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!