Tiling...day one

Yesterday we began the process of tiling the kitchen and dining area. My dad had spent a few days prepping the area (leveling the floor, laying backer board), and we were finally able to start with the fun stuff. I am his tiling "apprentice." I'm enjoying this addition because I'm learning more about building and other home improvement. So I was excited when my dad said I could help him tile. We got 33 tiles down before we had to call it quits. It was getting late and I know my dad was getting really sore. We'll be back at it again today, and hopefully will finish all of it.

My mom and Jim went to Sweet Retreat, Waterville's local ice cream hangout, and got the puppies some much deserved vanilla soft serve for their patience. They've been so good during the renovation. I know there's times they've been cooped upstairs for hours, but they've been terrific.

Jenna's Shower

So I am a week behind on posting. Last Saturday was my cousin, Jenna's baby shower in Lima. It was so good to see family, and all the new babies. They are all cute as a bug and it's so funny to see them all so close in age; I think the oldest and youngest are 4 months apart! And Jenna looked beautiful as always. You can hardly tell she had given birth less than two weeks prior. Here's some fun pics from the shower. Above is my Aunt Connie holding Arela.

Arela

Jenna opening gifts

Lacie in her bumpy seat

Marty hanging out

Jenna bottle feeding Arela

My cousins Val & Eric with Eric's son, Nathan

Nathan Xavier

Arela all tuckered out

Granite!

We got the lighting fixtures in for the dining area and bar top, and moved the furniture from our old living room into the new one. I am loving the way the furniture looks in the yellow room. I know Jim wasn't crazy about the color because he thinks it's too bright, but I'm hoping it grows on him. There's times I walk into the room and still cannot believe it's our house.

On Saturday the 17th, our granite countertops arrived. As you can see, I seem to enjoy taking pics of delivery trucks :) We selected Uba Tuba (a black stone with flecks of silver and gold), and purchased everything thru Universal Marble & Granite off Stickney in Toledo. I am thrilled with the quality of the product. It was sooo worth it to get granite, and I have no regrets. I will take some more pics later of the "finished" countertops with the crown molding trim. Slowly we have moved in dishes, small appliances, and other items. It's a work in progress, but the end is near. I can't wait to just relax and enjoy our new living space.

Jim's Surgery

Thanks to all who have called, texted, or emailed regarding Jim. He had a double hernia surgery last Wednesday, and is still recovering. The surgery went well, but he has been in a lot of pain. The incision site just started bruising the other day, so he looks really bad. We are getting him as much rest as possible and are keeping up with the pain medications. The hardest thing is trying to get him to not lift anything or work on the house. He did say I am a tough nurse, though, because I don't let him get away with anything! He has a kidney stone surgery on Tuesday of this week, so we'll be going through this all over again. Please keep Jim in your thoughts and prayers!

Girls' Nites

I love love LOVE my nights out with the girls. There's nothing better than good friends and good conversations (and maybe a cocktail or two). In the past few weeks, we were fortunate to get together twice; once at Bravo and again at Shorty's. And, we just so happened to "close down" both places. I swear, waitresses hate us because we always sit around talking long after the bills are paid. Sometimes it makes for a long day, but I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything in the world. I love you, girls!

At Shorty's, we were very lucky to have a Ms. Bender in town from Costa Rica. Her story about the Huevos Man still cracks me up just thinking about it. Unfortunately, we also had to say a sad good-bye to Doney. She has accepted a job in San Diego and will be leaving this week. I've gotten so used to having her around that this is going to be really hard. But I know she will do great things and will be very successful in her new endeavors. It won't be the same without you, Donny!

Maumee Thunder

Above is the framed caricature of what the girls gave the coaches as gifts, and they signed around the edges. I think this is sooooo cool. In my seven years of coaching, no one has ever made me anything like this. It actually brought tears to my eyes! This will definitely be displayed somewhere throughout our home.

For those of you who may not know, I stopped coaching at the high school Varsity level after the 2009 season. This summer I agreed to help with the 16U travel team. It consisted of many of the girls I had previously coached. Plus it was less commitment, with no practices and games only on the weekends. Last Sunday wrapped up our summer tourney schedule. While we did not do well in many of our games, the girls were great and I had a ton of fun. I'm already looking forward to next season!

Fishing Charter

We left Chicago at 4:30 am to head to Indiana for a fishing charter with Dad McNellis and Jody. On our way out of the city, we stopped at a 24 hour Subway so that we could eat fresh later in the day. Jim had the pleasure of getting our sandwiches amongst all the drunks, and just a side note, $5.00 footlongs do not exist on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

This was my first fishing experience EVER, so I had no clue what to expect. Since I was the rookie, I got to go first in the rotation. The first fish was soooo strong and heavy. I reeled in a king salmon, which also happened to be the biggest fish of the day! We caught two salmon and nine trout. This is me with the biggun' - I feel like such a champion! Although at times it was very slow waiting for the fish to bite, it was a beautiful day and I had a great time on the lake, spending time with family.

So gross that I had to take a pic of the bloody cooler...

The middle one is the big kahuna salmon

We had such a great time, and are thinking of making this an annual trip. I never knew, but I guess there are different fish at different times of the year. So we'll try to get some more salmon and perch in the future...I love it that my husband challenges me to do new things. He's still working on getting me to go camping with him...

Navy Pier and Spirit of Chicago

So I'm a bit behind on posting, but here's some pics from Friday night in Chicago after the Cubs game. After the game, we rushed to our expensive ($92), old, plain hotel, and got ready for dinner. Jim had booked a 3 hour dinner cruise off of Navy Pier. We met up with his dad and Jody again, and walked around before our voyage. There was a yummy buffet dinner and the cruise went around Lake Michigan for 3 hours. We got some great pics of the Chicago skyline as we watched the sun set. It was very nice, but I felt it was too long. Two hours would have been sufficient. It got chilly outside. Plus after the long day, I was exhausted and dozed a bit in a chair on the deck. We got back to the hotel about 11:15 (after a crazy cab ride in which our driver just ran a red light for no reason). We were able to get a few hours of sleep before heading off to Michigan City, Indiana for our fishing trip...

Cabinets!

Our cabinets were delivered by yet another large Lowe's truck on Saturday morning. They were piled in a heap in the middle of our kitchen (see below).

Sunday was cabinet day. We had two of the builders over here helping, and I stepped in to help after my morning softball game. My dad came over after his baseball game and helped put up a few wall cabinets. You would not believe the volume of cardboard and styrofoam used to pack those things. I made four trips to the recycling center down the street; my little Saturn was so full that I couldn't even see out the passenger side! But I made it. And we filled up two full trash cans of styrofoam and other packaging.

By 8:30 pm, all cabinets were hung. We pulled the appliances out of the boxes and put them in place, but they are not "operating" just yet. I love love love how it looks. Kudos to my hubby, who designed everything. He did a fantastic job and we are going to have so much storage. Such a change from the old one...Our electrician is finishing up everything tonight. And the granite place came out today and took measurements. We go tomorrow after work to pick out the slab they will cut everything out from. I am dreading the cost, but it is going to be so beautiful and a product that will last a loooooong time! We still have to lay the flooring (wood and tile) down, so maybe that will be done before the 25th. My dad and I will be tackling the tile, since he is a pro at it (he did our upstairs bathroom and it looks fabulous).