In order to help pay for our new house, I, or my company (Mike Cook's Website Building Extravaganza), am finally taking up website building on the side. If anybody knows anybody that is looking for a website, please refer them to me. My rates will vary depending on the job, but as a general rule I'll be charging $400 for a basic website and up around $800 for a site with a blog, shopping cart, and other goodies.
And don't worry, Dad, I have been working on your site. It's getting very close to being done.
My website is http://www.michaeldeancook.com/ in case they want to snoop around what I've done. Right now it's not much, but at least they can see the work I've done on my own site as well as things I've done in school.
p.s. That company name is a joke. I don't really have one. Any ideas?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Inspection
Today I went to the house so that the inspector could show me around and let me know about any problems with the house. It's worth mentioning that Shane (our real estate agent) recommended this particular inspector because of his reputation for being brutally thorough. He showed up at the house at 10:30 and inspected the place until I arrived at 12:30 at which point he walked me through.
The first thing he said to me was "you've bought a great house". He proceeded to show me all the "problems" that he found. I put "problems" in quotes because they were more or less trivial problems. For instance, the plug box where the garage door opener plugs in had come loose from the board it was nailed to... He then suggested that I adjust the sprinklers so they do not spray on the windows directly... He even pointed out that the plug stop used in the tub upstairs didn't quite seal off completely... These are the kinds of minor things he pointed out. He continued to mention that he thought this was a wonderfully taken care of house.
It's a nice feeling to have an inspector go through your house and the biggest problem he can find is sprinklers squirting your window.
The first thing he said to me was "you've bought a great house". He proceeded to show me all the "problems" that he found. I put "problems" in quotes because they were more or less trivial problems. For instance, the plug box where the garage door opener plugs in had come loose from the board it was nailed to... He then suggested that I adjust the sprinklers so they do not spray on the windows directly... He even pointed out that the plug stop used in the tub upstairs didn't quite seal off completely... These are the kinds of minor things he pointed out. He continued to mention that he thought this was a wonderfully taken care of house.
It's a nice feeling to have an inspector go through your house and the biggest problem he can find is sprinklers squirting your window.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Success in the Search for Real Estate
That's right. We finally found a house worthy of our hard-earned monies. We have it under contract and we are currently working through all the mucky muck of lending, inspections, etc. The house is located at 400 S 1626 W in Lehi, UT. It is on a quarter acre (which is nice, but man I'm not looking forward to mowing it...) and rests against a large park at the back of the lot (see here) which will be very nice for privacy. It has full-auto sprinklers, thank goodness, as well as central air, ceiling fans in every bedroom, a shed, RV parking, and is in a very nice neighborhood. I would send you a link to the MLS listing, but it has been removed. I do, however, still have the images from the listing to show you and here they are:
Here is other information about the house:
Here is other information about the house:| Lvl | Approx Sq Ft | Bed Rms | Bath | Fam/ Den | Dining | Laun dry | Fire Plc | |||||
| F | T | H | K | B | F | S | ||||||
| 4 3 2 1 B | 0 0 616 432 528 | 0 0 3 0 1 | 0 0 2 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 1 | 0 0 0 0 0 | Y Y | Y | | | Y | Y | 0 0 0 0 0 |
| Tot | 1,576 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Roof: | Asphalt Shingle | Basement: | Daylight, Partial |
| Heating: | Forced Air, Gas Central | Garage/Park: | 2 Car Deep, RV Parking |
| Air Cond: | Central Air Electric | Driveway: | Concrete |
| Floor Cov: | Carpet, Tile, Linoleum | Water: | Culinary, Irrigation,Pressure |
| Window Cov: | Blinds, Full | Sewer: | Connected, Public |
| Pool Feat: | Possession: | FUNDING | |
| Exterior: | Aluminum/Vinyl, Brick | ||
| Landscape: | Fruit Trees, Full Landscaping, Mature Trees, Terraced Yard | ||
| Lot Facts: | Curb & Gutter, Fenced Full, Sidewalks, Sprinkler, Auto-Full, Terrain,Flat, View, Mtn, Private Yard | ||
| Exterior Feat: | Double Pane | ||
| Interior Feat: | Master Bath, Range Oven Free Std. | ||
| Amenities: | Cable TV wired, Home Warranty | ||
| Inclusions: | Ceiling Fan, Microwave, Range, Satellite Dish, Storage Sheds | ||
| Exclusions: | Freezer, Gas Grill/BBQ, Refrigerator | ||
| Terms: | FHA, Conventional, VA | ||
| Remarks: | Great home in quiet neighborhood. Large fully landscaped lot with custom curbing, vegetable garden, fruit trees, vinyl fence & work shed. New paint, clean and updated throughout Home backs up to a park nd within walking distance to schools. | ||
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Mike's Graduated! (2 weeks ago...)
I'm a little belated on getting this posted, but just pretend it's still very exciting. I graduated on May 1st from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor's Degree in Digital Media, and I sure am glad to be done. As I look back and reflect on school, it's hard to think of just what it is I learned after putting so much time into my studies. At times I feel like it wasn't as much as I would like it to be. But then as I start working on my work at work, or on Dad's website at home, it all comes flooding back. Then I realize I've been trained as much as taught. Enough flabble babble (just made that up), here are some pictures and videos:
Can you pick me out of the crowd? (hint: I'm the one wearing jeans.)
Can you pick me out of the crowd? (hint: I'm the one wearing jeans.)Birthday Presents Update
I finally got around to uploading my pictures from my camera. So here are more birthday pictures:
My brother and I once talked about how funny it would be to put "COOK" on the back of a car in huge Old English letters like mexicans do. So we went over to Dave and Megan's for some cake and ice cream and visitings. I noticed dave wasn't in the house and asked where he was. Megan lied to me telling me he was out cleaning the car or something. In reality, he was doing this to my car. It's still on there. Here's another picture:
My window with my sweet old 311 and World Rally Championship stickers (WRC has since dropped Mitsubishi and Subaru, so it's lame now. But it's still cooler than NASCAR. I'm into F1 now, so maybe I'll replace my sticker...) along with my sweet new Bob Marley sticker (which has since faded to completely yellow and teal.)
I already have a picture of this jersey, but this is a picture of MY jersey. In case you cared.
Ok, so here's the big one. One day back in January I got a text from Dave who was with Megan in Wyoming telling me that they had bought me the coolest birthday present. 3 months later, we were at their house the night before my birthday and they decided to give me my present. With family gathered 'round, I pulled THIS out of the bag:
I don't think I need to explain why this is funny. If you don't know, you shouldn't be reading this blog. And no, it's not an inside joke. It's just hilarious.
My brother and I once talked about how funny it would be to put "COOK" on the back of a car in huge Old English letters like mexicans do. So we went over to Dave and Megan's for some cake and ice cream and visitings. I noticed dave wasn't in the house and asked where he was. Megan lied to me telling me he was out cleaning the car or something. In reality, he was doing this to my car. It's still on there. Here's another picture:
My window with my sweet old 311 and World Rally Championship stickers (WRC has since dropped Mitsubishi and Subaru, so it's lame now. But it's still cooler than NASCAR. I'm into F1 now, so maybe I'll replace my sticker...) along with my sweet new Bob Marley sticker (which has since faded to completely yellow and teal.)
I already have a picture of this jersey, but this is a picture of MY jersey. In case you cared.Ok, so here's the big one. One day back in January I got a text from Dave who was with Megan in Wyoming telling me that they had bought me the coolest birthday present. 3 months later, we were at their house the night before my birthday and they decided to give me my present. With family gathered 'round, I pulled THIS out of the bag:
I don't think I need to explain why this is funny. If you don't know, you shouldn't be reading this blog. And no, it's not an inside joke. It's just hilarious.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Yeah, that was like 3 months ago...
I realized today that we have not updated our blog since the Utes won the Sugar Bowl, which is what my last post was about. As much as I like looking at that picture, it's time to move on. Plus, Megan made fun of me for never updating it despite the fact that I'm an SEO Analyst.
The reason this blog is so neglected is that our lives right now are none too interesting to outsiders. Brandie is still working 3 12 hour shifts at IHC as a PCT (fancy term for a CNA). I still work at Orange Soda as an SEO Analyst. I'm still in school. This is my last semester. We still don't have kids and aren't pregnant. Yet.
I did just have a birthday. I got some sweet presents. My favorite from my wife was a Utes football jersey:
which was pretty much the only thing I really asked for. She also read my mind and knew I wanted the newest James bond movie, Quantum of Solace. She was really creative and also got me two Brian Regan stand-up DVDs (Standing Up and The Epitome of Hyperbole). I also got a couple of shirts (by the way, what's with all the different sizes within shirt sizes?? I told her to get me extra large because too big is better than too small but they were both smaller than any large I have in my possession!)
Brandie's family likes to exchanges gifts as well, so I got a gift card to Best Buy from Tony (Brandie's brother) and Rachel. I still haven't decided what to buy with it. Then her sister, Elyse, got me one other thing I asked for:
For those of you who don't live in Utah Valley, you won't get it, so here's the explanation:
I seem to remember shirts that said "for Perfection" underneath. Anybody have one? I'm not sure, but I know that "The Quest for Perfection" was their full slogan this year. (By the way, I'm pretty sure this is the only image left on the internet of this shirt.)
Brandie's parents got me a present that was a combination of a birthday present and a graduation (since they will be gone.) It's a Panasonic DVD player and 5.1 surround system. I hooked it up and it sounds really good. I was going to wait to buy one until we got into a house for the sake of our neighbors. But hey, our neighbors obviously don't care about that so what the heck. At least I set the subwoofer on a cardboard box so the bass won't travel downstairs as easily. Though it is tempting to just crank it up to spite them, I don't really want to give them an excuse to blast their music more.
My parents got me (and Dave, for his birthday) a cool "Official Allstate Sugar Bowl" celebrating Utah's perfect season and Sugar Bowl invitation. The team had a signing a month ago and Dave and I went got our hats signed.
Speaking of Dave, he gave me a couple of unique but awsome gifts. I will take some pictures soon and post them. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Words just won't cut it, so keep your eyes peeled.
Mike
The reason this blog is so neglected is that our lives right now are none too interesting to outsiders. Brandie is still working 3 12 hour shifts at IHC as a PCT (fancy term for a CNA). I still work at Orange Soda as an SEO Analyst. I'm still in school. This is my last semester. We still don't have kids and aren't pregnant. Yet.
I did just have a birthday. I got some sweet presents. My favorite from my wife was a Utes football jersey:
which was pretty much the only thing I really asked for. She also read my mind and knew I wanted the newest James bond movie, Quantum of Solace. She was really creative and also got me two Brian Regan stand-up DVDs (Standing Up and The Epitome of Hyperbole). I also got a couple of shirts (by the way, what's with all the different sizes within shirt sizes?? I told her to get me extra large because too big is better than too small but they were both smaller than any large I have in my possession!)
Brandie's family likes to exchanges gifts as well, so I got a gift card to Best Buy from Tony (Brandie's brother) and Rachel. I still haven't decided what to buy with it. Then her sister, Elyse, got me one other thing I asked for:
For those of you who don't live in Utah Valley, you won't get it, so here's the explanation:
I seem to remember shirts that said "for Perfection" underneath. Anybody have one? I'm not sure, but I know that "The Quest for Perfection" was their full slogan this year. (By the way, I'm pretty sure this is the only image left on the internet of this shirt.)
Brandie's parents got me a present that was a combination of a birthday present and a graduation (since they will be gone.) It's a Panasonic DVD player and 5.1 surround system. I hooked it up and it sounds really good. I was going to wait to buy one until we got into a house for the sake of our neighbors. But hey, our neighbors obviously don't care about that so what the heck. At least I set the subwoofer on a cardboard box so the bass won't travel downstairs as easily. Though it is tempting to just crank it up to spite them, I don't really want to give them an excuse to blast their music more.
My parents got me (and Dave, for his birthday) a cool "Official Allstate Sugar Bowl" celebrating Utah's perfect season and Sugar Bowl invitation. The team had a signing a month ago and Dave and I went got our hats signed.
Speaking of Dave, he gave me a couple of unique but awsome gifts. I will take some pictures soon and post them. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Words just won't cut it, so keep your eyes peeled.
Mike
Saturday, January 3, 2009
2009 Sugar Bowl Champs
Man, I love being a Utah fan! You're welcome, MWC. Dave and I sure did pick the perfect season to get season tickets.
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