Sad but True

"How soon 'not now' becomes 'never' " - Martin Luther

How sad is it that my motivating factor to come back to write on my blog tonight was to just have another post before the month of June was over. I dislike this forum feeling like an obligation and I try to avoid writing when I feel like I 'have' to write. It's supposed to be a place for me to express my thoughts, organize and analyze them, so I know how I feel and the direction I want to pursue.

It's like other things in my life, the hardest part is the getting started. And then the hardest part becomes finishing... ba-da-bum-bum. And she's funny now.

The month of June has overwhelmed and exhausted me. It started with a rough Memorial Day weekend with new processes at work that we're still trying to iron out, then a whirl-wind girls weekend in quaint Alexandria, VA for an upcoming wedding. Fun and too quick as they always are lead to another long hour week at work and now we're covering for summer vacations... We run a tight schedule and there is little wiggle room so when someone is gone, we're pushing hard to cover everyone's responsibilities and promises to our customers. Plus, we're growing. And growing quickly. A great problem to have. But long and painful when you're in the trenches.

Hence, the lack of posts. Or time for posts. Added in the boy drama already mentioned in my last post, a weeklong nighttime high school drama production at the local theater, and the amount of dog hair I must sleep up in one day... June has FLOWN by! Being busy is good for me, it forces me to act instead of living inside of my head all the time. So here's to living July in action!

I am having to learn patience... I have a long term goal - a big picture, if you will - and I know what I want and how to make it happen. I can see it happening but forcing myself to remain patient and work day after day after day at the same tasks for very little visible progress on a daily basis. Patience is a virture I don't have... And I need to develop. My current career position might finally make it happen for me. And teach me how to manage or handle the ups & downs of our business in a much more reasonable way. Well, here's hoping anyways.

Travel Update

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth." - Anonymous

As far as an update on my travel plans, I've got little progress to report. As I mentioned before, I have some other financial obligations to take care of as well as work on my house to complete. So far, I have almost $100 designated to my travel fund... not much I know but I started at the beginning of the holiday season and I went out a lot and went out of town for NYE. But enough with the excuses, that's where I am, cash wise. Not a big dent in the original goal of $3000. But the hardest part is getting started so I've at least got that done. {Insert After School special cheers here}

Other than continuing to read other's adventures and daydream about my own, I've got nothing. Strike that, I did have a conversation with a property owner on my street about renting out her house, she hasn't had any trouble having renters and good ones at that. I forgot to ask what she charges but I'll ask her the next time. So that's a definite possibility for my house.

Behaving Badly

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.” - Emily Post



I've been 'that' person lately... the one who's a little snarkier, snippier, and a little ruder than necessary. Not proud of that. The last time I felt this way, I quit my job and moved to Chicago for a new start. It took me three months to calm down, be nice and have fun again. I miss having fun... I feel like I've forgotten how. Annoying.


So, I have a new plan and it excites me. Motivates me to make the time work for me and spend my energy working toward my new goal. But it doesn't make my fuse any longer. Sigh. How do I fix that? Learn to take a deep breath and remain patient and be positive. Channel my inner Emily Post, stay on top of my game, think before I speak and remain polite. I know better and I don't know that person (or like her).


So, moving on to better things. Continuing to work on myself. Making progress on my new dream... that's what I can do and those are positive things.

Progress

"Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress." - Nicholas Murray Butler

I know you don't see it... probably can't even tell the difference but I can smell the paint drying and I know there is a difference. My forearms and shoulders ache from painting, I have paint in places that one shouldn't have paint, and I'm having weird dreams from the fumes. But I have (finally) painted my kitchen cabinets.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I can see the cute room that will be. The room that lives in my head, in my imagination - heavily influenced by House Beautiful magazine and HGTV.

I hear the negativity out there... the "how's the house going?" and "how long ago did you move in?" or "you're still painting..."

I know there are some doubters out there... some haters, if you will, who never thought I'd get it done. Who know how short my attention span is, how easily I move from one project to another, who have identified my lack of follow through as my biggest problem. Followed closely by procrastination.

But after a brief pause (cue summertime, 2 weddings, other people's illnesses and vacations, plus trying to have a life of my own) I am BACK! And better than ever!!! I spent my weekend working on the kitchen cabinets...

sanding...

tearing down unneeded shelves (thanks Chad!)...

repairing damages and holes...

learning how to use wood filler...

shopping for hinges...

replacing light fixtures....

and of course, PAINTING.

I finished the priming and started the actual painting which made me feel oh so accomplished. I'm about half way through with the painting... I think I'll be able to finish them tonight or at the latest tomorrow (Putting that insomnia to good use). Which means, I'll be able to hang the cabinet doors this weekend!!! Whoot! Whoot!

Up Next: Floors, Countertops, and Back-splash.

Girlfriend is going to learn how to tile.

More House

"The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving" - Oliver Wendell Holmes



I spent the entire weekend working on my house. I sanded, primed, painted, cleaned, hung pictures, organized my closet, sanded, primed, painted and cleaned some more. It's a good feeling now but it was all I could do to make myself keep up the pace Saturday and Sunday. Especially when my friend Alyssa invited me over to layout at her pool.

But here's some of my progress:

These are the pictures hanging over my bed (a sleigh bed that I LOVE!!!). I took all of them so it adds a nice little personal touch to my room. They are black and white photos of places I've lived: Lincoln Park in Chicago, Music Row in Nashville, and the Tree that owns itself in Athens, GA. They probably wouldn't win any awards at but I love them and the look I've created over my bed.

Here's an example of the exposed brick I have through out my house. My house was originally built in 1928 and has been remodeled a couple of times (hence my 1970s blue bathroom). Fortunately, due to costs or effort, I have a couple of walls of exposed brick and I love them. This one is in my dressing room and that's the dreaded blue bathroom to the left. I hung a picture my sister Lauren painted for my brithday a couple of years ago. I love this picture.

Can you tell what it is? While it's so obvious to me, it's just abstract enough to confuse some people...

And here is what I fell in love with first... the molding over my front door. I love this detail work and the door itself. It was a total pain to paint but now it's done and I love it. The door is pretty awesome itself, heavy and solid. I'll have to take a picture of my doorknocker, it's pretty awesome.

Anyways, here's where I spent my weekend but I'm loving becoming a homebody. It's really becoming mine and I'm feeling more and more at home here.

Slow

"Progress, of the best kind, is comparatively slow. Great results cannot be achieved at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step. - Samuel Smiles


that's how the house is going. thanks for asking. it's going slow...

And while I'm enjoying the process, progress doesn't seem to be happening. This weekend, I stopped the actual painting and sanding to finish organizing the rooms already painted. Which I think will help me feel more at home.

Here are some more pictures.


That's the blue in my bedroom - Sherwin William's Jetstream (SW6492) - when I first opened the paint can, I got nervous and when I applied it to the walls, I got even more nervous. When my mom came over and swore it wasn't the color we had picked, I got angry. But now that it's up and dry and my furniture is in the room, I LOVE IT. It's just bright enough to be noticeable and calming enough not to be distracting. (It's a good thing too because painting a room over due to poor color choice isn't an option right now).



The white trim is also Sherwin Williams, Classic White, a discontinued color but I had a can from my parent's house so I was able to get a match made. Why they got rid of this perfect white trim color in oil I do not know but I'm making sure I have enough left over to continue to get it matched in the future. It is the trim color I have used throughout the house and I love it. Classic and clean looking. Fresh and Bright.


This is my new favorite toy... a sander! Once I got over my mental hump of "I don't know what the hell I'm doing" and got to work, I've really enjoyed sanding. It's much quicker and more efficient than painting so it satisfies my instant gratification need. I can see progress after a couple of minutes versus hours. And I can't explain how nice that is...





And my house numbers, my Papa (grandfather) attempted to put these up for me this weekend but the drill bit broke in the brick so I wasn't able to finish this project. I bought these house numbers before I had even secured my loan (that should have been a sign) at Frontier (no website) in downtown Athens on Clayton. Great local products and unique gift items and it's rumored to be owned by one of the wives of a WP bandmember. I've found some great items for family and friends there. Plus these numbers for my house. This picture was taken on my coffee table but as soon as they're in their proper place, I'll post another picture