Birthday celebrations

I see more progress on the home front. Look mom even came over in her apron, perhaps ready to cook at 34???

A birthday dinner with friends and family. Happy birthday Chris and Laura. It was a lot of fun tonight.

The two people celebrating birthdays, Chris and Laura

Carol made Laura the cutest bag. Love it!

My new fashion forward cousin

I guess we are trying to demonstrate here that Laura has abs of steel.

Pix Update Kitchen

Here are a few more picture updates. More to come tomorrow.

Picture Update

The project is coming together. The bathroom is really looking good. Lots of cabinets in the kitchen to be installed.

A reminder

it's been a great experience getting ready for this run October 5. I am so thankful for all the people who have so generously supported me. The overwhelming support of friends and family has helped me a lot on those days when I just don't feel like running. If anyone is still interest in getting involved in supporting me as I run the Army 10 miler (In Washington DC) in an effort to raise money for Taps, there's still time. For those who are unfamiliar, Taps is the Tragedy assistance program for Survivors. It is a national organization that provides support, assistance etc to families who have lost loved ones while serving our country. You can click on the link below and it will talk you through the steps. Easy easy.... Thanks again everyone.


Click Here to Donate

Things

It was a strange day. I worked last night, if you can call it that. 3 nurses, 1 patient, no babies. I was supposed to work again tonight, but as I was showered, caffeinated and on my way to work, they called me off. Absolutely no patients and I guess none on the horizon. Initially it was a bit frustrating since I had slept all day but you know what, I would rather be at home doing stuff for me then sitting in the hospital, watching TV all night. So, I had dinner and headed off to the gym. I had a great run while watching DWTS.

Now I am over at my house, doing wash, dusting, going through mail and papers. I hate paper and papers. Too much. Grady got in trouble, stole a banana out of my bag. We have made up. He is sitting beside me on the couch. I need a dog bed over here so the fur kids don't get the idea that the couches belong to them. They are so not used to being here. It takes them awhile to settle down every time I bring them over. Maybe once we live here they will be ok.

Absolutely nothing got done on the project today. Frustrating. I was hoping the bathroom would be completed.

That's about it. I need to venture up to the office to do some paper work.

Picture Update

A glimpse of beautiful hardwood floors below.

Fall flowers....





Hopefully tomorrow everything else will get put in the bathroom.

Yeah!

I'll let the watch speak for itself. Lets just say it was a good run. Not bad after a crazy night at work, slept 4 hrs, had 2 scoops of peanut butter and a cup of coffee and off i went

Friday Morning

and I am still awake. It should be sleeping but I am still awake. It was a crazy night and it carried right on into the morning. It is either feast or famine on the ward and last night it was a feast. So, that being said, I left work late, frazzled since I knew I was going to be late for my 0845 appointment at the vet for Dyllan. But why do I worry about things like that. I treasure timeliness but I arrived 5 minutes late and didn't get seen for another 40. It was like I went from one chaotic place to another. Tons of little rat dogs in for nausea/ vomiting/ diarrhea or pneumonia. Must be all the seasonal changes. All in all I was heading home around 10 am.
I popped by the house and checked in with the guys. They are grouting today and hopefully be installing the bathroom at the start of the week. Then the kitchen will start to go in by the end of the week. Fingers crossed it goes according to plan.
Off to sleep for a few hours. Have to do some running when I get up.

Rants and pictures

Some times you just have to wonder if the Lord is really good. I have had almost a year of wondering that and nothing has changed. You think, ok, I have sustained enough, I have to be on the upswing, and then again, you realize in a very cold, hard way, nope, not yet, maybe never. Perhaps I am going to continue on to live a marginal life and if that is the case I just want to know now so I don't get my hopes up. A life full of disappointments, covered up by the facade of carrying on a normal life, doing what "regular" people do, it is all just so hollow. Maybe this is the time when I should read one of the multitude of books on how to grieve right, or how to bear loneliness. I mean, what the heck, I this is one time in my life I don't want to just follow the rules and do it the "right way". The last thing I want to do is learn how to be happy with my sadness and loneliness. I don't want to be lonely. I don't want to be sad. Reading about it is not going to make me better. If there is one thing that I can ever get across to my readers, don't give books when to a grieving someone. If they want to read about the very situation that they are in, they will go and get what they want themselves. Do something more practical, like spend time with them so that they feel a bit less lonely and sad. Nobody needs to read about the very experience that they are going through.
I told my mom today that I am having a horrible life, she said I should say I have a great life but I am going through a rough patch. I said, whatever, it has been a bad year. Nothing impersonal ever happens to me. It's never like, hey, your car got hit in the parking lot or a tree fell over in your yard or a flower pot got broken in the move. No, for me it is, hey, my husband was killed for no good reason, my new computer dies will all my final memories of my husband, my bank card number gets stolen and thousands removed my checking account and what do you know, my brand new computer gets dropped on the pavement and the motherboard is ruined along with who knows what else. Good news is, I bought the service plan at Best Buy, bad news is, probably going to lose all the pictures from May onward. I guess I didn't learn my lesson to put all pictures in two places. But I wasn't aware my computer was going to go pavement surfing.
Well, in an effort to be civil, I guess I should end on a positive note. I needed a change of scenery so mom and I went to the flower farm in CT and then on to NYC. It was a beautiful weekend. It was a lot of fun to be away, and to just live in the city for a few days. The food was good, I love eating great ethnic food that you can't get up here and just experiencing the city. There is no place like it. So many outdoor vendors and activities. You would never be bored living there. Here are some picture updates for the week. The house is coming along. More to come on that.
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A trip to White Flower Farm in CT. The pictures I think speak for themselves. I would love to go back in the spring when every thing is fresh and in bloom.
I have never seen mums so big, 1/2 a bushel.




The tuberous begonia green house. I have NEVER seen such large, amazingly beautiful begonias. The vast majority in the green house were just for show. So beautiful.


The project pushes on. It was greeted to a large amount done in the 3 days that I was away. I left Friday night with just the shower enclosure completed and now the floor is down in the bathroom as is the wood floor in the kitchen. yeah! Lots of progress. I don't have a picture of the wood floor because it is so nicely wrapped up in paper to protect it as the guys work. Finally, perhaps the end is in site.


So this is the site that greeted me as I drove down Judson to my house tonight. Wow! I didn't realize the wind strength I guess. Chris told us on the phone as we were driving home that there was a microburst type of thing last night but I didn't realized just how close to home it might hit. This is a weeping willow that is located just over the fence line on my neighbors property. A lovely white fence with a beautiful border garden is just crushed under there. That is a lot of tree to clean up. The ironic thing is that I just had a discussion with them last weekend and that is one of two trees that they really didn't want anything done to. Apparently it was not as healthy as it seemed????

Work Days

I had a big work morning at the house, in the yard. Lots more foliage was removed and things are looking good. I definitely need a new fence along the perimeter to keep Grady in and I would love to level the yard and plant gardens but one step at a time. I still have a bit more clean up to do in the mean time.



These guys are amazing workers and great playmates for Grady.

Jon, this one is for you. Ben cut down a cedar and the parents took all parts of it in the truck to camp.


This is something that is in the yard. A well? Not sure. There is just a small opening into it, just enough to fit the camera in to document. Strange.

Swimming and house updates

The dogs at fall island today. It seems the seasons are a bit messed up. We are now having summer. I got in the car today and the temp read 104. Hummmmm

I really love the color for the kitchen. Lighthouse Landing. I thought it was going to be a bit light but I think it is going to look so nice with all the cabinets and appliances. By the time everything gets in, there is going to be so little wall space actually visible.

There is so much stuff in the back room just waiting to be installed.


I took this picture to try and show the understated color I have picked for the bathroom, light pewter. This is where the toilet will be with a built in above.

My tub/shower enclosure.

Two built in cabinets will be going in the wall holes.

This is a sample of my tile, a broken piece. Possible stain color. And there is color on the wall, can't you tell. I am excited about how the project is coming out.

catching up

I just finished catching up with the 30 emails that I received today along with blogs that I try and stay current with on a regular basis. I have to agree with Rach, work really can put a damper on the more fun things of life.
So, I had my last day of working day shift. I am still on orientation for my first few weeks of night shift but I have to say I am a bit relieved that I no longer have to get up at 0500.
Work is going fine. I don't love it and I don't hate it. I just do it with minimal distaste and minimal enjoyment. Sad I think. But I guess that is how a lot of people tend to go through life. Perhaps it will get better over time. but maybe not.
The house is coming along. I think that there is going to be priming done tomorrow. I haven't been over today and I am a bit nervous to step inside since I just know the place is covered in dust from all the sanding today. So far I have picked out the colors for the kitchen but the bathroom is a bit more of a struggle. I can't decide between a bluish gray or just a gray. It is such a cool color and the rest of my house is filled with nice warm tones but maybe it would be a good change for the bathroom.
Well, that is about it for now. All the visitors have gone home and things are really weirdly quiet. I guess I just got used to the hustle and bustle of the crowds over the last few months.
Hopefully I will have more updated house pics in the next few days.