Complete Second Bathroom

Oh, this makes me so happy! We are thrilled with how it turned out.

Where 33 meets 33!

Here's me, 33 weeks pregnant turning 33.

Thanks to all my friends, family and co-workers for making my day so lovely. Special shout out to my love, John, for not only putting up with my pregnant-self the last eight months but for rockin' the bday this year. Breakfast in bed, spa appointment and the most divine dinner at Murray Circle. I love you, honey.

House Upside Down

Here's a small snapshot of the happenings at Castle Reid Skull the last few weeks -

Our botched master bathroom tile job that is being re-done starting on Monday (yes, for those counting, we are on Round 3 of re-doing the tile in the master bathroom.) Had to share. Just for laughs.

Our lovely new windows being installed that provide us "a commanding view of the neighborhood" in John's words. Shout out to Miga and Isaak who not only loved up on Cole every single day, but made the experience as painless as possible.

We are SOOOO close. Completion pictures to come...

Conquering the Orchid

I did it! I really did it! I mastered how to keep an orchid alive. I'm on my second stem of blooms! It's been almost a year, and she's still alive and beautiful.

Many times I've thrown away my orchids after all of their blooms have fallen off. I just figured I killed them. That they were done. That once they were no longer beautiful that they weren't worth keeping. But this time I thought I'd really give my orchid the love and attention it deserves. And see what happens. After months of beautiful blooms and months with a few lonely stems, my perseverance paid off! Thanks to my old co-worker Gary, here are the few tips I learned. First, water it once a week by putting it in a bowl of water for 30-60 minutes. Second, when the blooms fall off, cut off the stem. Hopefully by then you've got some new stems growing. Eventually those stems will grow new blooms. Also, do not put your orchid in direct sunlight. They like light, but they don't want to be directly in the sun.

Here's a picture of mine. Isn't she beautiful?

St. Louis Visit

Had a great visit with mom, dad and grandma last weekend. It was a quick visit but totally worth it! Lot's of shopping, good food, good conversations and Dogopoly. Dad kicked our butts both times!

Construction Update

Three weeks down. One more to go.

We love our crew! Lawrence, Dave, Oswar and Freddy.

Drywall started on Monday and continued through today.

I snapped some pictures of the guys in action when we were home on Monday, since it's been dark when we get home at night.

And check it out, we finally have a brand new, clean skylight!

Field of Dreams

That's the name of the dog park in San Rafael. We went there on Monday to get out of the house, since our construction crew worked over the weekend. Let's just say I'd hardly call it dreamy. It was a bit rough for our little precious . Anyway, Cole got a B+. We were quite proud that he sniffed some butt, hopped into the car on his own, and well, didn't get humped. In typical herding fashion, he wasn't that social and just stood there and barked most of the time and preferred that I catch his ball instead of him.

We tried. I think it made him happy.