Daily thought

First of all, I ran 5 miles this morning. Hilly miles, and mostly up hill!!! Of course I ran with Julie. :)
Stucco guys come back this afternoon as do the painters to do some more work on the inside of the office. I am happy :)
I read this great daily thought today:

Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed.
— Corita Kent

I like it. It's a good thought. I want to paint it on my wall.
I am ready to start my day. A little late but starting. Have to get a lot of work done before my 10 am conference call AND find a new temporary office for me to work from. I don't think it will be very comfortable to work under plastic. have a super day and live each moment.

More progress, much more

Today was a big milestone here. The roof is done! Yes, done. Can't see it yet as it was dark when I finally got a chance to take some pictures.

The first coat of stucco went on, it's the scratch coat. Has to cure before the next coat can go on. Not sure when that will be. A day or so I guess.



The painters got here this evening as they wanted to start mudding and taping the drywall inside. Yes, inside! My new office is finally getting finished inside! There is a sheet of plastic draped over part of the big desk. They wanted to get it done this evening so it could dry and they could do more work tomorrow afternoon. Yep, that's right. Next coat goes on and the ceiling in the old office gets scrapped. Good bye ugly popcorn cottage cheese bumpy ceiling stuff. Good bye!

I have to find another temporary home for my work office now. Hmmm. Living room?


We are having the rest of the ceiling scrapped too. Might start on Friday. But not sure yet.


So close to getting done. I can't wait to see it when it's all done! But a lot of work to do still and more projects to get scheduled. I suppose this weekend will be spent packing up the rest of the house and taking things down from the walls. Oh what fun that is. But I know that in about 2 months it will all be done. At least that I what I am wishing for.

Updates, and many of them

Life has just been crazy busy and that's why I haven't been around much. I have so many emails and stuff to do but there are other priorities.

Evelyn spent some time at a beach house in Oceanside last week with her bff and family. They had such a great time at the beach.

We were all there on Sunday. Then Evelyn went back a few days. Greg had fun in the waves too. I had my camera on some other setting and the pictures came out very light. Didn't know this till I looked at the photos later.

House. Tuesday the new roof was started. Inspector was here on Tuesday morning to inspect the drywal nailing and the building paper and chicken wire on the side of the house. The roof should be done today. Scratch and lath and then final coat for the stucco. Drywall taping, mud and final finish inside.

The front of the house sure has changed. I just love it! Our neighbor says it looks lovely.

This is the chicken wire over the building paper. I just thought it looked kinda neat as a photo.



This is Evelyn's room It was hard to get a good picture. Her room is done in stripes. It looks so cool! A lighter blue with darker blue stripes.

I did some painting inside, hall and entry. Need to still do the family room and living room. But big furniture to move and things to box up and ran out of boxes.

Sunday, mom mom and Evelyn and I headed to the Valley to visit with my cousin and her family. Her youngest is a year older than Evelyn and the girls get along so great. The baked cookies, chatted, did each other's hair and made lots and lots of plans. We will see them again in October at our family reunion. We had a great visit with them :)

Monday, hung out and did some things around the house and got ready for school. Then headed to a bbq with family and chilled out for awhile.

Running and boot camp. I finished up 2 weeks of boot camp last Friday. I will miss it. But still running. I ran 6.2 miles Saturday in San Clemente. The last 2 were along the path along the beach. I have the best running friends! Monday I ran a 5K (3.1 miles) in RSM. Julie and I ran. My time was 30:40 (30 min, 40 sec) It's been so long since I last ran a 5K that I can't remember my last time. But this time was pretty good. I couldn't figure out where the finish was and probably could have gotten close to 30 minutes or below if I knew. Oh well, there is always next time.

Julie's husband was at the race and got some photos of us. He must have done some great editing because they really don't look that bad. I was wondering what I looked like running, all sweaty and smelly and out of breath.

Tuesday, Julie and I ran the lake at 5:30 am. We made pretty good time too. I was going to run this morning but when the alarm went off, my body refused to get out of bed. Maybe I will run tonight.

First day of school went great. When I picked up the kids they were non stop chatting about this and that and the power went out and this person and that person and teachers and need this and that and you have to read this and fill this out. Oh, information over load! We went to TJ's to stock up on cereal and other must haves. Dashed home to unload groceries, have a snack and get ready for the rest of the day. Oh, the fun just never stops does it. But why should it.

Greg had his first soccer practice Tuesday. A buddy in his class is on his team! Awesome. The boys all seemd to get along and play really well together. First game is Saturday.

Mucho things to do still today. I am counting down the weeks and days until the work is all done around here. I can't wait to see the final results and get things put away again. We are running out of room in the garage! But one day at a time or my brain will totally explode. Don't need that happening now do we.

See the picture of the monkey guy. Cute, ain't she. Greg picked it out at Kohl's and it was in his back pack. Don't need to be taking that monkey to school. I guess that could be a likeness of me? Hanging on by a veggie peeler?

Hey, it's Wednesday, and as Michele says, hump day. So Happy Hump Day and enjoy the rest of your week.

Back to school

Happy day and sad day all mixed together.

The kids started back to school today.

Happy that the kids will be back together with all their friends and happy that the house will be quiet again.

Sad because I really miss them. I miss the noise in the house (other than the pounding that started around noon) I miss being with my kids. K misses her kids too. She looks sad today. :(

Normally I take photos by the front door. Well, couldn't do that today so found a new photo spot. Had to say please many times to get a quick chance for a picture.

Greg in 4th grade. Greg is thrilled to have the teacher he has. He knows the other boys in his class but none of his best friends are in his class. That is ok. He will see them at recess and lunch. Plus the kids switch teachers for reading and math groups. I am sure his buds will be in his reading or math group.

Evelyn is in 6th grade which is middle school at our school. The classrooms (portables) are in "the village" The middle school building is in the process of being built so we will get to see it's progress through out the year. Evelyn is thrilled to have the homeroom teacher she has. None of her girl friends are in her homeroom class. She knows some of the girls. She seemed a bit sad but knows that homeroom is only for like 15 minutes a day. Then they switch for all their classes and Evelyn knows she will see more friends there. Also at recess and lunch. This is a good chance for Evelyn to make some new friends too.

Parents can go to the kids classes on the first day of school. School doesn't start until 8:30 so we had one more day of kinda sleepin in. we went to Greg's class first and he found his desk. Then to Evelyn's class with Greg coming along too.

It was nice to see some of my mom friends again too and briefly catch up with people. I am closely watching my clock so I won't be late for pick up. Looking forward to a new and exciting (really??) school year.

Bathroom remodel is done

I told you we were busy and were doing a lot of work around the house. You should see it. Boxes filling up the garage, parts of the house packed up, things misplaced. I'm hanging in there through it all. Noise, phone calls, people coming and going, kids, working. Yep, I'm getting by. At least one thing is done. The bathroom! Yeah! And it's going to be so easy to clean. Love it!











Ok, Ok. I have to keep my sense of humor here. But, it is easy to clean - because I don't have to. I heard a truck rumble up on Thursday. Hmmm? What now? Oh, Andy is here. Andy Gump that is. No worries, it's all part of the transition. And if I was worried about it, well, I don't know what I would be doing. Just going with the flow, so to speak.

This is the end of day Thursday.

Friday afternoon, the house looks like this. Love it. I love the way the front looks. I try to picture the end result and almost can. The inside wall is down and we have a big piece of plastic to protect the rest of the office from the new space. The furniture is all back and it's cramped, but only temporary.




This weekend was hectic. With a capital H. Saturday morning Evelyn and I finished getting her room ready to paint. Moved the furniture in the center of the room and boxed up "stuff". I got Evelyn off to Marissas as she was headed to Oceanside with the family. Then the painting began. Oh, talk about sore arms!

In between coats of paint I did some yard work. Dug up the big hibiscus near the front door (looks so much better now) transplanted some plants to fill in the gap and re-planted the hibiscus in the back yard. Finished painting in Evelyn's room and ran out of paint.


Tom did what he could in the garage to get some order in there. We have paths going through all the boxes.

Sunday, before church, Greg and I headed to Home Depot for more paint and other supplies. After church, we headed to Anaheim to meet with the floor guy and pick out flooring, etc... From there we drove to Oceanside to get Evelyn. We hung out at the beach and Greg also had a great time riding the waves. We stayed for dinner and then headed home. It was nice to just sit on the beach for a while and relax. And then to have dinner on the roof top patio and watch the sun start to set over the ocean :) Thanks for having Evelyn and us :)

Monday was quiet. It was a nice break. But I did get a call earlier this morning for the schedule for the next project. 9-18-08 is the projected date. Coming up fast.

Monday night I finished painting Evelyn's room. It looks cool! Now just to get her furniture back and get her room functional again. At least she can get to her dresser and closet.

When we got home this afternoon, all was quiet. The electrical is finished and the insulation is inside the walls. I think the roofer will start on Wednesday. (note: I had a great relaxing afternoon at the beach while the kids tired themselves out in the waves. I feel so much better)

And of course, if you are a 10 year old boy who should be living on 50 acres of wooded farm land but instead are living in the city near a wooded area but your mom won't let you play there becuase there are coyotes there and who knows what else, but you have lots of wood scraps in your front yard, what do you do with it? Well, first of all, your mom confirms it's ok to use the scrap wood and helps you dig it from the trash trailer (Thursday) . And she also asks the guys to save it for you (Friday) and they do. You then toss all the wood over the side fence and proceed to build this ultra cool fort in your own back yard. Complete with floor and ceiling. And completed after this photo was taken, a cool walk way and fence and also 2 plant areas. And your mom even let you dig up some of the transplanted plants to plant in your planter area. And she even planted some more for you when you were busy doing other things. And you get to hang out there all weekend. And the neighbors don't care that part of it sticks over into their back yard because they are really cool neighbors.


And when you have a friend sleep over you are cool enough to invite your sister too, and the 3 of you sit out in the fort with a lantern and flashlights and a lot of snacks and chat and chat about stuff.

Trying to keep things sane around here

And the fun just keeps on pouring in. Along with the chaos, etc....
My house is.... a mess. And I really don't care. I have tried to keep things pick up for the most part and try to ignore the rest of what is going on. I have tried. But it's a constant. Kids are slobs. End of discussion. When does school start???? Oh, yes I will miss them but it will be nice to have the house almost to myself again.

Evelyn's room is painted. It looks so cool!!! My camera is someplace and I can't find it so photos will come later.

Today, in about 30 minutes, we are jetting down to Oceanside. Some friends are staying there for the week, right on the beach :) Evelyn went with them on Saturday and we picked her up Sunday evening. Evelyn is going back today. She will stay with her friend for another day or more. I am also bringing Greg and his buddy down for awhile to tire them selves out in the waves. It's not like they are not tired already as they had a sleep over last night and got to bed a little late. Then were waken up early, 7, by the pounding pounding pounding outside.

If I was not headed to Oceanside, I think I would sit in a corner and cry or eat a lot of ice cream or just say, you know what, forget about it, let's load up the car and go somewhere. Because I just have to get out of here! It's been no stop for more than a month and I just have to get out of here today, now!

I have not posted any pictures of the house lately and it looks so different. I need to find my camera to download the recent ones. The guys were here early today. Monday was quiet. Now its the waiting game for the inspector. Then the roof can start as well as the insulation and plaster. Yippee! Then it's time to move inside. Yipee again. I love watching things progress each day.

September 18, or there abouts, starts yet another project. Then even more chaos. And who's to know what happens in between now and the 18th.

Have a super great week!

Remembering Henry

Henry, my friend, you will never be forgotten. Never. Your sense of humor, your drive and determination, your kindness and your generous heart. I think of you often and miss you. My prayers are with your family always and I pray for you too.
All who know you will never forget that dreadful day. Your memory will always be with us.
Justice has been done but you can never be replaced.
Go Bruins!

Yosemite Day 2

Oh, the smell of the outdoors! Who doesn't love it? I sure do!


While the guys were going golfing at Wawona, the kids and I wanted to go horseback riding. First we met with the ranger at the ranger coffee at the amphitheater which was right by our camp site. Got some ideas of what to do. We got reservations for the 2 pm trail ride. 2 hours!




I had the kids walk through the history center with me,
and then we met up with the rest of the gals and kids for a swim. The kids also took off on a barefoot rock hike down the river.





Time for our trail ride. Evelyn rode Bucky, Greg rode Tucker and I rode Tuscon. We went on this nice cool shaded trail around Wawona for 2 hours. It was great!







It's just beautiful here!



Back to camp to swim, again, dinner and more s'mores. To bed early as we were headed to the Valley early in the morning.

Framing is started

Today started out early again. Framers were here before 7 am and started working at 7 am. Not too long after that the walls were shaking and the hammering and sawing began. I quickly ran around the house taking down pictures from the walls and stuff off some of the shelves. It needs to come down anyways.

Now things are really looking different around here. See for yourself.

This is taken from the front door window while the guys were working. We could not get out the front door for awhile.


Looking at the front door. Need to trim those hibiscus!
This is from the front porch. I'm trying to get an idea of what it will look like.
I love the smell of wood. This is Douglas Fir. That is part of a knott and it smells so nice and piney. I walked around smelling the wood as it just smells so good. My window is open now and I can smell it too. Ahhh!

It was noisy here today and I know it will be tomorrow. My head is pounding and I am tired. But still much to do. The goal is to completely pack up the office tonight so the furniture can be moved tomorrow. Anyone want to help???

Vacation Day 1

First day of Vacation! Oh Heaven! We pulled out of Starbucks at 6:30 am and met up with Chris and Martha and their group in Bakersfield. Hit the road again and met up again in Oakhurst around noon for grocery shopping and lunch.


We were at our camp site in Wawona around 3.
Set up camp and the kids couldn't wait to get into the river to play and swim.



This is a bear box. You need to keep all your food, drinks, toilitries, soap, sunscreen, etc... in this box. Then you close it up and lock it, at all times, unless you are loading or unloading or standing next to it (so says the Rangers). This is to prevent bears from tearing off your car doors to get the the food. Or even rummaging through your camp site and going through your coolers. I remember when we had to hang our food from tree branches in burlap sacks!
It also makes a nice extra table or seat or just a place to keep stuff.


Off to the other Murphy site to hang out and dip our feet in the nice icey cold and refreshing water.


There were 4 families/groups and we all had dinner together at Chris and Martha's camp site.
The gals pitched in cooking and getting ready then the guys cleaned up.

After dinner the kids would swim more or play frisbee or bocce ball.
Then the camp fire began and it was time for s'mores.


We headed to bed around 10 pm and boy I slept great! Ready for the next day.

Happy 10th Birthday Smurphy

Major milestone for Greg while we were on vacation. He turned 10! Yep, double digit guy! Wowza.


He did get to open one present before we left.



On the eve of August 6, we celebrated at our camp fire in Wawona. I had everyone sing "happy birthday" and then Greg opened one present.




Evelyn hid the other one so he had to hunt around the camp site for it. He was thrilled with both of them.




We had more s'mores and another great evening at the camp fire with our camping friends and family.



On August 7, his actual b-day, we started the long drive to Eugene Or. Greg decided he wanted to get there in one day. It was a long day, 12 hours in the car (but that included stopping various times).


We had yummy pizza in Ashland, OR and then continued our trip to Eugene.


The next morning Greg got to open even more presents and we had a great stay in OR. More on that later.





Well, Greg-O Smurphy-O, happy birthday to you my best bud. You are one heck of a special guy and we love you so very much and are so proud of you. Love ya bud :)