This post requires some crowd participation. I try not to include identifiable information on this blog. I watch too many of those news programs so I'm sometimes overzealous in my attempt to protect my identity. More for fear of ending up as a feature story on Dateline where people scoff at me from their living rooms when they hear how I left myself vulnerable to predators.
Anyway, onto the instructions...
From now on when I say "
my new last name" there are two participation options. One, if you know what it is, simply insert the name silently to yourself. Two, if you don't know me personally (which is fine...you're still welcome here) any last name will do. Might I suggest a short name, perhaps two-syllables like Parker or Gordon.
Okay, everyone ready?
As some of you know, I've changed my email address to reflect my recent name change (and to finally stop paying for an email address that sees more traffic from spammers than anything else). I typed in what I wanted my new username to be. I typed in k-
my new last name.
The email provider informed me that that user name was not available. To help me out they listed several usernames that they said were "similar to my request" and shockingly still available.
My actual choice is quite boring compared to one option they gave me...
my new last name - enator
Which I think is supposed to be like "terminator". Only given my new last name...much less destructive.
It's been awhile since I've posted a house update. The builder is done and it's back in our hands. Which is both exciting and a little frightening. We're doing okay so far though. I for one am sore and tired but that's the feeling of accomplishment right?
Without further ado, here's the progress on the ranch...homestead...cabin...we haven't decided what to call it yet?
It looks like a tornado hit our front yard. Not to worry, just several months of construction that's all. If you look at the peak of the front porch, you'll see what color the logs will be when we finish staining.
This is the deck near the dining room.
Back of the house. The chimney will be rock.
That pile of lumber...I spent the day sorting it so we knew what we had left to work with and what we could get rid of. I separated, stacked, burned scraps. Ironically, it still looks a lot like that. Ugh!
The inside is still essentially a shell. The framing is up. The plumber, electrician, etc will hopefully get in (and out) in the next few weeks so we can start with dry wall and flooring.
So there's your update. Thanks for asking for it. It means a lot to us that people are excited for us. We hope this home will be a welcoming place for all of you. We planned a lot of it with you, our friends and family, in mind.
Posted in
The House
This weekend was just what I needed.
I started Friday night off with an announcement to my dear husband that I was in need of a serious attitude adjustment. Nothing horrible had happened. I was just down in the dumps for no reason in particular. We had fun things planned for our weekend and I was really hoping I'd snap out of it in time to enjoy it.
We started the weekend off by going out to eat. There was a wait (as usual) and we had concert tickets for 8:30 (more on that later). We were prepared and factored the "wait time" into our plans. What we didn't prepare for was the chatty waitress. She was very nice and was just trying to make our dining experience enjoyable. But sometimes its just too much. Sometimes you just want someone who will refill your diet coke and blend into the woodwork. The restaurant was busy and time slipped away from us so we needed to get things moving along. We're not really sure how it happened but somehow the management noticed the time it was taking our waitress to get things done. They were very accommodating and comped our dinner. I'm afraid however that we really didn't deserve it. It was probably my poor attitude rubbing off and causing tension, nervousness, and therefore a flustered waitress. So perky waitress who might have just been trying to make me smile...I apologize.
We headed to the 18th & Vine for the concert.
Erin Bode, who I've mentioned
here before, was in town Friday night. Our friend, Thea, so generously got us tickets because she knew we were fans. We had a great time. And if listening to her while cuddled up with my husband doesn't brighten my mood...there's no hope. It did just that and we had a great time. She sang most of my favorites. Sorry Tim, no "Count your Blessings" this time. She was recently on NPR and you can hear the show
here (it gives you the exact counter so you can fast forward to her clips...or listen to the whole thing if you'd like...dad!). Since my blog readers are, shall we say, multi-generational, I'll point out that this qualifies as a multi-generational music recommendation. She sings standards so beautifully and her own music is so warm and creative.
Here are a few pictures...sorry they're so blurry. Think of it as "artistic".
Here's Erin selling her CD's during intermission. I just thought it was funny. Some of you remember when music evangelists would come to your church and they'd sell their...well, audio cassettes...out of cardboard boxes in the foyer. It was just like that. I think she needs someone to do this for her. She can still mingle and sign autographs but can't the record label get her a roadie? I think she deserves one. I may just volunteer.
