Thanksgiving update!

This year we have so much to be thankful for! The last two days have been spent in the company of some of the most important people in our lives. Wednesday we hosted a celebration of the holiday with over 20 of our closest friends. Yesterday we journeyed over to Tampa to celebrate and eat again! with my side of the family as Rusty's parents and grandparents were in Alabama for the holiday. We felt so blessed for not only the company but also the abundance of food, our heath and wellbeing.

On another note, last week was Rusty's last week at Cubic Defense. He was laid off with all of the other contract workers. We are hoping for an offer for full time work from the company in the new year. In the meantime, he is back at Greenway Ford managing the Quick Lube on Friday and Saturdays. Thank goodness for nursing!!

We hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Surgery, remodel and more!

So, it's been almost a month since my surgery and everything is going well! I am back to work and getting around ok but still need to rest a lot and not yet ready for biking or rollerblading. I am having physical therapy 2 times a week and seem to be making pretty good progress! As happy as I am to be this far along, I can't wait to be pain free and exercising again!!

Flowers from my Dad and Jim after surgery!

As for Rusty, things have been going really well in school! He made a 96% on his first Biology test and a 92% on the lab practical!! I am so proud of him!!! Not only is school going well, he is also loving work. Most recently, he was chosen to test a product his company was trying to market to potential buyers. They got to choreograph a whole battle scene and dress up in full gear and shoot simulator weapons at each other. I don't quite understand the thrill it but he really enjoys it : )

Besides being busy at work and school, Rusty also finished our floor installation (all 3 bedrooms) with his dad in just 3 weeks! Talk about staying busy! But now the laminate is finally in and looks AMAZING!! It has been super easy to maintain and we are so glad it's finally done. Of course, we have several more projects lined up...but isn't that how it always is with a house? Anyway, they'll have to wait for the budget to grow and some time to relax and enjoy!

Earlier this week I also hosted a baby shower for my good friend Boni! She is expecting a baby girl right around Thanksgiving!! Can't wait to meet her!

The next thing on our agenda is a trip to Alabama to visit Rusty's grandparents (with a possible side trip to UWF?!) More later!

The living room is done!

Before:

After:

Furniture's in!!

Well, not to say that installation was easy, but it's done!! The first 3 rows were very difficult for us but once we got the hang of things, it went fairly quickly. We had some pretty tough cuts up by the entryway and that took some time but in a week, it was done : ) Overall very happy with the results. Although, I never want to paint another baseboard again...oh wait, we have 3 more rooms to go!! (At least they are small...) Rusty is hanging in there with his classes and new job. His first Biology test in Monday so keep him in your thoughts!! Guess we better buckle down and study this weekend : ) As for Monday, I'll be in surgery for my knee. More later...

...and then there was tile!

Starting last Wednesday we have been tiling the kitchen. When I say we, I mean the dog and me! While Rusty was lucky enough to be off at work I decided to tile the kitchen. Besides the temporary insanity and the nightmares about cutting and re-cutting tiles, it went well! The first day, I laid all the full tiles. The second day I spent 12 hours on the cut tiles and didn't even finish! Rusty helped at the end of the 3rd day cutting the more difficult ones then I mortared them in place. The 4th day was spent on the grout (only a couple hrs total!). Then Rusty and his dad cut and nailed in the baseboards and the following day I caulked them in place and touched up with some bright white paint! In exactly a week our kitchen is transformed. I've never been so happy to do laundry before (wonder how long that will last!?). Check out the progress in our photo album...laminate.



Before:


After:



This weekend we plan to FINALLY start on the laminate. It seems the leaks are fixed...cross your fingers! I put so much caulk on those stupid windows. I'm learning houses are literally held together with nothing other than caulk...who knew?


Other than that..nothing much going on. Rusty is busy with this new work/school schedule. He is finally understanding the fatigue and exhaustion that comes with rising before 5am : )


Keep your fingers crossed for us for a smooth laminate laying weekend!!!

BIG News!!

Oh where to begin!? So much has happened in the past few weeks it's hard to keep up! Most importantly, Rusty has a new job!! He has been searching hard for the past few months and had a bite with Disney a few weeks back but no positions were available. Finally, he has found something! His last day at Greenway Ford will be Friday. He starts with a company called Cubic on Monday morning!

Cubic is a company that takes weapons, guns, etc. and disassembles them and converts them into simulator training weapons for use in the military, police academies, ect. The starting pay isn't bad and there are opportunities to advance, good retirement, great benefits and once an employee for some time they will reimburse 90% of the cost of tuition to the school of his choice! The hours are 6am-3:30pm 4 days one week and 5 the next week to make his 80 hour paycheck. He doesn't have to work weekends or holidays (where can I sign up??)! Keep him in your thoughts as he starts his new job AND his first day in school both start Monday!!

Next, I spent a few days traveling to Pensacola to see my sister at the University of West Florida. Who knew you could drive for 8 hours and STILL be in the state of Florida? I was lucky enough to stay with her and her roommate in the dorms, helping her get settled in and checking out the town! Her major is Exercise Science and she started classes Monday. From what I hear she has also joined the swim team! Never and idle moment... Makes me think back to my time in college and hard to believe that ended 2 years ago!

...Now I'm grown up, own my own home and am dealing with the disaster that is our home right now! After paying to have the leaks diagnosed on our back door and window, we spent hours caulking and hoping that they were fixed. Although, after a hard rain we were STILL leaking! Yesterday, they came back out and found still more leaks and potential future leaks. Looks like there is still a lot more work to be done : (

While we await the drying and testing of the new caulk, we have started work on the tile. We decided since the house is already a disaster, why not tear up some more while we're at it? The kitchen is the next on the list. Dannis so nicely came over and showed us how to tile the foyer area. As of this morning it's DONE!!!! We have successfully completed one of our many projects! Next week we will tile the kitchen and hopefully the week after the leaks will be fixed and the laminate will finally be laid in the main living area. Keep checking back for updates on the madness!

In the midst of all this, my bum knee that has been a bother for the past year and a half, is finally going to the OR. After another visit to the doctor, my knee has continued to crack and grind, and hurt! We decided surgery is the best option. It is a simple outpatient procedure that will happen on October 5th. I will be taking a week and a half off from work to recover. Keep me in your thoughts and hope that this fixes the problem!!

Our next trip will be the end of September up to Tennessee to visit our friend Kara. Looking forward to some hiking (gotta get that in before surgery...haha) and catching up with my friend!

Demolition...

First, we have come and gone to the Bahamas on the Royal Caribbean cruise with Rusty's parents. We really enjoyed ourselves and got in some much needed sleep and relaxation (and tons of delicious food)!



Second, I have, once again gotten a wild hair and decided that now is the time to replace our carpet with laminate. It is such a good thing that Rusty understands my madness....or puts up with the insanity is more like it. In any case, the carpet is gone...yay! I spent the last 2 days tearing up carpet, pad, tack strips and baseboards from our main living area and entry way. It was strangely therapeutic...somehow I don't think the install will be as easy! Besides 2 huge piles of dirt and sunflower seeds behind the walls, I also discovered 3 areas of rotted tack strips from water leaks. We think some of these were repaired from painting the house and re-caulking the windows but didn't really expect to find all that : ( Good thing we started early.



Our 50 boxes of laminate have arrived and install should start next Sunday. In the meantime we are touching up our paint job (finally) from when we moved in last year, cutting back the drywall and trying to repair the areas that might leak and ruin our new floors! Keep checking back for updates : )

Florida Keys and more...

So we finally packed up the car and headed to the Keys with Paige and Brooke. Well, we maybe should have waited longer, like until the winter! While we had a good time together it was unbearably hot and humid! Although, we did have a beautiful view of the ocean right on our campsite! Each morning we woke up to the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore, and the buzzing of mosquitoes in our tent (haha)! After settling in our first night we experienced a torrential downpour which flooded the girl's tent. A typical camping adventure for us, this was all new for Brooke! We promised her it wasn't always so miserable!

Sunset in Key West

The next day we hoped in the car and headed for Key West. We spent the day sight seeing and stayed for the sunset celebration on the pier. We returned home late that evening. The next day we drove around in the car and enjoyed the AC mostly. We finally found a "beach" that got deeper than 2 1/2 feet deep! Actually, it was more just a pull off on the side of the highway, but we enjoyed the water and even a picnic lunch. We all decided that we would leave late that night instead of sweating out another night in the tent. Little did we know there was 40 miles of bumper to bumper traffic awaiting us that night! Honestly, all in all we enjoyed ourselves. However, next time we camp in the Keys it won't be in June!!!

View of a water spout from our campsite!

I started on night shift last week and so far, I've survived! It's going to take some time to adjust to the creative sleeping pattern but it's definitely going to work out for the next few years. It has been nice in a way, giving me more time at home with my family. Mostly, I am able to exercise Layla a lot more and be home with her in the daytime, even though I am usually asleep.

One thing I have been able to enjoy is my mini-garden. While my bean plant didn't make it, my tomato plant is doing well and is producing yummy cherry tomatoes! It is so nice to go outside and pick them fresh for dinner! Also thriving are the basil and oregano plants. Along with the extra "me" time, I've also decided to give back a little. I toured the shelter that brought Layla to us in preparation for volunteering with them a few days per month. I'll be helping out with the dogs, bathing, walking and whatever else needs doing!

This summer we are learning the joys of home ownership! This winter we painted the house and thought that would be all the home improvement we'd be doing for awhile. Last month we came home from the Keys to a sauna, inside the house! Luckily, Dannis works with an AC company on the side and they were able to help temporarily fix the air. Unfortunately, we need to replace the outdoor unit this summer. Not to mention the hell Layla has put our carpet though in the last few months she's been a part of our family! Replacing the carpet is a close second our our list of home repairs this summer! Yikes! Looks like that extra cash from night shift will be put to use sooner than later!!

This weekend we are looking forward to a vacation with Rusty's parents. We are taking a 3 night cruise to the Bahamas!