Counting Down.....

In 10 days the movers will return to Nogales, pack us up and we will begin the process of returning to Durango. It's been 8 LONG months and we are nearly impossible to be around these days. Just ask Marrokal construction - they've kindly asked us to keep our cattle prods at home, and let them finish their work in peace :-)

The project will be mostly complete by the time we move in - a few minor things, here and there, will be left to do... but we are willing to withstand a bit of interruption in exchange for being in our own home. There are house showings at our rental most days of the week now, and the constant interruption and dealing with realtors, strangers and with the alarm company (realtors are always setting off the house alarm) are almost too much to bear. Plus, ever since the rat episode has gone away (it has either found new wires to chew or has died in the wall), we have had a termite issue, complete with wood droppings (i.e. termite turds) all over our furniture. ENOUGH.

We had a great visit with family a couple of weeks ago in Ohio (my apologies to friends and family I didn't get around to seeing), and were treated to a dinner party in our old home in Pittsburgh by homeowners Jan and Rocky, along with Jackie and husband and our good friend and designer Rachel, along with her husband, too. Seeing Osage was difficult... Jan took our remodel one step further and made the space even larger, more open, and more in line with her traditional leanings. The sadness was really about remembering the great times in the house, with family and close friends. It's good to know that house is filled with such great people!

Another apology to my good friends here in California (and Colorado, and Florida and Indiana), too. My work has ramped to nearly 60 hours a week (we are building something really HUGE), and between that, finishing up our Durango project, and readying ourselves for another complicated move, I've been a bit of a hermit. We're exhausted. This all will change when we are back in our house and unpacked FOR GOOD. Or for at least a very long time....

I'm not sure how many posts are left in me on this project - at least 1, anyway. After that, I hope to put together a before and after photo album somewhere online for you to really understand the unbelievable transformation that has taken place in our home.

For now, enjoy the current pictures!

So Close, Yet So Far Away...

It's Easter Day - the canyons are blooming; the nests are filled with tiny eggs, and our focus on the finish is unshakeable.

It seems like the closer our move-in date gets, the more aggravating the wait! It's hard to imagine, looking at Durango today, that our move-in date is May 11th, but that's where is stands. Since we've given our landlord notice, then the date has GOT to be good! Otherwise, our contractor is going to be very surprised by a knock on his door late on May 10th with two very ticked off Zachariases, suitcases (and household wares) in tow.

Take a look at the latest photos of materials, countertops, my library ladder, house color, other cool stuff. This week it should really start to get good - however, our trip back to Ohio will prevent us from our daily visits to Durango at the end of each day. No doubt Jay will go into withdrawal if he can't check everything out on a daily basis. Me, too.

The garage is filling up with boxes of light fixtures, plumbing supplies, our beautiful 3form panel that will adorn our shower. As of today (she breathes with relief) all materials have been selected, purchased, ordered, and paid for. My brain is a bit fried from all the decision-making; I keep thinking I've forgotten something. Something important.

This past week, we've had the pleasure of visits to Durango by my cousins, the Giannamores, who escaped Ohio for a Spring respite, and from my old pal, Jodi, who worked with me 20 years ago at Oracle! She and her boyfriend, David, spent the evening with us last night catching up and remembering things that, well, perhaps were better left forgotten :-) . Great times, as always, connecting with family and friends.

The Best is Yet To Come

More photos, more progress, the cabinets are mostly installed - check it out!

I've had a busy week with work and with Durango; so has Jay. 3 weeks left til the California 1/2 Ironman for him; I feel like I've been training too. I spent the last couple of days in Sacramento for a board meeting of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, only to return home to a full email inbox, new marching orders from JJ Virgin (a.k.a. Fearless Leader) and an action item list for Durango that baffles and overwhelms me. This is, by far, the hardest few months I've had to endure from an intellectual perspective! Good thing my nutritional program is keeping me alert and focused (countering the gravitational pull of my hormonal swings. But I digress).

Our cabinet guy, Rod, absolutely LOVES the project at our home. It is technically very challenging to him, and he told us that he wishes it would never end. Thanks, Rod, although we appreciate the sentiment, we really don't share it. That's a photo of him, by the way, with Jay and Rob.

Notice the beautiful work he has done on the kitchen, the wine bars, the library bookshelves, the zebra wood panel in the powder. The place is really looking amazing. Jay is holding one of the master sinks in place; you can also see a hint of the tile work and stone flooring in the master shower. The photo you see of me represents the issues I encounter relative to the installation of racks and shelving at a height within my reach. Luckily, Rob - our project manager - has gotten the message and now asks every sub who installs a "tall" shelf, "Have you ever SEEN Miriam?" Within a few days, most things get lowered to normal person height. Current closet rack would require me to jump about six inches off the ground just to hang something up.

Tomorrow we meet with landscapers to discuss pots and plants, and work should begin on outside stucco and inside painting and staining. Finally, some color!

This Blog Has No Title

We're starting to get excited. Besides learning that the house WILL be completed on time (by mid-May), we are beginning to see some of the beautiful finishes and materials slowly breathing life into Durango. Our home.

Included in some of the fabulous tile work are the fireplace, the master bath (limestone tile) and the guest bath (copper quartzite tile) . This is just the beginning of the feel in these rooms, as the true beauty will show up with the decorative tiles, cabinetry and plumbing selections yet to be installed.

All interior walls have been sanded and primed; this week we anticipate the arrival and installation of cabinetry, along with more tile work. Most of our selections have now been made, a few items here and there left to do, and frankly I'll be ecstatic when I can switch off my brain from home remodel mode. Seems like we just finished work in the Pittsburgh house, and then Durango began!

My work demands have picked up tremendously... guess people are as passionate as ever about losing weight and getting healthy, despite the economic environment. Jay is gearing up for the California 1/2 Ironman in just a matter of a few weeks, and between training, meeting with contractors and writing big checks is nearing exhaustion.

The landscape work is also taking place; some of the seeded concrete work next to the jacuzzi can be seen in the photo above. We are crossing our fingers that all things, inside and out, will be completed at the same time so that we will be able to live in peace by mid-May.

Til next time.

I Hate These Meeses To Pieces

There is still progress. We are still chomping at the bit.

Speaking of chomping, as if we weren't anxious enough about our temp digs, we've discovered an abundance of termite droppings outside the garage, and want to make sure we get the hell outta dodge before one of us falls through the "boardwalk" (as Tracy calls it), the wooden sidewalk that leads to our front door. But the real chewing seems to have been taking place in the wall between my office and the bathroom... I have been disturbed a few times over the past couple of weeks by a rustling noise behind me as I work. Yesterday, returning home from a seminar in Anaheim, it sounded like we were hosting a full-on cage fight between a couple of rodents in the walls. And, oh yeah, they had chewed through the telephone wire, leaving us with no telephone service at the moment. So Rob, if you're reading this, you must now know just how DESPERATE we are to get out of here!!!!

On to the new stuff. There is tile going up around the pool line, and a garage full of interior tile awaiting placement in the kitchen and bathrooms. I was so excited by the boxes of tile in the garage I had to post this photo. Also gracing the photos with me this week is Vince, our landscape designer, who, among other things, is doing a fine job of selecting outdoor materials that blend well with the interior ones, not an easy task. Some of the samples we are using for reference are photos and websites; there's a bit of guesswork going on, but I'm confident we'll get it nailed.

Anaheim has been my latest travel hot spot lately (makes sense since that's where Mickey MOUSE lives), last week at a seminar with Sales Guru Jeffrey Gitomer, yesterday with motivational speaker and author Jack Canfield, and next week off to the Natural Products Expo West with JJ Virgin, my business associate and director. We were able to snag some time with Jay's sister, Jeanne and her husband, Dave, for a great dinner on Friday, and Jack filled our brains with positivity and possibility about what comes next in our lives. It's a great reminder, despite all the lousy news right now, of the abundance that surrounds us, especially the love and support of our friends and family.

One more note: Welcome to my blog, Jodi! My old pal from Oracle, we recently connected back via Facebook after - what - maybe 15 years? I'm so glad we found each other again!

Pulling it Together

As you can see by the photos, the house is truly starting to take shape on the outside - the stucco layers are being smeared and the backyard BBQ has been formed, too. I can almost hear those grilled veggies and lamb skewers sizzling on the grill, while Jay serves Negronis to me in the jacuzzi (and those of you who know what a Negroni is, you know that means ONLY 1 should be drunk, ever, in a sitting).

Step aside, Manolo, I've found something even better being worn by one of the guys hanging drywall in Durango. Couldn't you just see me strutting around with these babies strapped to my feet? I could actually reach stuff in the BACK of the top shelf of my kitchen cabinets!

The days are getting longer, the city has been seeing some much needed precipitation, and along with some very cool work stuff going on for me, I'm getting out on my bike, riding with pals Christine and some new friends each week. Jay and I have been hitting the business seminar circuit, and are planning a desert visit within the next couple of weeks for some hiking and to check out the wildflowers. Should be a GREAT bloom this year, given the rains.

Besides our planned visit back to Ohio in April, we are sitting tight, meeting weekly with our project manager at Durango, and growing more and more antsy living in our temp digs. We desparately miss having a bathtub, a dining area that is functional and comfortable, and a master closet that... well, you have to see this thing to believe it. Jay's just happy that I'm letting him have a corner in it.

Stay tuned for more exciting things to come.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

A HOUSE! With walls and rooms and everything. This week, drywall went up as the rain came down. The guys have been hard at it, and it's always exciting to see so much activity taking place each day.

This week I met with Vince, our landscape designer, and we started the selection process for tile, coping color, and the stone for our waterwall. As you can see in the photo, some of the coping work has been done; outlining spaces in the dirt where someday lounge chairs will rest (and me, too!). One of these days SOON I'll need to get a photo of David, Vince, and Francisco - the guys who are making things happen outside of the house (I hope David wears a nice shirt, though).

Jay and I have been enjoying the pool table in our temp house so much that, today, we began pacing off a location in Durango where we might plant one someday. Those of you who saw our Pittsburgh house know about the beautiful table we had there - my father-in-law bought it for us as a house-warming gift (it was a bitch to wrap). We hope that Rocky and gang enjoys it as much as we did. Speaking of Pittsburgh and Rocky... HOW ABOUT THAT SUPER BOWL!?! A heck of a game, which we greatly enjoyed watching at Jeanne and Dave's house in the OC.

Check out the pics of me standing near our deck fireplace, our great new great room, and the vestibules leading into the bedrooms downstairs. It's really gonna be something else.