sobbing and telling me that the man had, indeed, killed her sister.
Everything was a blur for several weeks as Vicki and her parents planned Teri’s funeral amidst never-ending media calls and inquiries. Vicki and Erik did take the children in, and at Teri’s funeral Vicki gave the eulogy and pledged not only to raise the children but also to become a spokesperson for the victims of domestic violence.
Shortly after, Vicki’s volleyball team from Hopkins High School put together a video to send to “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” asking that Vicki and Erik be considered for an addition to their home because of their enlarged family.
The circumstances of the story caught the eye of the producers. They called Erik and Vicki and told them they were interested in their story, but they weren’t coming to Minnesota until the summer of 2007. Everything was shuffled about in the house to make room for the additional children.
Erik and Vicki already had a 9-year-old daughter and twin girls about to turn one in October. The three bedroom house they had built 4 years before suddenly was bursting at the seams.
In May 2007, they were contacted by “Extreme Makeover” and extensively interviewed. In June, they were notified they were one of 15 top candidates. Tension mounted for the entire family in June as they had to endure the trial of the man convicted of murdering their mother and Vicki’s sister.
Luckily, the trial proceeded quickly and the man was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The children breathed a sign of relief and seemed less apprehensive about the situation.
In July, they were told they were among the top five candidates for the home makeover. Meanwhile, the “Dateline NBC” TV show had been following the story and after long amounts of time filming -- from the time of Teri’s funeral to Vicki’s testifying at the Capitol to make changes in the laws against felons who disregard the restraining order and then the trial -- they finally aired their production on Aug 15.
The story was called, “The Teri Lee Story.” It was a very moving story and difficult for the family to relive the events of the last year. In August , “Extreme Makeover” told Vicki and Erik they should start to pack some of their treasures “in case” they were chosen on Aug. 21.
Tension and stress mounted for weeks as “Extreme Makeover” representatives told them “if” they were chosen their recently built house would have to be demolished. They had thought an addition would be the likely event if they were chosen. Erik and Vicki had planned and built the house with careful planning and love, and most of the construction was done by Erik. The thought of demolishing it was very difficult to comprehend.
They were told on the day before “door knocking” that “if” they were chosen the doors, windows, appliances, fixtures and furniture would be salvaged and given to the needy. That would be more palatable if they thought someone else would benefit from the items in their relatively new house.
On Aug. 21, they were told to be ready “in case” they were chosen as they would be flown to someplace unknown for a week while their new house was being built. While we were feeling quite certain they would be chosen, there was always the uncertainty that maybe they wouldn’t be.
They were told to close their curtains and blinds and wait for the call from Ty Pennington: “Good Morning, Swenson-Lee Family, come on out!”
It seemed like forever and then at 9:30 a.m., a large bus pulled up and Ty did get out of the bus with his designer team and beckoned them to come out. Ironically, one of the producers inside the house had the children singing “the wheels on the bus” so loudly they didn’t even hear the call.
By the second time they did and erupted from the house. They were jubilant to see Ty, the producer, and to know they had been selected.
After a day of packing and filming most of the day they were taken to the airport in a very large limousine and put on the plane to take them to Disneyland in California. Unfortunately, they had to sit on the plane for 2 more hours before it would take off. They arrived in California very tired and the vacation, while grandiose was tiring for a seven-month pregnant mom and the seven children.
The 22-month old twins were a handful and, of course, everyone was busy wondering what was happening back home.
The following seven days were full of activity. On the first day -- a Wednesday -- volunteers emptied the house of their belongings and a salvage team removed the windows, doors, appliances, fixtures, etc. It was amazing as volunteers began to show up in droves. By Day 2, they were ready to demolish. I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch but was drawn to the magnitude of the equipment that was on the site when I arrived that morning.
First, they had the “Braveheart” march which included employees from 3M and workers from TJB builders. There must have been hundreds of them and they cheered as they rounded the street in unison with banners displaying their companies and “Extreme Makeover.” True to Hollywood fashion, they would have to repeat it several times to get it just right. After Ty gave the signal the equipment began their demolition and in just 18 minutes the house was nothing but rubble. It was fascinating to watch as dozens of trucks arrived to remove debris and haul in sand and gravel. It was pouring rain and trucks were getting stuck but no one slowed down or stopped. I have never seen such controlled chaos in my life.
By the end of the day, they were putting in forms for the foundation. The cement trucks had to be escorted in by the police as they had some special additive that makes it harden in 20 minutes so time was of the essence to get them there. Huge lights were positioned around the area and everyone worked through the night. It was a 24-hour, seven day operation and no one complained. It was awesome and one couldn’t help but be riveted to the activity.
By Day 3, the builders had begun to assemble the house. Soon the walls and roof were on and the roof was being shingled during the night. The builders were told they needed to be done with their part by Sunday night. Hard to comprehend a 5,600 square foot house being built in that amount of time.
Day 4 was spent putting on siding and landscapers began to show up. One hundred and forty sheet rockers showed up and in two hours had the whole house sheet rocked and taped. They emerged from the house looking like ghosts after the sanding. The designer driveway was installed with beautiful bricks and the landscaping continued to take ones breath away. Huge trees were brought in and a large playground was installed on Sunday, Day 5.
Painting on the interior began. Volunteers continued to come from everywhere. The feeling of camaraderie was contagious. The tent set up to feed the workers was always bustling with activity and people wanting to get back to work. People who couldn’t work during the day volunteered for the graveyard shift of midnight to early morning. Several of the children’s teachers came, as did the co-workers of Erik and Vicki’s from the Hopkins School District. Some said it was like an old barn raising event.
On Monday, Day 6, they held a special ceremony of the builder turning over the keys to the design team from “Extreme Makeover.” The builders had completed their task ahead of schedule. It was truly amazing.
The design team did their “extreme” decorating and on Day 7, Tuesday, Vicki’s Hopkins volleyball players and Erik’s Blake football players helped move in the furniture while the onlookers cheered. We were told the family would be returning around 1:30 p.m. and everyone was barricaded behind fences to wait their arrival. We rehearsed “Move That Bus” so many times we were beginning to lose our enthusiasm and our voices.
The family finally arrived around 3 p.m. in a limousine. The screaming and shouts of jubilation were deafening. Needless to say Erik and Vicki and the children were overwhelmed by the crowd and then their new house. They got to sleep in their new home on Wednesday night after a full day of interviews and filming during the day.
They are all adjusting to the magnitude of it all and, of course, trying to get their lives back on schedule. Vicki had a volleyball game on Thursday night and Erik had a football game on Friday night. The kids were anxious to meet their new teachers on Tuesday.
As they approach the first anniversary of Teri’s death on Sept. 22, the harsh reality of their loss will be difficult. But the knowledge that so many people cared and wanted to help them by building the new house was comforting.
On Sunday, our pastor talked of how hope and love is so important to overcome difficult times in our lives. Erik and Vicki and the children have experienced so much love and hope for tomorrow during the last year that I know each day will bring a brighter tomorrow. As for myself, I was grateful to get back to the farm, pick my produce and begin canning tomatoes. Our family, friends and the community of Hoffman have been so supportive to our family through these difficult times. You can access more pictures and comments on the Web sites of www.tjbhomes.com or www.swensonlee.com. It was wonderful to read all the comments on the blog section of the tjbhomes.com from volunteers that said how moved they were to be a part of such a huge project. Vicki continues her commitment to the Coalition for Battered Women and I am so proud of what she has accomplished already.
The airing of the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” 100th episode will be on Sunday, Nov. 25. It will be a two hour special and the production staff filming told me this is the best episode they have produced so far. I look forward to watching it and hope you will also. " Family with local ties featured on ‘Extreme Makeover’ TV show Nov. 25
Morris Sun Tribune
Published Wednesday, November 21, 2007 (Morris Sun Tribune) "..The show’s 100th episode will feature the Erik and Vicki Swenson family and will be aired on Sunday, Nov. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on ABC.
Erik is the son of Courtland and Sylvia Swenson who live in Hoffman.... After the show, Swenson-Lees move forward,
Posted at: 11/25/2007 10:38:39 PM (KSTP-TV) "It took one week for the Swenson-Lee family’s three bedroom house to get an ‘Extreme Makeover.’
Their story was featured on Sunday’s episode of ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.’ But Ty and the crew left Minnesota three months ago and a lot has changed since then. There are even some additions to the house.
After living here for three months, the family is still decoding and discovering the extreme features. In Taylor’s room there is a picture with Mona Lisa hidden in it.
"I still haven't found it," said Taylor Lee.
In October, a day before one of the Swenson’s girls turned 2-years-old, one of the stuffed Elmos in the bedroom wall said that tomorrow was Stella’s birthday.
"I was tremendously overwhelmed by all the systems in the house. I certainly never had an irrigation system or a mosquito spray system or a lighting system or a waterfall or any of those things. It's all beautiful, but I had no idea how to run that stuff," said Erik Swenson.
But even in the state-of-the-art home, there were a few things missing.
"We were puzzled that there was no microwave, and then we found it," said Vicki Swenson.
Without room for a microwave in the kitchen, the Swenson-Lee’s have put one in the laundry room.
There are only four bar stools, but there are five older children.
Ty didn’t put any couches in the theatre room, so the family put their old couches inside.
"All I wanted one day was my vegetable peeler cause we didn't get one," said Vicki.
A new security system was installed, with cameras inside and outside the home. The feature is extremely important to the Lee children, whose mother was murdered after her ex-boyfriend broke into their house.
The new house still doesn’t take away the pain. At the most unexpected times, the trauma of Teri Lee’s murder bubbles up. As the crowd was shouting ‘move that bus,’ Taylor started sobbing when she spotted a security guard who looked like her mother’s killer.
"Here we are at the apex, we're right there to move that bus and bam something like that comes out of the blue and just snaps her out of it," said Erik.
With the help of counselors, the family is working through the trauma together. They are also finding new joy in baby Eva. She was born three weeks ago and was given the same middle name as Teri’s.
The generosity of the community has overwhelmed the family and they have decided to donate many of their belongings and some of the new items the designers didn’t use. The Swenson-Lees family has decided not to buy presents for each other this Christmas, but will buy gifts to help another family."
Tax Forms
"I received your fax of the 2003 MN tax return. Unfortunately, Minnesota housing requires the Federal tax return. Please call Tax Copies II @ 1-800-829-1040, and request a copy of your 2003 Federal Tax return. Please let me know if you have questions.
Television"
"This video speaks shortly about the life of Clarence Jordan, a famous translator of The New Testament. In addition to being an author and translator, Mr. Jordan also found the small but influential farming community in Georgia called Koinonia and was instrumental in the founding of Habitat for Humanity"
*see racism
Thank you for visiting GoodnewsUMM! Please feel free to e-mail me (Sal) at goodnews_usa@yahoo.com on any comments, suggestions (e.g. any new websites),complaints, or anytype of feedback to improve this website.
