kitchen is really really almost finished

Plumbing is installed (David rocked!) and I used the dishwasher twice already. I did lots of handwashing and threw all kinds of stuff in there so that I could start putting things away in our cabinets. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

one more step into the 21st century

I am excited to report that David and I have finally taken one more small leap into the 21st century. We are no longer connected to the internet at home by dial-up. We finally have a high speed connection! This is the second such move we have made (cellphones were #1). All we have left is to get more than two or three channels on our TV. I think we'll stay without cable a little longer until we get used to the amazing speed of our internet.

It seems that in order to stay in the information age you have to be willing to spend almost $200 a month to stay connected. I would guess that quite a few people pay more than that per month because they have the fancy souped up plans. I'm not that old (really!), but to have gone from landline phones to "crackberry's" seems like a big leap. I'm sure that by the time I'm ready to retire there will be something even more suited to staying connected. Well, at least I can say that because we are slow adopters, we get the benefit of lower prices and fewer buggy machines ;-)

Today is sink and garbage disposal install day. We went to look for plumbing supplies last night and it was quite overwhelming. The number of little brass couplings/unions/T's/elbows with different types and sizes of connectors was amazing. Hard to find what you need. I could only stand in front of them at the store for too long before I started getting a little cranky. I know David will do a good job and I'm glad that I'm just a helper on this.

dining room

If you ignore the half painted wall and the lack of baseboards, our dining room is looking pretty kick-ass! We bought the rug this weekend (I love it) and David installed the Bubble lamp last night. I can't wait to finish painting and get the baseboards on! The chairs are very comfortable and we bought some really cool placemats.

productive

David and I had a great weekend. We got lots done on the house, and bought a rug for under the kitchen table (it looks great). My comment to David about the rug was that our house is starting to feel like 'home'. We start sealing the granite countertop tonight and will be installing our new dining room light and installing the floor transition pieces (I think they have a specific name, but I can't remember it). Over the weekend we put the pulls on all the cabinets and I cut some shelf/drawer liner from IKEA to fit all the drawers/shelves. I would love to start filling some of the cabinets. I always like the part when you get to unpack the kitchen boxes after a move and decide where everything goes. I think we are going to change the location of some things...I'm looking forward to figuring it all out.

Oh- and we saw 2 movies (rentals) this weekend. "Hot Fuzz" is really funny if you can understand their accent throughout the movie.

swim pics

Everyone is clamoring for more triathlon pictures, and I've got a lot of the pre-swim and some post-swim, so here you go. I'll have to find good bike and run ones later.

Here is a general picture of what the swim start looked like. People went in waves by cap color. I really like this picture because the waves are right in line behind each other. Light blue, then pink, then purple. The purple caps were for the mixed age group, which I was in. I thought I'd be doing the tri with friends but I ended up doing it alone (but with thousands of other women ;-). There were like 7 or 8 waves just for the purple caps. I wanted to get it going and not stand there in the cold for too long so I ended up going in the second wave of purple caps.


Can you see me waving? We have a few pictures like this, but where I am a bit more hidden. They are sort of like those kids picture books where you are supposed to find the hidden guy or item.

I'm peeking my head above the others above. We were all shoved in tight together. It was probably a good thing because it kept me warmer that way. The rain was only sprinkling at this time. Or maybe I just didn't feel it because I was a bit nervous.

What can I say...I'm proud to be a triathlete!


Look for me in Pink/white and with the dark googles above. I'm splashing water over my shoulders because I didn't want to be totally shocked by the cold water when I got in. I think it helped because I didn't get my breath taken away quite as much as I would have expected.

What is everyone else looking at? What? There is a race going on here? I'm happy just posing for the pictures. It was really good to have David right there. It did keep my mind off the task to be accomplished which was a good thing for my first time, I think.


This is a part of the course out in Lake Washington. It doesn't look that long, but when you are in the middle, it sure feels long.


You can see me in pink climbing out of the water. I was kind of dizzy getting out and I almost fell over a bit. That is what I've got my hands out like that--trying to balance and steady myself.


and finally...I decided to jog my way back to my transition area. I'm not sure the jogging helped that much because that first transition was about 10 minutes! that is long!

destruction

So, this is what our next door neighbor's house looked like this morning. It no longer exists.

When we got home last night we talked to one of the contractor's assistants and he showed us the survey marker which makes it pretty clear that the fence that was torn down was theirs, not ours. So, the only fence we own is the one on the back alley which is is in the worst shape of all of them. The part that worries me about losing the fence is that we wanted to get a dog soon, and I don't know if they will adopt to us now...


This picture is from our backyard looking toward our house and the spot where our neighbor's house used to be. It is so empty!


I took this picture from our front door. See how close they are to us? It was really loud this morning, but all that dust was luckily blowing away from our house.

furniture arrival

I could hardly believe my eyes yesterday when the furniture we ordered 8 months ago was finally delivered. I was at home to accept the delivery. It all looks great.

(To tell the truth, I was a bit freaked out about the color) The table, chairs and barstools are all cherry--and they have the reddish orange look of cherry. I got a little worried about how they would clash with our red oak floor and our alder cabinets. I even got David a little worried. But he went home early to check out the furniture and told me that I was worrying for nothing and that it all looks great. The receiver assembled the furniture and everything but 2 chairs were assembled correctly. We'll fix the 2 that were done wrong.

We will need to get a rug for under the dining table, but we already were planning to do that.

We also purchased a new light fixture for above the dining table. It is a george nelson bubble lamp. See below for picture.

Also, our neighbor to the south, as some of you know, is planning to knock down the current house and built 2 houses on the double lot. Well today apparently they knocked down the house and took our fence with it. The fence destruction is problematic because we have been looking to adopt a dog, and the rescue places won't want to place a dog with us until we have a secure yard. I'll have to wait until I get home to know more about what it looks like. I'll take some pictures...

I did it!

I finished the triathlon. I also did it in the rain. Not just regular Seattle rain, but regular pelting/pouring rain. And I was very happy with my time. I was hoping that it would take me about 2 hours, but once I started getting nervous I sort of let that goal go. But when I was at the race I realized that I could definitely do it in under 2 hours. And that I did (just barely 1:56:36). I didn't push myself super hard, but I did run the whole run part, which I was very proud of. Here are just a handful of pictures to give you an idea of what my race was like. There is a picture from every leg. I'll post more once I decide which others I like best.

Here I am before the race trying to be tough ;-) David did a great job taking pictures throughout the race so I think I've got one like this from the very end, I'll have to edit it for posting.

Here I am at the swim start. I wasn't feeling that nervous--at least- not as nervous as I thought I would feel. The swim was definitely harder than I thought it would be.

Heading out with my bike for the bike start...I was waking the bike instead of running, so I probably lost some time there. Actually my first transition was something like 10 minutes because after I got my bike and got ready I realized I had to use the bathroom. And boy, it is hard to put on socks when your feet are all wet. (and the towel you brought to dry them is wet from the rain too)

And here is the run start. I was pretty pleased that I ran the whole way (even up a big hill!)

the hours count down

I'm no longer counting days to my triathlon, now I'm counting hours. The triathlon begins Sunday morning so I've got about 40 hours until the race, I think. This morning I decided I needed to only think positively about the race. So whenever I get a thought along the lines of "what the hell am I doing" or "who got me into this", or "I'm going to get eaten by a sea monster" I try to tell myself that it is going to be fine, and my bike won't break down and I won't drown and if I have to, I'll walk the 5K run. So, some possible mantras for race day are:

I can do it
I am strong
Hear me ROAR!

Any ideas for other mantras? I like these, but they aren't grabbing me like I thought they would.

in progress photos

Here are a few pictures of our not fully completed kitchen and bar area. We are using blue painters tape to open the cabinets b/c we haven't yet put the door pulls on yet.... we'll get there.
Last night we cut and put the plywood down on this countertop. We had bought a sink, but when we got it out of the box it was humongous! I pushed for this big sink, but I guess I didn't consider how it would look in the context of the rest of our fairly small kitchen. So, we are going to take the big sink back and buy one that is more normal sized...I think it would be 24 or 27" across. Once we get the sink we can cut the hole for the sink.

We laid out a few of our tiles to see what they would look like. It was so great to walk into the kitchen this morning and see these tiles and imagine the day when this would finally be over ;-)

Two views of the bar (one above and one below). This is all finished except for the backer board and tiling which will happen next week. Our tile guy said he would come on monday or tuesday and he can thinset the backboard onto the plywood then.

oh, the beautiful island

I didn't want to leave the island we visited this weekend. It was so wonderful and beautiful and relaxing. Even my boss told me I looked extra happy and relaxed today, my first day back at work.

However, my stomach is starting to give me some problems...I think it might be because the triathlon is THIS WEEKEND! Just a wee bit nervous, I guess. I did go for a run 2 of the days we were on the island. It was pretty cool to just run through the woods and not see another soul for the whole time.

almost open for business

The bar we are building between our kitchen and living room is almost open for business. Last night we installed the plywood substrate that will make up the bottom of the bar, as well as a wood trim piece. It looks good even though it is just plywood. You have to have a little imagination, but I can totally see what it will look like finished and it will look awesome! All that is left is to put on the hardibacker and then tile it. Tiling is supposed to start for the whole kitchen somewhere around August 20th. We haven't got the plywood substrates down in the kitchen yet, but I think we may work on that before the weekend (tonight). I know I need to take a picture of our progress. Or....maybe I'll just wait until we are totally done and then I'll post before and after pictures. Hmmmm... does anyone have a preference as to seeing the progress on the kitchen?

photos from columbus

About a week and a half ago, I went to see my dear friend from high school, Mikie (she now goes by Michael Ann), and her family: Her husband Dave, son Carter and new daughter Ella. Here are a few pictures from the visit.

Michael Ann and Carter-- they were trying to move a sailboat pond yacht with the power of the wind....they needed a bit more wind...


Here is sweetie-pie Ella. I felt totally helpless when she was crying and I couldn't get her to stop. In the background you can see one of their dogs, Buffy (she's a cock-a-poo).

Here is Dave and Carter after Carter played in the fountain at the outdoor shopping area.

They are such a cute family, and it was so great to see them. I can't wait to watch the little kids grow up!

furniture...sigh...

I'm learning that the process of ordering and receiving furniture is a bit like home improvements--it always takes longer than you thought.

In January, with money from christmas gifts, we ordered some furniture from one of my mom's suppliers. They said it would arrive in 4-6 months since it had to ship from Italy.

In early June we got in contact with the supplier and they said that they didn't have our check. In actuality, they had cashed the check in early february. So, we sent them a copy of the check and they said--oh yes, we have that, we just didn't know what furniture it went to. So, in June they told us we would get our furniture in another 1-2 months. This time they got the timing almost right.

We found out last week that at long last our furniture had arrived in Seattle and was sitting at the shipper's warehouse. Somehow the company had not passed along the information about who we wanted to receive the shipment. So, another few days goes by and the shipper gets approval to deliver it to our receiver. The receiver gets the shipment on friday and inspects it today.

Today we find out that one of the chairs is missing 2 special screws. So, now we have to wait for the supplier to send the screws and then just maybe, if all the planets align properly, we'll have our new furniture. It will be like Christmas in August!

ready to expand

No I'm not talking about my waistline.

and no, I'm not talking about our house.

I'm talking about our family.


Don't get all excited...I know what you are thinking...

We are ready to get a dog. (I had you fooled there, didn't I?)
I sent an email today to the Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue Golden Retriever rep to tell her we were ready to start looking for a dog. I'm very excited about this. It may take awhile because there aren't always goldens available, and sometimes the goldens they have available aren't a good match with the family. I'll keep you updated on the search. YEA!

official apology

I had no idea I had been so neglectful of my blog. Today I went to the blog and noticed that I only had 5 posts in July and only 8 in June. I am so so sorry. I knew I had been slacking off, and for awhile there I was only posting about twice a week, but 5 posts in one month is just disgraceful. I mean really....I'm sure some of you remember the good old days when there was a post almost every day. Even when I had nothing to say, I found something to write about. I think I still have things to say and stuff to write about, but my life has become so much busier that I forget that I have something to say.

And so...today I'd like to describe my phantom office sharer. This morning when I walked into the office I noticed my keyboard and mouse were quite different than when I left, but I chalked that up to the cleaning folk being extra rough. But then I noticed 2 dark chocolate M&M's on my desk. One Blue, One Green. Just sitting there. I haven't had dark chocolate M&M's for months. They (seemingly) just appeared there. I could only assume that if there was candy on my desk, that someone had made themselves comfortable in my office at some point while I was gone. I'm tempted to leave the 2 M&M's with a note asking the person if they would like to finish their M&M's that they left yesterday. I might actually do it. Maybe it was just the cleaning people having a snack and forgetting about their leftovers, but it does feel a little creepy to me.

Harry Potter

I just can't believe the last book is finally here. I started reading it on saturday and I am about 3/4 of the way through. I want to see the end, but I also am not ready for it to end. I know lots of "grown-ups" who have followed the series and are now finishing up the last book. In about a week or so, I think lots of people will be having water cooler discussions about the book. I've been impressed that no one who has finished the book has tried to tell me the ending, or even give me hints. They have all be very vague about the ending. I'm happy about that.

2 workouts today

Today I did two workouts. But don't worry- the first workout was only a 1 mile run with some stretching and abs, and the second workout was about a 30 minute swim. I haven't been to the pool since before Hawaii, so it was sort of an eye-opener to realize how quickly my endurance was depleted. I swam during lunch and did the run in the morning before work. I was ravenous by 2:30. I've got to make this a priority for myself otherwise I'll be wiped out during the triathlon. I only have 4.5 weeks until the big day. eek!

My cousin's wedding

This past week I took the time on wednesday to sort through my Portland pictures of my cousin L's wedding. It was really beautiful. It was so hard knowing I had gone through them on wednesday and made them smaller and all that and then couldn't remember to bring them to work to load on the fast connection (got dial-up here). So, because I feel so guilty, I am going to go through as much of the tortuous process of uploading photos here at home as I can stand. Here are 20 or so pictures of the wedding weekend! I'll narrate (as always) below the pictures. I made all the pics low-res to make them easier to load, but if you like one of them, I can send the full resolution to you via email.

I really only got one good picture from the rehearsal/out of town guests dinner. I thought this one was great. Maybe one of the best smiles I've seen on emily :-)

As I was looking through the pictures I realized that there is a sort of haze in many of the pictures. I'm wondering if the salt water breezes in Hawaii may have put some sort of film over the lens? Anyway, the haziness is hopefully something that can be fixed for future photos. The wedding was at the Rhododendron garden in Portland. It was a really nice setting, and mostly shaded too, which was great!

Here is Jodi and me! Happy Girls.

Here is the Groom, D. with his parents. I love the men's suits. It was perfect for a summer wedding! David and I both really liked the ties that D. wore at the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. L. told us she was responsible for the great taste ;-)

The Bride and her parents. The dress L wore was her Aunt's, with few modifications. It was really beautiful!

Em and Melissa. This is a great picture of them!

Here are the sisters. I forgot my sunglasses otherwise I'd be cool like Em and Jodi too. Of course, by the end of the night both of them had lost their sunglasses, so maybe it was a good thing I didn't bring mine.

This is just a long shot so you can see our outfits in their entirety. I got lots of compliments on my dress--it felt perfect for a summer wedding.

The siblings. This pic has my dad and his 5 siblings. I'm always amazed when I see them at how similar they all look. They have been getting together lots lately. I think that they all know that their time as a complete sibling pack is slowly drawing to a close. I think it is great how much time they spend together and how well they can all get along.

And here are the siblings again, with the wives added in.

I love the look on L's face in this one. She looks kind of mischievous, like she is having a great time. The dancing was great, and their DJ was superb.

I loved their flowers. Hydrangeas, calla lilies (personal fav), and dahlia's. There was another flower, but I don't know the name of it. The colors were so fresh and perfect.

The cakes were beautiful, and tasted great.

I had to add this dancing picture in because I love D's rolled up pants and bare feet. With L holding up her dress it is just perfect.

Here is the whole clan breaking it down on the "dance-floor" (except me). I was obviously taking the picture. But don't you worry---I shook my booty out there too!

I like this cute picture of L's parents, my aunt and uncle. They were so happy that whole day- I didn't see them stressed at all or anything.

Jodi and our Cousin A's new kid. I swear, every time I saw this kid he had a smile on his face. I told his dad that it is hard to imagine that he is ever fussy, because he just seemed to be loving everything the whole time.

I thought this was a great picture of Mel. She has a cool new haircut that I just love!

The sun setting as we left the wedding. It was a wonderful wedding and a wonderful weekend. Thanks L and D for throwing such a great party for your wedding!

And while the sunset might have been the perfect ending, I had to post this picture. We stopped for lunch in a small town (Centralia, WA, I think) on the way home and in the women's bathroom they had this sink Many of the different fixtures actually worked. They had a more staid and traditional sink and faucet next to this one, but who in their right mind wouldn't wash their hands in this fun sink?

Happy Birthday Jeremiah!

Super happy birthday wishes to Jeremiah today!
I hope you have a greeeaaat Birthday (say it like Tony the Tiger).
I appreciate all your comments on the blog. It is great to know you are still around, and checking in on me ;-)

back in the saddle

We are back from Hawaii and back to work. I've got some family in town for a wedding in Portland, which is nice because they get to see all the fruits of our hard work on our house and yard. Even though we don't yet have a kitchen sink or completely installed cabinets, they can imagine how nice it will look when it is done. It is great to share your home with friends and family.