The 10 Year Cheer...

It's hard to believe that it has been almost 10 years since we built our house. When we built the house we kept things basic and cheap as we had 2 small children. I painted all the walls a creamy white and the kids rooms got a coat of free paint that we picked up at Home Depot when they use to give away their "oop's paints." My thought process was that there were more important things to spend our money on than walls that were going to get dirty and beat up. Over the years we put in a lawn, upgraded from a gravel to a paved driveway and lots of other useful and sensible upgrades. I promised Rebecca earlier this year that I would repaint all the walls, trim and ceilings in the house. I don't think she believed me because she knows how much I hate painting. I am actually pretty good at it and enjoy the look and feel of a clean, freshly painted surface but because I worked for a painter when I was a teenager painting is never something I enjoy doing. I honestly think Rebecca was happier than a child opening birthday presents when she realized that I was serious and committed to painting the walls. She was even more surprised when I told her I wanted to use different pigments in the paint!

I discussed my ideas with her and we headed to the store to try to decide on colors we would both be happy with. and amazingly when we got home and started comparing samples we had both picked several of the same colors. Some times its the little things that can cause discord between people, in our case it's always the little things that make us both smile and provide confirmation that we were meant for each other!

About 3 weeks ago we finally made the return trip to Home Depot and purchased the paint and believe me, its a lot of paint - 22 gallons! My only "condition" I had for this project was that I would do it a little at a time and only when I felt the urge to do so. Rebecca is always more than willing to do the painting but despite my lack of love for painting I don't like to share the work with her although I am more than willing to let her help with all the trim and doors this time! Last weekend I finally got the itch to start painting and decided to start with the room I disliked painting the most 10 years ago - the master bathroom. I love the color red and convinced Rebecca that our bathroom would look good with such a bold color.

I will admit, when I started putting it on the wall I was a little worried I had made a big mistake but once it dried it made our ordinary loo into a cheery addition to our daily routine. This weekend I decided to start working on Ariel's room. I started by going out and purchasing her a full bedroom set. She is no longer a little girl and we decided that she was ready for some decent furniture that would last a lifetime if taken care of. During the week I patched any holes and blemishes in the wall and last night after a final sanding I put the first coat of paint on the wall. Tonight I put the second coat on and once again the transformation is amazing.

Tomorrow I am planning on putting a fresh coat of paint on the ceilings in both rooms and hopefully paint the trim and doors later this week. I will post pictures of Ariel's room when it is finished and her new furniture arrives which is scheduled for the first week of October. I am looking forward to the remaining colors which despite not being as bold as these two were will fill our house with cheer in a calming shade of yellow, our favorite slate blue and a light shade of green to finish welcome you upon entering through the front door.

In 10 years so much has changed, my marriage to Rebecca has grown stronger and stronger year after year, our babies have grown into an amazing young people. Our house has never been a show piece but is has always been a "home." A place you felt welcome, a place you could relax and feel comfortable staying whether is was for a quick visit or an overnight stay. I can look back on the past 10 years and say without a doubt that I am blessed! I look forward to seeing what the next 10 years has in store for me and can only imagine how much our family will have transformed next time I have to paint!

A Smashing Good Night!

On labor day weekend Alex and I headed down to the shore line for an evening of crashing and smashing. It was the back to school special at the Waterford Speedbowl which included Ski Car racing, figure 8 races, School Bus races and demo derby's.

 The night started off with the Ski Car races. Alex and I both agreed that these were the most exciting races of the night. If you are unfamiliar with what these are I will do my best to explain. This race is run with front wheel drive vehicles that have had their rear tires removed and replaced with rims welded to metal skid plates or ski's. As you can imagine they are difficult to control and create a lot of excitement when they begin to spin while running at full speed with other vehicles around them. It's also great to follow them as they go around the track while being mesmerized by the trail of sparks.

After the Ski car feature they held a figure 8 race which once again had us standing most of time due to the non stop carnage which included cars flipping over, getting set back on their wheels and continuing on and eventually ending up in the demo derby at the end of the night.

Many of the vehicles attempted to run in each event. I enjoyed watching Alex's face during each event and I was reminiscent of him being upset as a young child every time he saw a car with any body damage. He sure has come a long way - I just hope he doesn't look this happy when he has his first car accident as a teenager!

The bus races were rather boring but the drivers were determined to put on a good show. They decided to add a school bus demo derby into the schedule and did their best to make these full size school buses into back road short buses!

I think that they did a good job shortening them up quite a bit!

At the end of the end of the evening they finished off the remaining vehicles in a front stretch demo derby. 

 It was a fun guy's night out and Alex is convinced that Rebecca is going to let him turn her Hyundai into an X-car and finally a demo derby car when he finally gets his drivers license in a few years.

It was a great night to celebrate the end of summer and a fun way to usher in the school year. The night ended with a great fireworks display which we enjoyed from the comfort of the truck. I am very blessed that each of my kids enjoys the same things I do and as they grow up will have great memories of times spent together. I just pray that I am around to make many, many more memories with them well into my old age!

It's always a good time!

This past Thursday we went to our second Owl City concert in Boston, Massachusetts. We went for Ariel's birthday last year and enjoyed it so much we decided if he ever came back to the area we would go again.

This year Ariel brought her best friend with her so the girls headed for the stage - they are in the center of the picture about 4 heads back. Ariel is in the black shirt right behind the hand with the peace sign.

 Alex and I decided that we didn't want to be surrounded by screaming girls so we headed up to the balcony were we would have a little breathing room and a birds eye view of the entire show.

This years location was a lot smaller than last years which made it a little more up close and personal. Adam Young and his entire band are amazing artists which put on a great show. When Ariel first started listening to his music I never thought I would want to go to see one of his concerts but I would be willing to go with just Rebecca, it is refreshing to hear an artist that can actually sing and sounds like his recorded tracks. I used my  camera to take a short video which obviously doesn't have the best audio recording ability but it will give you a taste of the concert!

The other highlight of the day was I found a new place to grab a bite to eat when I'm working in Boston! It's a little sandwich shop on Commonwealth Avenue called Roast Beast - the food was A+ and the staff was very friendly and made sure we tried all the sauces we desired and also went out of their way to assist us with where to park during the concert. I recommend everyone stop in and try one of their sandwiches - you won't be disappointed, I promise!