“I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special”

 “I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special”

Fifteen years ago today Brian and I stood underneath a pergola topped with wisteria and twinkle lights, surrounded by people that loved us and said our vows.   

It was the smartest thing I ever did.  

Since that day we've  had two gorgeous girls, a few dogs, a couple of houses, many vacations, many struggles,  made a lot of memories  and had a few knock down, drag out fights and days where we were so mad we couldn’t even look at each other,  always followed by apologies and declarations, assurances and demonstrations of love and devotion.

I make no apologies for that - we’re passionate people, both when we fight and when we love. But we always come back together, full circle.

Circumstances over the past week or so have caused us both to look back over our life together and contemplate our future.  We have a lot of things we want to do, places we want to explore, things we want to experience – together – that seem to get pushed back. 

The kids are too young.

We don’t have the time off from work.

It’s too far.

We shouldn't spend money on that when we have other responsibilities.

The world is too scary right now.

Our goal for the next 15 years is to experience everything we've been pushing off to the future.  

This IS our future.  

We’ll figure out a way around all of the excuses.  

We have to.  

Life is too short and whether we live to be 100 or 50, our time together is limited.

  

We need to make the most of it and never regret a minute of it – the good and the bad.

So, here’s to traveling, and exploring, and experiencing life as a couple and as a family.  

But most of all, here's to the next 30 minutes or 30 years  together ...

no matter what, it’s been worth every second. 

Olivia's Room

For Olivia's 13th Birthday, she wanted to redo her room.

The teenager in question - getting ready to help me paint....

Her room was originally the guest bedroom and while it was sweet and feminine, she wanted something that was a little more HER.

So, we moved her to another spare room upstairs which - while a tiny bit smaller square footage-wise - had a better layout for her.

In progress - getting ready to paint the walls - ceiling and trim is done!

This room was the "catch all" room upstairs - all of the clothes the girls outgrew and were waiting to be passed on were in here, along with a few pieces of furniture.

That other doorway is Sydney's room - which is next on the list!

The closet in this room was a full size closet (a big plus over the closet in Liv's current room, which was half the size and shortened due to being over the stairs) but only had a single door opening.

So, we widened the opening for easier storage and access.

Of course, this means we had no door for her closet. 

Olivia chose all of the colors and materials - she wanted teal and zebra.

I think she chose well actually. 

Tiffany blue

I was afraid it would be too dark for this size room, but  it's quite cozy. 

The only problem was that we wanted to get her a new bed.  We thought a twin would work better in here, since the room was smaller and she had a lot of other furniture she wanted to place in here. 

I scoured Craigslist and thought about just getting a mattress and frame until I could find what we wanted.

Then I visited the ever helpful Ana White's website.

I've been dying to make a piece of furniture.

So I figured why not start with something simple?

Luckily, my dad is a great woodworker and helped me on my first foray into furniture building. 

The bed frame - ready for sanding!

I sanded that baby to within an inch of its life - it's sooooo smooth!!

It's a platform bed, which- as any mother of a teenager knows - means less crap shoved under the bed, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. 

I LOVE THE FEET!!!

I loved the bed, but I wanted to try something different for the headboard. 

I wanted an upholstered headboard, but wanted to be able to change it if she wanted to change the theme of the room. 

The Headboard

So, we went off plan and used a large piece of ply board and attached a raised frame so that we could insert the upholstered part.  That way, I can remove the headboard from the frame with a few screws, pull out the insert, change the fabric, insert it back into the headboard and reattach it to the frame. 

That small gap will hold the insert in the headboard. 

The next step - paint or stain?

We thought about white paint, but ultimately Olivia chose a dark stain - she thought it looked nicer than paint and a bit more mature. 

(Secretly I was more than relieved)

Seriously- aren't these just gorgeous?  I just love them.

I used Min-Wax Stain and Poly in one and honestly, I don't think I'll use that again for a project like this.  

I just didn't like the finish as much. 

Stain, sand, repeat.  Again and again and again....

Then it was time for the headboard.   

I attached foam to a piece of thin ply board and then wrapped in it batting and stapled the back. 

I had to trim the side of the foam so it would squeeze in the insert. 

Waiting for the adhesive to dry

Olivia picked out this material - via pictures I was texting her from the fabric store.

And it was marked down from $12.99 a yard to $4.99 a yard.  BONUS! 

Ready to be put together!!! 

This is not the greatest picture, but I wanted to show how the insert fit in the headboard. 

It went in so easily, but it's tight and since it rests on the frame, the insert doesn't move at all. 

Once the headboard was done, I attached it to the bed frame using some 2 x 6 boards that were as tall as the headboard.  The headboard is very large and top heavy, so I screwed that sucker on tightly. 

It's pretty sturdy.

OK - are you ready for the final product?  

Of course, no teenage girl's room is complete without One Direction posters, amiright?

The vanity was a hand me down from a friend.  

I painted it and covered the top in contact paper so she can just wipe it off. 

The mirror is her old "Disney" mirror (it was pink with crowns).

A little gold paint and it's a little more dignified. 

No closet door?  No problem!  A zebra sheet works just fine thankyouverymuch. 

Looking in from the door

We still have some shelves to hang for her cheer trophies and window treatments would be nice. 

We also have two more strings of lanterns that need to be hung so they will be all the way around the room and we need to get her a very tall, very thin dresser.  I'm thinking IKEA? 

So, my first time building furniture and I am HOOKED!  I already have a few ideas for my next project! 

Brian's a little scared....

So, yeah - THIS happened. Or I guess better yet - this DIDN'T happen.

This Sunday was the Tough Mudder. 

We've been training for months.
(Ok, I've been training.  Brian's been talking about training.)

I was mentally READY.

(Although probably still not physically ready.  Have you seen the obstacles in this thing???)

Anyway, the point is I was READY.

I was STOKED.

I was going to KICK ASS!!

Then this happened:

Tough Mudder

June 7

VA Beach Mudders: Tropical Storm Andrea is hammering the course right now, and a significant portion is under water. There's a chance we won't be able to open it for Saturday, but we're working through the night to do what we can. Please check your email for updates - we'll have a final answer at 5:30am.

And then THIS happened:

Tough Mudder shared a link.

Saturday near Brooklyn, NY

VA Beach Mudders,
You all know by now that we had to cancel the entire event. We're gutted - this was the last option and we want you know we worked nonstop for 48 hours to try and get the course in shape. Long story short, we can't implement our Medical Safety plan with the course as mess. As bummed as we are, we'd rather keep our Mudders safe, even if that means you'll be pissed at us.

We're offering transfers for participants and refunds for spectators; please go to the event page for more info:http://toughmudder.com/events/virginia-beach-2013/.

Thanks for sticking it out with us. We hope to see you on another course this year.
-TMHQ

*BIG SIGH*

So now, we wait until November and travel to Charlotte to try this all over again.  
I was beyond pissed Saturday.  
Not that they cancelled the event because - let's face it - I don't really want to die and if they can't get in to rescue me should something horrible happen, then I'm not even gonna attempt it.
 
No, I was upset because I was READY.
And the course was on this gorgeous plantation right on the James River
(which, in hindsight was probably not the best place to host one of these events during hurricane season)

The pictures were beautiful, the weather on Sunday was perfect - but sadly most of the obstacles were flooded out.

So, now I concentrate on my triathlon in August and once that's done, I will go back to training for the TM. 

I started riding my bike to get ready - Holy out of shape!!  It's amazing how in shape you think you are and how strong you feel until you do something your body isn't used to.

After five minutes I thought I would die. 

I have a loooooong way to go to prepare - not to mention the swim!

Oh, and Liv's room is getting there - it's painted, she's moved in (story for another day - oh, the drama of having a teenage girl)

And, I can't find a bed that I like for her so I'm gonna make one! 

I'm so excited!!

Livvie Lou's new room - Coming Soon!

This baby girl:

 Has suddenly grown into this 13 year old girl (Wait, what??):

And needs a new room to reflect her teenager status. 

It involves this:

And this:

Stay tuned....

It's not that I don't have anything interesting to say...

...it's that I don't have anything interesting  to say right now. 

We're working on some things - the girls rooms in particular  - and I hope to have some pictures up soon.

As soon as I get motivated to, you know, finish something.

Things are plugging along just fine here. 

The girls are busy with school and the plethora of activities they are involved in.

I still go to Boot Camp three to four mornings a week (at 5:30 am - YAWN - which should help explain my lack of blogging in the evenings)

Oh, and in between all of that I'm trying to train like a mo' fo' for this:

But first, Brian and I have to get through this:

*Note to self - After a Friday night of drinking, do not answer midnight texts from very big, very fit, very tough cop friends that say "Hey - let's do the Tough Mudder -  I'll throw you over the obstacles - no worries! It'll be FUN!" and then convince your husband to do it also.  

It only leads to registration and whole lotta panic the next morning.

Last night Brian realized  the race was a 10+ miler, not a 5K. He stomped around and cursed me under his breath for a good half hour.  

I'm curious to see his reaction when he finds out about the obstacles.  

I'm sure I already warned him.  

Maybe. 

Whatever.  

Anyway, so that's what's happening around here.  

Paint. Sweat. Tears. 

Not necessarily in that order. 

Brian Turns 40!!

The day after we said goodbye to Chauncey we had our annual Henry Holiday Party.  I'm not gonna lie - it was a fabulous distraction for all of us.

And, since my husband was turning  40 on New Years Eve, I turned it into a "Surprise!!! It's your 40th Birthday!!" also.  

He had No. Idea.

I had been planning it for months and we had nearly 100 people there this year to help celebrate. I wish I had taken pictures, but you'll have to imagine how much food we had....

 I put all the leaves in my dining room table and there was so much food on it, you couldn't see the table cloth.  On top of that, we had the dresser/buffet covered with hot dishes and crock pots, along with two other tables brought into the dining room for the evening and snacks in the sitting room, kitchen and family room

People finished up the last of the food in the wee hours of the morning. 

I had absolutely NO LEFTOVERS.  

At one point I couldn't see from one end of the family room to the dining room because of all the bodies.  

Crazy....

My mom made his cake

Several friends conspired with me and we made him go on a liquor run once the majority of the guests had arrived (and we had so much beer, wine and liquor I have no idea why he fell for that, but he did - ha!) and as soon as they pulled out of the driveway, my  girls came running downstairs with the decorations we had made and stashed away earlier and we hastily threw up some purple, black and white tissue paper poofs, a ton of streamers,  a Happy Birthday Banner, and blew up and hung nearly 30 balloons.

Thank God for the wonderful friends we have - everyone pitched in - I was frantic - and the place was decorated in 15 minutes flat, the cake was on the table and the last candle was lit as he walked through the front door to cheers of "SURPRISE!!!"

Sadly, I took no pictures and the ones that were taken were blurry ....

He's trying to figure out what the hell is going on....all the kids had horns and followed him around blowing them constantly.  Until I confiscated them all.....

He's figured it out now ...

.

Our good friends, Mike, Meg and Meg's mom, Michelle, made him some custom corn hole boards with matching bags for his birthday.  Mike is the biggest Steelers fan in the world so it just shows you how much they love Brian that they made him  RAVENS themed boards. 

Can't wait to use these...

Mom Bloom (aka, Michelle) giving him his purple bags which she made for the game.

 It was such a wonderful evening and I have to tell you I have no idea what time the party broke up although I heard rumors of 3:00 am, at which time I was snoring upstairs.

Yes, I had a big fat headache the next day.

That was the end of our holiday entertaining for 2012 - WHEW! 

Three events  in 6 days  was a bit much.....

Goodbye old friend.

I've started this post about ten times and every time I've hit delete and started over.

So, I'm just going to let my mind wander and put this stream of consciousness down on paper, as it were.

When you came into our lives, we had recently lost our first dog, Zoe, and had taken about 6 months to mourn her before thinking about getting another dog.  Olivia was just a baby and I had my hands full with her, a full time job and school.  Brian - who had taken the loss of Zoe very hard - finally decided that it was time to start looking.

Brian had always wanted a German Shepherd and so we went to a Pet Adoption at our local pet store, where a German Shepherd rescue as being featured   We walked in, saw all the German Shepherds looking for homes and had a discussion with the rescue coordinator.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Brian approach a dog that looked NOTHING like a Shepherd, but instead like a black lab mix.

"Who's that?"  I asked the rescue coordinator.

"Oh, that's Shultzie.  We aren't sure exactly what he is but there's some shepherd in there somewhere.  He's been shuffled from home to home to home for a long time and we don't know what exactly his life has been like.  He seems to be a young dog - not an adult but maybe over a year old.  He's a bit rambunctious and skittish but his foster mother seems to think he's got potential."

From the moment Brian approached you and jumped up on him, it was all over.

We put in an application that night.

Chauncey and the girls robot, Christmas 2007

We went through the adoption process of home visits, vet references and the like and you came home to us a few days later.    We renamed you Chauncey since we thought Schultzie sounded too "Hogan's Heroes".  The first thing you did was go explore the house. You boldly walked right into Olivia's room where she was sleeping in her crib with a fever, sniffed,  whined, and laid down on her floor.  Over the course of the next few hours, between exploring the house some more, you checked back in that room six or seven times.  You were officially on duty and for the next 12 years, you would "patrol" the house when the girls and I were home alone or the kids had friends over and you would stand guard when one of us was sick.  I would imagine you saying "Don't worry mom - I 've got this.  You can relax.  You can rest."

Those first few months after you came home were AWFUL.  You see, you were still puppy like and maybe a bit afraid we'd send you away.  You wanted nothing more than to have our attention 24 hours a day.  You took the baby's toys and ran, you ran around the house like a Tasmanian devil and you barked that vicious bark if anyone approached the house.  I was at my wit's end.  You could do no wrong in Brian's eyes - you were his boy.  To me, you were just a lot of work.

Hanging in the back yard, 2008

But you calmed a bit.  And you grew on me.

It soon became apparent that you would protect us with your very being - no matter what.  No one was allowed entry into your home.  If someone came to the door, you positioned yourself between me and that "stranger".  No one could approach me - and Lord help the person that reached for the baby.  Brian encouraged your protective behavior and was even on the receiving end of a few warnings from you when he jokingly would mess around or wrestle with me.

You were "daddy's boy" but you were momma's fiercest protector.

Being attacked by the robot 

You scared me a few times in those days - not because I was afraid you'd hurt us or the baby because you were so incredibly gentle with us - but because I was afraid you'd hurt someone else in your zeal to protect your family.  We learned that we would have to put you outside when someone came to the door.  It was  the only way people could come into the house.  Once they were in, you were let back inside where you would quickly approach them with your hackles raised and sniff the devil out of them while he or she stood stock still, and all the while Brian and I would be saying -"It's OK Chauncey.  It's OK boy"  while standing next to the person with our hand on their shoulder or arm   Once you felt comfortable  you would lower your hackles and walk away.  But you NEVER let that person out of your sight   It took you several visits to feel comfortable with other people.

I definitely came to appreciate your protective nature over time.  I knew that I could allow the girls into the fenced yard to play so long as you were out there.  I knew that if anyone dared to mess with my kids you'd tear them up. I was OK with that.

The neighborhood kids used to party in the field behind  our house and play ball in the empty lot next us.  I can vividly remember sitting on the porch one afternoon and watching a stray ball fly over the fence into the yard.  Before I could get up to get the ball and give it back to the teenagers playing in the empty lot, I saw one of them hop my fence to retrieve it.  I yelled a warning but you were like a black streak of lightening going after that kid - I've never seen someone move so fast in my life - he LITERALLY dove over the fence as you crashed into it behind him. Those kids had been warned a hundred times NOT to hop our fence, but to ring the bell and let us get whatever had been lost.  After that day, we never had a problem with anyone coming into our yard or partying behind the house again.

You scared the crap outta them.

The boys doing their favorite thing - running in the yard

Your protective streak didn't just apply to us humans.  When we brought Baxter home - hoping that another dog to play with would help to settle you a bit (it did), you quickly became his best friend.  Baxter was diagnosed at a very young age with hip dysplaysia that made it very difficult for him to even walk.  During one particularly bad snow storm, the snow was up to your shoulders.  When we let you out into the back yard, you quickly went to work digging a path for Baxter to walk on - you'd bury your body in the snow and shake it off, then run back an forth over that area a few times packing the snow down and then run back to get Baxter and lead him through the cleared path and then start all over again where you left off.  You did this all way way across the yard to your favorite spot in the back.  Baxter didn't have to struggle in the snow at all - you had his back.

Best buds Baxter and Chauncey, Summer 2012

I've never seen a dog as fast as you - I would watch in amazement as you would race after a bird and jump - catching them mid air.  We lost a lot of birds that way.  When we moved to the new house and you had more room to run, you got bigger and stronger and faster.  But you also calmed down.  You became, really, the perfect dog - loyal, loving and protective.

Wrestling - another favorite past time

When you began limping we knew something was wrong.  But you never cried, you never whimpered, and you still greeted us with a wag of your tail, and goose in our butts as you led us to the cupboard with your treats.  And then, right after Christmas you stopped eating.  You stopped greeting us.  You hadn't been able to run for a long time.  You hobbled on three legs and it was depressing for you.

Your dad had been talking about letting you go for awhile.  Selfishly, I couldn't bring myself to think about it. One more Christmas - just one more.  Then - not near Brian's birthday.  And what about the girls?  They'd be heartbroken.

Chauncey, December 2012

The day came on December 29th.  We took you to a dear friends' vet hospital.  They placed us in a cozy room with  blankets on the floor and soft lighting.   It was one of the hardest things ever, watching you struggle against the meds given to make you sleepy. You were afraid to leave us - who would watch out for us?

Still on alert and making sure all is well in your house

I put your head on my lap and your dad and I stroked you and whispered in your ear - We love you.  We'll be OK.  Thank you.  You've kept us safe.

Go - Run - Chase birds - Bark out loud - We love you.

You are so, so  loved.

And you let out one last great big sigh and were gone.

Chauncey
Loyal Family Guardian
199?- 2012