Sorry I've Been Away!

I was so proud of myself for doing a couple of blogs a week and then I kind of dropped off the Earth for a bit. Sorry about that. We're slowly easing back into "normal" (whatever that means) at work which means I've been able to spend more time at home, on my bike and with my 2 favorites: J & Frank.

One big thing we've been project we've been involved in is a complete overhaul of our landscaping. This week marks week #8 of a 3 week project, so I have yet to show you a complete set of before, during and after pictures because we're still in the "during" process. I'm told that dealing with contractors and their apparent lack of time is normal, but EIGHT weeks? C'mon! It's our first interaction with contractors and we've learned a couple of lessons like:

1. Get EVERYTHING in writing
2. Get CHANGES in writing
3. Explain that for every day they go over their estimated day, we'll be taking $25 off their bill. (we didn't do this one, but just had it suggested yesterday by my awesomely smart FIL...you live you learn!)
4. Have them sign for everything above

While it isn't complete, we're in the home stretch and we've been getting a ton of compliments from our neighbors about how much better it looks. That feels great! We went from being "those" neighbors to being the neighbors with GRASS! And flowers! And mulch around said flowers! And a new mailbox that stays closed!

It's nice to know that we're adding value to our home and our neighborhood. The awesome/not-so-awesome feeling of true adulthood has set in. We own things! We're responsible for things! When things break (like our air conditioner in the middle of this mess) we get to fix them! YAY!

So there are no finished pics yet, but I thought I'd share this little gem. A couple of weeks ago, we had the air conditioner guy, the landscapers and the AAA guy because J's truck wouldn't start out all at the same time. The wind shield repair guy for my car didn't show up till later, but yeah...sorry neighbors!

"Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection."

-- Kim Collins

Quote Source

Comments

Goodbye.

“I don’t know if I should congratulate you or console you.” - Craig “How about both?” - Me This was a conversation in our kitchen earlier this week. After a year and a half of weekly therapy, I had my last session with my therapist Tuesday. Not because I was over it or because it wasn’t working or because he retired. Nope. Because we got to a place where we could both say I’ve got the tools I need to move on. I have to say that there is no timeline for therapy and every situation is unique. I moved on from intensive therapy with my therapist because that it was worked for ME. I am certainly no expert and I have a feeling this isn’t the end of my therapy forever, but I do know that my experience with the right person allowed me to heal in ways I literally never thought possible. And it gave me the experience of a healthy “goodbye”. I was never prepared for that, so when we set an end date (not-so-coincidentally my Nanna’s birthday), it was hard to process. No one talks about

November 19th

There's apparently something about November 19th and changes in my life... 2 years ago: moving out of the ex's house 1 year ago: announcing that I was making the big move to beautiful Colorado Today: planning my next big adventure! After 2 years of major life changes and constant adjustment, I'm finally feeling like a settled human being. So, I've decided that 2018 is going to be the year I push myself physically and mentally. 2 half marathons are on the schedule along with the most exciting part: a multi day bike adventure with an assisted athlete here in Colorado in support of The Kyle Pease Foundation !! I've learned enough about myself that I will not agree to push myself hard physically for any length of time unless there is another person who is behind the WHY. Doing this in partnership with another athlete who necessarily wouldn't be able to otherwise, is enough to get my ass off my couch and get it done! Details are still being worke

It's a Funny Feeling

Let's be honest, I've been riding my bike more this year than the last 3 years COMBINED. While that's sad for the last couple of summers, it's great for this one. And this girl. Thanks to some riding buddies who are calm and patient, I've been able to get out and ride more in the city whereas before even the thought of riding in Buckhead scared the living daylights out of me. I've encouraged myself when I really, REALLY don't want to ride and would prefer to go home after a long day and drink a glass of wine. I've pushed myself to go a little further than I felt I could. I faced some fears. Riding over I-285 during rush hour traffic giggling because I was having a way better time than those commuters! I was out this evening by myself on a local rail-to-trail and it was glorious. The trail was quiet with very few people on it, the weather was great and I just felt good! I trucked along at my best pace yet and kept thinking to myself how

A Lovely Life

Looking For Something?