Ohhhhhhh, Macy!

I just received a text from our wonderful neighbor.....this is what she found upon pulling into our culsdesac this morning:

Crazy dog!!!

I'm happy to report that Macy is now happily laying on her bed in our secure home. Thank goodness for a friend that cares and a husband that was at a job site just a few blocks away!

Questions....Answered!

Lately, I seem to be asked the same questions repeatedly. Typically, I don't mind. Sometimes I do. Here's a sampling of things I'm asked and the answers (what I actually say and what I'm really thinking)......

Q: So....how's school? How much longer do you have to go?
Verbal A: School is good, right now I'm in pathophysiology and it's really interesting. It's so nice to finally be studying something that pertains to nursing. I hope to be starting the RN program no later than next August, and from the time that I start I'll have two years.
What I really want to say: School sucks. Just like everyone says it does. Sure, it's nice to learn new things and to be making strides toward actually finishing my education, but honestly, I'd much rather not have to worry about homework and midterms and GPA's and entrance exams. And also? I have FOREVER left to be in school. How about we just chat once I'm finally a nurse, mmmmmmkay?

Q: How's the house coming along? When is your expected move in date?
Verbal A: It's moving along nicely. We're almost ready for a frame inspection and right after that it will be insulation and drywall time!! We hope to be back in a week or two before Thanksgiving. And we're so excited!
What I really want to say: Our house it a pit!!! Can't you see that? Look around! Yes, we've come a long way since we began this process, but we've still got a long way to go. And just because we're moving back in doesn't mean it's finished. There will be many, many months of work ahead. So no, I can't come over for a three hour long dinner, I can't go out of town with you and I can't make plans because more than likely I'll have to flake. Call me in a year and let's hope my answer is different. But it probably won't be. Because I'll still be in school (see above).

Q: So, how much would you say this whole thing has cost you (in reference to the house addition/remodel)?
Verbal A: Oh, you know, it's been so spread out with expenses here and there, I couldn't really say. We're just happy to be able to do it at all.
What I really want to say: Are you effing kidding me?????? Well here, let me just bust out the spreadsheets that I've maintained just for people like you who ask terribly rude questions about finances that have absolutely nothing to do with them. It's cost us a lot. More than we had thought, but still less than someone who would have to pay other people to do the work for them. And that's why we have no free time for dinners or out of town trips with friends.

Q: How are things at work?
Verbal A: Oh, pretty much the same as always.....boss is crazy, people aren't very much the team players that they should be, and I won't have a job come January. But, it is what it is!
What I really want to say: Shitty. Work is shitty. And the only reason I'm able to drag myself into the office every.single.day is because work resembles a little bit of a break compared to working on our pit of a house.

Q: Are you thinking about having kids soon? Don't you want kids?
Verbal A: Oh, we want kids someday....just not today. The plan is to wait until I'm done with school. And even then we may just want to enjoy each other for a little while without a house to build or homework to be managed. We'll see!! So how is little (insert child's/niece's/nephew's/grandchild's name here)????
What I really want to say: Is it a requirement that a child be birthed within the first three years of being married, because I must have missed that memo. Just because we don't have kids yet doesn't mean we don't want them. We do, however, plan to enjoy the fruits of our labor without having another being to care for. When I'm pregnant, I promise we'll let you know. Until then, please do not inquire about my ovulation, how old we'll be when we do start a family (and how that could be a problem), and that it's been a while since we've gotten married - don't we want to "add on". We are adding on. To our house. That's enough for now. Thank you and goodbye.

So, there you have it. The questions that are posed on a fairly regular basis. Honestly, this post kind of sounds like I'm pissed, and I'm really not. I guess I just sometimes wish the answers were different and didn't depend on such huge things - like finishing school and the building of our house. Also, I do tell some people what I really want to say, and they laugh and agree with me. Mostly my husband. That's just one reason why I love him. I especially love his answer to the baby question: "Just because you have to change poopy diapers and get up three times a night, doesn't mean we should.". Ahhhhhhh....a man after my own heart!

House Update

A lot has happened with the house since the last time I did an update.

The framing has been finished!! We're hoping to button up the rest of the wiring and electrical to request a frame inspection early next week. The plumbing is also complete. Exterior paint is done, as well as the brick work and siding (with the exception of the garage). The roof was tackled just before a big rainstorm rolled through! Our AC units are in place on the very top of the roof.

This is the loft. What you're looking at will someday be a window seat. And I'm going to put funky cool pillows and art everywhere.

Our shower got hot mopped the other day. I didn't know what that meant until Matt told me that it had to happen to make our shower waterproof. This is because I want a river rock shower floor.

Our fire place. It was my idea to have it a few feet off the ground, and build the hearth out from the front. Matt didn't want to do it that way, but I made him. And now he loves it. I told him it's just another example of why I'm always right.

Shots of our French doors in the living room. Matt only wanted to do the one on the right. I insisted on having two. Again, he relented and now he's glad. Lindsey - 227, Matt - 8.

Three itty bitty windows on the other living room wall. The piano will sit underneath them. Sometimes I worry how they'll look if there ever comes a day that we don't have the piano. But then I tell myself if I think that far ahead, this house will never be done. So then I go back to deciding what shade of teal the upstairs bathroom should be.

The brick work on the front of the house. The "pop out" is where the stair case is. I love the pop out. And I love that our brick mason suggested trimming the window with black brick. He's the man.

This is the "in progress" shot of when the back of the house was being sided. Note that first, the sheeting had to be covered with Tyvek wrap.

Here's the finished siding. Tyvek was no where to be found when all was said and done.

As much as I wanted to have a baby poop yellow house, Matt just wasn't about it. So, we decided to paint it the same color that the house was before. We like gray. A lot.

At some point, we realized that it's October, and it's going to rain. So we needed a roof pronto. It was done in two days. And it began raining as the roofers pulled out of the driveway.

What's left to do?????
Finish the wiring and electrical
Install master bath tub
Insulation
Dry wall
Tape and texture dry wall
Paint interior
Install flooring
Install bath vanities
Install cabinets around fire place

We're hoping to be living there by Thanksgiving. Amen.

Nike 2011

Last Sunday, I completed my second half marathon! I participated in the Nike Women's Half Marathon that takes place in San Francisco every October.

Unlike last year, I didn't train quite as diligently as I should have. I had resolved that I might have to just walk the whole darn thing, but that was okay because at least I would still get to experience the beautiful course and be handed that little blue Tiffany box upon crossing the finish line.

Well, my competitive nature kicked in. I ran roughly 11 of the 13 miles and finished just 3 minutes slower than my time for last year! I think that stopping at an aid station for about 5-7 minutes screwed me out of beating last years time, but that's alright.

Here are some pictures from the weekend....

The expo tent in Union Square

On the side of the Niketown store in Union Square, they have all of the names of the runners/walkers who are participating. Here I am, pointing our my name : )

The group of us at dinner the night before the run. We ate at this great Italian restaurant called Firenze by Night.

Right before we headed to the start line - about 6:30 am.

Me and Judie with our Tiffany boxes - handed to us by firemen in tuxes as we crossed the finish.

Post run, Tiffany was hittin' the bottle in our room.

Me, feeling sassy because I rocked it!

Mostly just because I want to remember, here's a mile by mile recap of the run:

MILE 1: Tiffany and I start together, and then split up at about .77 - she's faster than me!

I hit the mile 1 mark and am shocked to have jogged the whole way. I figure why not keep going?

MILE 2: I felt like I really found my groove at this point. And, I was so glad that I had decided to run without music. Some people think that's crazy, but I think I appreciated the course and runners around me so much more.

MILE 3: HOT!!!! I was so glad to toss my sweatshirt into the donation bin. Then came the first hill at Ghiradelli Square. It was a short, but steep one. Made it up and down without incident.

Mile 4: This brought one of my favorite parts of the course. A beautiful view of Alcatraz and the bay, as well as the beginning of the Presidio. At this point, I started noticing a little hint of a blister on my arch. I hoped it would go away. It didn't.

Mile 5: Right at the beginning of this one, I saw an aid station and decided it was a good idea to stop and get something for my blister. An EMT applied moleskin and some tape. When I started back out, I thought for sure it was going to bug me the rest of the run, but fortunately it didn't.

MILE 6: Right at the beginning of this mile, there is a HUGE hill. And that hill is about a mile long. I had to walk the sucker. Kind of disappointing, but I figured at that point it would be silly to waste energy trying to run the hill when I still had about 7 miles to go!

MILE 7: The hill eased up a bit, and the view of the Golden Gate was beautifully distracting. I was proud of myself for having run as much as I did up to that point. Also, I knew that I was more than halfway through and that's always a good feeling no matter how much you love running. If I had made it that far, I was confident I could tackle the rest.

MILE 8: In a ritzy residential neighborhood. The beginning of this mile was alright, and then kind of boring. I was only able to look at pretty houses for so long without being sad that my house is currently a mess!

MILE 9: This is by far my least favorite mile of the course. It was last year, and it was this year. Don't know why....possibly because it has a slight incline the whole way and there's not really much to look at. I did witness a coach stretching a lady out on the sidewalk who was screaming bloody murder. That was somewhat entertaining, but I felt awful for her.

MILE 10: Freaking awesome. It's down hill about 90% of the way. You are on a cliff and overlooking the ocean and Ocean Beach. You can see the finish line. And this point during long runs is always huge for me mentally. Just a personal thing.

MILE 11: TIRED!!! This mile enters you into Golden Gate park. Being that it's as close to the finish line as it is, there's tons of spectators cheering runners on. By then, all I could think of was that I had the get through 2 more miles. Surprisingly, my feet and hips didn't hurt like I expected they would. My quads were tired though. I rested a lot during this mile.

MILE 12: The last one. And that's probably the only thing that got me through. After running what I just had and seeing the rest of the course, this part of the run wasn't much to write home about. I was just excited that I was going to finish!!

MILE 13/FINISH: AWESOME! I crossed the finish line at 2:51. I was tired. I knew I would be sore. But it was worth it. An accomplishment that gives me a feeling and sense of pride nothing else ever has.

And I can't wait to do it all again next year. Possibly even a little faster too : )

WILW & Pinteresting

Happy Wednesday!!! And.....time for my favorite link ups with Jamie and Michelle : )

This week, I'm loving....

....that I ran and finished the Nike Women's Half Marathon last Sunday. This was my second year and I loved it!

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....that my husband and I are about a month away from moving back into our house. WE'RE READY!

....these boots that Pioneer Woman is giving away on her blog:

....that we're going to see Transiberian Orchestra right before Thanksgiving.

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....as always, my wonderful husband!

And here's what I'm pinning this week:

Cute outfit, love the turquoise colored jewelry



Wedding song (or any song!) lyrics on canvas

Cute kitchen/dining decor

Beer mac and cheese

What are YOU loving and pinning????

I Run To Be

Well, nothing as of late. My running has been completely nonexistent, actually. However, I'm still participating in the Nike Women's Marathon today. And I'm freaking pumped yo!! So run, walk or crawl....I will be crossing that finish line no later than noon. And then I will promptly head to the Cliff House to indulge in some post run/walk/crawl celebratory cocktail. Wish me luck!

Things I Have Never Done

1. Driven a stick shift vehicle.

2. Made a cake from scratch.

3. Read War and Peace.

4. Grown my own garden.

5. Seen The A Team (the tv show, not the movie)

6. Been to Colorado.

7. Gone to summer camp.

8. Been to an NFL game.

9. Done yoga.

10. Bowled better than a 170.

All random. All true. You're welcome.

Television Longings...

I miss television. As lame as that sounds, I really do. So, in an ode to my Saturdays that used to be filled with DVR catching up, here's a list of shows that I wish I was still up to date on:

The following are basically JUNK, but that's alright:

 Teen Mom - Cast 1 and 2

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 Jersey Shore

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Real Housewives - New Jersey and Beverly Hills

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Most Eligible Dallas

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And, because it's Fall and all the good shows have begun, a list of my favs...

Grey's Anatomy

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Private Practice

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Modern Family

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And finally, the new ones that I'd probably be checking out...

Up All Night

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Hart of Dixie

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Revenge

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Please go sit on your couch and watch one of these for me : )

Things Thursday

I haven't blogged in 8 days, and because I feel like that's a super long time, I'm trying to make an effort to put something here. But, there's not really much new to say.

I still need to do a house update. I'm not going to even speculate as to when that will happen because I want to include pictures. And remembering to bring my camera cord to work with me has been a big fail.

Tomorrow I am taking the TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) for entry to nursing school. I only need a 67% to pass. This is good, because I've got that on lock down. It's also bad, because knowing that I have it on lock down means that I haven't studied a whole lot. Now that the test is upon me, I wish I'd studied to get a score in the 90's instead of in the high 70's to low 80's. But, it is what it is.

I dropped out of Weight Watchers. Mainly because I was paying $17.99 a month to track stuff. I know what to eat and how much. I know I need to exercise. So, now I'm using Sparkpeople.com because it's free yo! And that means I can put $17.99 a month toward something else. Like a toilet or maybe some paint.

A vacation sounds AWESOME right about now. I think I'm going to try to plan a weekend trip to the coast in mid-December. After all this house stuff, we're gonna need it.