Beautiful Fall Weather!

Can I just say that I LOVE the weather we are having now!! It's perfect!

Catching Up!

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post and I have a lot to catch up on!  Jeri, Christen, Jen and I went to Las Vegas for a fun-filled four-day weekend.  We saw so many beautiful hotels/casinos and amazing sites.  It was really surprising to me how much things had changed since I was last in Las Vegas about 5, no wait, 7 years ago~ ~ ~ (my, how time flies!!).  

We stayed at The Mirage and our room was beautiful.  It was really contemporary and overlooked Las Vegas Blvd (from a distance) so we got the beauty and lights without all the noise!  The other girls enjoyed an afternoon by the gorgeous pool and I had a visit to the salon, since I couldn't get my cast wet (and it was HOT!)  

We visited The Bellagio and saw the beautiful water feature set to gorgeous music that is piped in around the property... we saw the largest chocolate fountain in the world there, too, along with a huge Dale Chihuly glass sculpture installed in the ceiling in the foyer.  The conservatory was undergoing its seasonal renovation, but still, the hotel was one of the many highlights of our trip.

We also went to see the "Price is Right" game show, which was a Las Vegas version at Harrahs. We were really hoping that one of us would get picked to "COME ON DOWN"... and Jeri really wanted to play the "Plinko" game... but sadly, none of us were picked, but we all enjoyed the fun afternoon.  Right before that, we had visited the Hard Rock Hotel and then the Stratosphere, where Jen rode one and Christen rode two of the rides on top.  I didn't realize that Christen was such a daredevil!!  

Our big splurge was on the Cirque du Soliel show, "Love" and it was wonderful.  The acrobatics and classic Beatles' music, creative lights and staging were phenomenal.  There is a wonderful small preview of the show at this link.  

Other highlights were "Bill's" where Jeri had a fun run at one of her favorite games, New York New York, where we all did great at a $5 table of Black Jack (and the girls rode the roller coaster), Wynn, where we had fancy appetizers and saw some beautiful decor, breakfast in Paris, a quick trip to Excaliber, Caesar's Palace and so much more.  It was a wonderful vacation and a great "girl's trip!"  I hope we can do it again someday!!!

Since returning, we also had Keno and a delicious b-day cake.... and a delicious b-day cake at work.  51 can't be all that bad when I have such wonderful friends and family.  I am blessed!!

Speaking of friends, please keep Melanie in your prayers.  She is beginning to respond to therapy and is slowly regaining some muscle movement, but she mysteriously became completely paralyzed in July and was in ICU for 2 months as the team of doctors tried to figure out what was going on.  While in ICU, she had two heart attacks and a stroke and had part of her lung removed as the doctors were fighting one condition after another.  She has remained strong and has an amazing Christian family by her side... but with so many issues, everyone has had to remain vigilant to ensure she stays on the right track toward recovery.  Thanks for your continued prayers for her and her family.  They need strength and resolve and trust to keep this going.  I know they are so tired.  However, last week, she was moved from Zale Lipshy hospital near downtown Dallas to a rehab hospital in Plano, so this was a major step forward and a huge blessing.

Yesterday was such a fun day...  for my b-day, Jen, Ryan, Debbie Miller and Stephanie came over and helped me finish up the decorating and wallpapering of my kitchen.  It was so much fun for me and with my elbow still being out of commission, it was another true blessing.  It feels SOOOO good to have this all nearly finished.  At this point, I am only waiting on the arrival of the vent-a-hood to go over my new stove top.  YAY!!

Below are some of the photos following all of the hard work they helped me with yesterday.  THANK  YOU, guys!!  I'm the luckiest person to have you in my life!

Another Big Day!!

Attached are photo updates from today.  I broke my elbow on Sunday, so now have a lovely cast from my shoulder to my knuckles.  I am trying to think of some great stories on how I did it 

and will try to post those when my left-handed typing gets a little better!!  :)

A little more!

The granite guys worked so hard this afternoon and it was tough, because there aren't any lights in the kitchen!  But... we borrowed a lamp from another room to help give a little light as they finished polishing and sealing the granite.  There is more to do on Monday, but I think it's looking pretty cool!

First Glimpse!

Well, it's a big day!  The granite arrived.  I still do not have electricity or appliances installed, but I do get the pleasure of having the pretty granite in my kitchen and a new stainless steel sink! Ahhhh... the joy of God's creation!  It's just amazing to me how beautiful a piece of stone can be.  These pictures are the first glimpse of how it's really going to look!!!!  :)

Backsplashes and Ceiling

Well, my Dad is here and said the guys worked really hard today. For one thing, they finished texturing the ceiling to match the rest of the house. It felt like they took a little step backwards, though, since they had to take down the light fixtures that they had already hung. (I am hoping that they solved the power problem and that the lights will be stronger once they reconnect them.)

They also finished the backsplashes today. It seemed sort of strange to install the backsplashes BEFORE the granite is installed, but the granite won't be ready until Sunday, and the contractor did not want to wait. So... here are a few pictures from today. :)

Day Three

Today, most of the dry wall/framing was completed, along with the installation of some of the recessed light fixtures. Tomorrow should be a fun day since all of the electrical work should be finished (except for installing the oven). The electrician is having to replace some of the wiring because there just isn't enough juice coming through the line to light all of the fixtures as brightly as they are supposed to be. (He thinks it has something to do with old aluminum wiring.... Oh, the joys of owning a 50-year old house!!)

I have removed most of the old wallpaper border and will finish repairing the wall paper as soon as they finish sections of the drywall and painting work.

Then... the granite should arrive on Saturday or Sunday and, hopefully, the oven will arrive on Monday. It is definitely fun to see it all coming together! :)

Remodeling Update

Well, there is not much to add today. The electrician did some "behind the scenes" work and the carpenter worked on some of the drywall, but there is still much to be done. The bad news is that my new oven will not arrive until 9/8 and the vent-a-hood on 9/11. So... there will still be things to be done for another week or so... :(

Granite Selection and Backsplash Tiles

These are pictures of what I am planning for my new granite kitchen counter top and tile back splash. The strip will be inset within the brick tiles. Keep your fingers crossed, y'all!

...>>

Demolition!

Below are the demolition photos... Kind of scary!! Unfortunately, the wall I wanted to remove is a load bearing wall, so I cannot totally open it up. I have to leave a column to provide the needed support. (I certainly don't want the kitchen roof to cave in!!) But still, I think it will look really nice and much more open.

Before ...

I am so excited... The first phase of updating my kitchen has officially begun! Below are some "before" photos... More to follow soon!! (BTW... Happy "21th" Birthday, Christen!!)

Interesting Geography Tidbits...

Alaska
More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska

Amazon
The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply. The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that, more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean. The volume of water in the Amazon river is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the flow of all rivers in the United States .

Antarctica
Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country. Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica . This ice also represents seventy percent of all the fresh water in the world. As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a desert. The average yearly total precipitation is about two inches Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, I.e.), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert.

Brazil
Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

Canada
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian word meaning ' Big Village '

Chicago
Next to Warsaw , Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.

Detroit
Woodward Avenue in Detroit , Michigan , carries the designation M-1, so named because it was the first paved road anywhere.

Damascus, Syria
Damascus, Syria , was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.

Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey, is the only city in the world located on two continents.

Los Angeles
Los Angele's full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angelesde Porciuncula - and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.

New York City
The term 'The Big Apple' was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who used the slang expression 'apple' for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple. There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin , Ireland ; more Italians in New York City than in Rome , Italy ; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel .

Pitcairn Island
The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia , at just 1.75 sq. Miles/4,53 sq. Km.

Rome
The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome , Italy in 133 B.C. There is a city called Rome on every continent.

Siberia
Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.

S.M.O.M.
The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (S.M.O.M.). It is located in the city of Rome, Italy, has an area of two tennis courts, and as of 2001 has a population of 80, 20 less people than the Vatican. It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the Vatican is.

Sahara Desert
In the Sahara Desert , there is a town named Tidikelt, which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years. Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island . There has been no rainfall there for two million years.

Spain
Spain literally means 'the land of rabbits.'

St. Paul, Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota , was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant who set up the first business there.

Roads
Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A: 1%, in Canada : 75%

Texas
The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Texas . It is as deep as 20 empire state buildings but only 3 inches wide.

United States
The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one-mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

Waterfalls
The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet (979 meters). They are 15 times higher than Niagara Falls .