Finished Kitchen Pictures!

Previous blog posts on the kitchen...

• Frustrated with the old kitchen (and planned layout)
• In process - part 1
• In process - part 2

I'm finally posting pictures of our kitchen! I was trying to find some "before" photos for comparison and came across pictures I took when our house was being inspected. The changes are amazing. (Click on the photos to see them larger.)

View from the living room. The wall between the kitchen and dining room is gone. (The one with the door frame, not the one with the arch.) And the carpet in the kitchen and the other rooms is gone.

This is the dining room window.

And this is after - kitchen & dining room are now one big room.

A view of the dining room from the other direction, with the living room (and Jason & Izzy) in the background.

This corner cabinet was removed. The doorway to the back door was also widened.

You can't see the doorway but the new range is in the same location as the old one.

You can see the doorway a little here.

Here's another photo of the wall that was removed. The new fridge is about in the same position as the old one. (In the background is my realtor, Tom Andrew, and Tony Burk, who did the inspection.)

Fridge, tall cabinets and what I call the "china cabinet."

This is the old sink. (Finally removed the thermometer from the window this summer.)

And the new sink.

And another shot of the sink. (Please ignore cat in window, he's never allowed up there.)

I want to thank my mom and step-dad for spending their summer helping us with the kitchen. By helping I mean rewiring the entire kitchen, installing lights and outlets everywhere, assembling and installing the cabinets, trouble-shooting all the issues that came up with a 70-year-old house, doing plumbing and duct-work, and being there for the granite and flooring installation. Thank you so much for all your hard work!! Even though it took weeks longer than we expected, I'm so glad to spend the time with you. It was a great summer of grilled dinners on the patio and watching Wipe Out - every time it was on. We love you!! And Izzy misses you! See you soon! :)

Updating the site

The link to our blog used to contain our last name. In an attempt to increase our security online, I've changed the link to cyndidee.blogspot.com. If you have this bookmarked, please update it.

I'm also planning on going through all our posts and removing any reference to our last name and where we live. I have a new twitter account and have quite a few followers that I don't know. I'd like to tweet about my blog posts but want to make sure I stay "Cyndi Dee" to the online community.

Next blog post - pictures of the new kitchen. (Yes, finally.)

Trashing the Dress - Photos!!

Kerrie posted her blog tonight! Boy that was fast.

So here's the sneak peek of the Trash the Dress session...

http://kerriecelaphotography.com/

Trashing the Dress

Why in the world would I buy a wedding dress from Good Will and then wade into Caesar's Creek Lake while wearing it? Let me start at the beginning...

I have a friend who is a professional photographer. A few weeks ago she posted on facebook that she was looking for models to increase her portfolio. The models would get one shot (photographer's choice) to keep. I volunteered, but wasn't sure what I would do with that one shot. I don't need any head shots for work or business cards. I offered to dress up in my clown costume but she declined - I guess clown photos don't increase a portfolio. ;)


Then I got this crazy idea. I've always wanted to do a "Trash the Dress" (aka TTD) - you wear your wedding dress in situations where most would never wear it. If you google "trash the dress" you'll find images of women in gorgeous dresses with paint on them, in the woods, on train tracks, and (the most popular) in a body of water. As fun as this sounds, I could never take my beautiful wedding dress and ruin it. For the record, I plan on wearing my wedding dress every Leap Day - our anniversary.

So what if I found an old wedding dress at a Good Will store? I could definitely trash that dress and not worry about it. Also, a trashed wedding dress can double as a zombie costume (for Fairborn's zombie walk), or some other Halloween costume. So the search for a fancy dress at second-hand stores began.

I hit the jackpot at the 2nd Good Will store I went to (on 725 in Centerville). I actually tried on three different dresses and found on a dress that was very similar to my wedding dress, but in ivory. They seemed to be try-on dresses from a bridal store - there were no sizes inside and they had never been bustled. These dresses were originally marked $79, but were marked down to $39. After thinking about it a couple of days I went back and bought the dress I picked.

We then picked last Saturday to go out into the woods. It was going to be a beautiful, warm, fall day. We ran into the problem of where to go. All the Five-River metro parks in Dayton prohibit getting into the water. Also, Kerrie would have to get a permit to take photos in the parks. We teased that a good TTD usually ends with running from the police (or so I've heard), but we decided to look elsewhere. Caesar's Creek Lake turned out to be the perfect place. No permits are needed to get in the water or to take photographs.

Kerrie met at my house at 9:00 am (original plans were for 8:00 but I ended up having a late night). It took longer than I thought to get ready but we finally left the house at 9:30. I had the cheap wedding dress, blue-with-pink-hearts clown socks, old running shoes, and false eye lashes on. I had done some glamour makeup (courtesy of my days with Mary Kay) and I straightened my hair - the better to get messed up.

We got to Caesar's Creek close to 10:30 am. We drove around Waynesville for a bit trying to get a good idea of what we wanted to do and when. Lighting was very important and it was late in the day to get good shots at the beach. So we found some trails, a field, a couple of wooden bridges, and some rocks to do the photography against. I sat against some trees, in the roots, and across a fallen log. I had the best time doing some model poses and trying not to laugh. (I actually got better at it as we went along.)

(If you're familiar with planking, I saw a picnic table and had to plank on it. Completely ridiculous but somehow necessary with a wedding dress, clown socks, and running shoes on. Google "planking" if you don't know what it is.)

The last thing we did was head out to the beach. It was time to (finally) get in the water and ruin the dress. There were seagulls along the water's edge and no one else was on the beach. So of course the first thing I did was run along the beach to scare off all the seagulls. (I did this again at the end of our shoot.) I have no idea if the pictures turned out since this was my crazy idea and not really part of TTD.

So in I went. It took forever to wade into the cold, disgusting water. I don't think it was dirty, people swim in that water all the time. However, even in 4 inches of water, you couldn't see the bottom. Yuck. Perfect I guess for a TTD.

Most of the people at the beach were watching us. I'm sure I wasn't the first person to do a TTD at this location, but it was probably the first time people have seen something like that. A group of little girls came over to watch and I think they were actually upset that I was ruining the dress like I was. I waved at them and they half-heartedly waved back and then walked to the other end of the beach.

Kerrie had me stick my head in the water and flip my hair a few times, I can't wait to see if those show up. I then floated on the water for awhile which was actually quite relaxing and the easiest part of the whole day. Then I was up on the sand with Kerrie putting more sand on my arms, neck, back and all over the dress. The dress was already covered with algae, mud, and who knows what else. I ended up getting back in the water to try to wash most of the sand off. (And then there was that one last run at the seagulls.)

People wouldn't ask what we were doing, but you could definitely tell they thought we were crazy. So we'd try to explain it was a "Trash the Dress" session and we were doing it for Kerrie's portfolio. I was already (happily) married and it was a dress I got at Good Will. Sometimes when I was passing people I'd just say "I'm not getting married today" and they'd laugh.

Thankfully the bathrooms were still open, though the only shower was outside of this. I rinsed off as much as possible while still wearing the wedding dress (and Kerrie got a few more shots). I finally changed into some normal clothes and took everything I was wearing in the lake and stuffed it into large bag. (The bag the Good Will people stuffed the dress into after I bought it - basically a large blue trash bag.)

I got home and took a long hot shower. I think I still have sand in my hair though. I ended up washing the dress outside in a storage tote with Tide and it's almost clean again. At least it won't stink for the next time I wear it. I had to take a few photos of the dress when I took it out of the bag. They don't do the mess justice, but you'll at least get an idea of what the poor dress went through. (Click on each photo to see it larger.)

This is the front of the dress (the dress is folded in half)

This is the back of the dress with the train.

The end of the train. You wouldn't believe the muddy water pouring out of this when I put it on the patio table.

Some final thoughts of my TTD... definitely a lot of fun! There's something about tromping around in a wedding dress and running shoes and not caring about staying nice. I also think that if someone has never been married that they should not do this. A girl's first experience in a wedding dress shouldn't be trashing it. (Which if you know me, not my first time, or second time, or third time... yeah, never mind.) I also think that no matter how bad you trash a dress that it can most likely be salvaged, unless you rip it or burn it. I think I could have gotten mine completely clean if I had tried and I've heard other people say that their dress turned out fine. Though I can't imagine the cleaning bill.

Kerrie is currently working on editing the photos from two weddings. Once those are done, I believe she'll start working on the TTD photos. She took over 500 pictures (!!!) so it'll take her awhile to sort through them. She'll most likely blog her favorites, which I'll definitely share with you. And dear parents, you probably know what you're getting from me for Christmas. Can you stand another goofy picture of me? ;)

Update... here's the link to Kerrie's blog: http://kerriecelaphotography.com/

Izzy the Love Bug

I've witnessed something so adorable a few times now and every time I've missed the opportunity to take a picture. (Though a mom out there did, but I didn't think to ask her to send me the photo.) The only way to capture these moments is through telling the story, so I'll blog it.

If any of you know Izzy, she's quite energetic and when she's wound up, watch your pant legs. (She'll try to pull you using the one thing my shorty dog can get ahold of - your pants. If you're wearing shorts, watch out! She'll go for those too!) But sometimes she can be a cuddly little dog. We experienced this at the rescue home where we got her.

I ran a 5k downtown with a friend a few weeks ago. Jason and Izzy waited for us, cheering us on at the end. Afterwards we were resting when I noticed a little girl stood near us watching Izzy. Izzy noticed her (or something she was eating) and started to walk towards her. We told the little girl and her mom that Izzy was friendly but might jump on her.

Izzy walked up to the little girl and then sat down next to her. The girl seemed apprehensive, but started to pet Izzy. I think Izzy understood this and slowly cozied up to her, and ended up leaning on her. It was the most precious thing! The mom took a couple of pictures before Izzy leaned too much and ended up on her back. Of course then she had exposed tummy but I don't think the little girl understood she was supposed to rub it. She ended up going back to her mom and Izzy came back to us.

She's done this a few times and each time we're just amazed at how precious she is. Our little ball of energy is also full of love.

Warrior Dash - After

If you missed the "Before" post,  you can find it here... http://jc-parsons.blogspot.com/2011/09/warrior-dash-before-and-after-and.html

So it's been over a week since the Warrior Dash and my knees are still scabby and there's still bruises all over my legs. But I'm feeling accomplished and amazed that I did it again. And yes, I'm already plotting on how I can do even better next time!

To sum it all up - I tried every obstacle this time! I didn't go over the wall, but I got about half way up. I think I might be able to do it next time if there was just some way I could practice it. My time was 1:32, which is horrible, but I got stuck on a couple of obstacles and next time should easily be able to shave 30 minutes off.

First obstacle I got stuck on were the dumpsters. I got in the first one, but couldn't get out! I ended up throwing my leg over the side and wow, do I have a bruise on the inside of my leg! There were two other dumpsters but I was in enough pain and just went around them. The other obstacle was what I call the spider crawl. This one was so frustrating to me, I'm still fuming that I got stuck. I ended up having to crawl like a crab backwards because my knees hurt so bad. I have a better strategy for next time. Basically - I started in the middle and I should have been at the side. (Hey, last time I didn't even try it, so it's progress that I tried and finished - even though it probably took me 10-15 minutes.)

Parking was horrible, it took almost two hours to get from the town of Carrollton to our parking location. Thankfully the Warrior Dash aren't picky about when you run. I wish I had friends running with me but I had a great time goofing around with the people I ran with. The trail was mostly mud and it felt like we were ice skating most of the time. There wasn't a lot of running this time even though there were a lot less hills than the previous one. (My legs didn't hurt nearly as much the few days afterwards.)

Btw, around 2pm we heard someone announce that of the 6,000 people who had run the course, over 4,000 had take more than an hour. I'm blaming the mud. And probably having too much fun. :)

Since pictures are worth 1,000 words, I thought I'd post some pictures I've found of the obstacles we went through. (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

I did this one!!

The dumpster I got stuck in.

The wall I didn't do (but I tried).

I did this one! You use a rope to go up the other side and then down the side you see here.

An easy obstacle!

This is the spider web one I got stuck on.

There were many other obstacles that I'm not finding photos of, but I guess that's part of the intrigue - not knowing what they'll throw at you next. Of course there was the fire to jump over the mud to crawl through at the end. (Photos of that are on my previous blog.) And after we finished we got to go down to the lake and wash off. Kinda missed the freezing cold fire hoses from the Logan dash.

When it's over I feel exhausted, ridiculous, and thinking I'm just too old to ever do this again. But then after a few days I start dreaming of doing it all again. What is wrong with me??? :)

Anyway, I'll end this with some photos Jason and I took of the excitement and craziness....

View from the parking area

Walkway to the craziness

Getting ready to start

The starting line

After I was done

After jumping in the lake

Lots of costumes!

Our awesome people-watching spot

Check out the guy belly-flopping into the mud

A team jumping over the flames

Mario & Luigi

At the very end where we got our medals

Warrior Dash - Before (and After and Before)

I was going to post my "before" feelings about this Warrior Dash and then next week post the "after." However, I'm just realizing that I never posted about the first Warrior Dash that I did on June 4th, so I'll start there. (If you remember, the kitchen remodel started just days after.)

First, what is the Warrior Dash? Here's the link: http://warriordash.com/ It's about 3 miles on trails with obstacles like going through tires, crawling over cars (or boats), climbing a wall, jumping fire, and crawling through mud under barbed wire. Sounds like fun, huh? :)

I'm in there somewhere

Before Warrior Dash 1 in Logan, Ohio - I had never run a 5k and the furthest I'd ever run was 2 miles. And here I was planning on running 3 miles with obstacles. I knew that a lot of people end up walking some of it and that if the obstacles are too much, you can go around them. (I was definitely NOT going to be able to climb the wall.) I was optimistic and incorrectly assumed that there wouldn't be that many hills.

Coming down the last hill towards the last 6 obstacles

I was running with Jason's coworker, Molly, and her fiance, Matt, and their friend, Sniper. (I think his name is John, but we call him Sniper.) They were all athletic types and were incredibly encouraging and helpful. However, after the first half mile uphill I told them to stop waiting for me and just go!

Sniper, Molly, Matt and me - before

After Warrior Dash 1 - My stomach hurt, my legs hurt, my shoulders hurt! I heard that the first part was over a mile uphill - seriously uphill! I tried running uphill but ended up having to walk when I couldn't breathe. I did run quite a bit of it though. My arms hurt from trying to pull myself up on the difference obstacles. At one point I fell in the creek and couldn't get up! So frustrating, but my legs were rubbery and I shoved so hard to push myself up that I hurt my shoulder. Ugh.

Going over the balance beams

I skipped almost half the obstacles, but I tried most of them. I didn't jump the fire because I didn't think my legs would hold up. I did crawl through the mud, which was like thick pudding, and found out the barbed wire doesn't have points. (Btw, there's people all over the trail making sure you're okay and encouraging you to skip an obstacle if they don't think you're up to it.)

"Can you believe this???"

When I crossed the finish line I got a medal, a banana, and a cup of water. The biggest thing I gained was a sense of accomplishment that compares to finishing your college degree. The adrenaline rush lasted for at least a week or two and I felt invincible! (And definitely not 38 years old and overweight.) It's addicting. The proof? I signed up to do it again three months later.

Molly and me with our medals & mud

I did it!!!

So here we are, two days until the next one.

Before Warrior Dash 2 - Carrollton, Ohio - I haven't trained anywhere near as much as I wanted to. I need to practice jumping over fire (well, maybe not fire), and climbing things. I did some training at a playground (with an 11 year old), but I should have done more. I have done two 5k's and I can easily run 3 miles now. I've been running hills to get my legs ready, so I hope the hills don't wipe me out this time.

Molly and me after we've been hosed off (literally)

I'm still a little worried about the obstacles. I probably still won't do the wall, but I definitely want to finish the rope ladder this time. And I want to jump the fire! (Those are always the best pictures and I don't have one yet!)

The rope ladder I hope to get over this time

I had a dream last night that I went through the Warrior Dash and I went through all the obstacles like a breeze. Of course I think I was in my 20's and 30 pounds lighter in my dream, but I did it. I woke up not freaking out about the obstacles. Hopefully that "not freaking out" thing stays with me for awhile.

Jason with the viking hat

And this time I'm running by myself. (Not that that's any different from last time.) On the facebook event page for this Dash I've found some other slow runners that also start at 10:30 am. I'm hoping I run into them and can get their help going through the obstacles.

I'm running out to Target tonight to find some running shorts. The ones I ran in last time got bogged down with mud. And some crazy socks. Just because. :)

Wish me luck and say a prayer I survive another one!

(Btw, I'm already planning on doing the 2012 Warrior Dash in Logan.)

Idiot on the Jesse Stewart Memorial Bridge (Greenup Dam)

Around 4pm yesterday we were driving along the Ohio River about to cross over to Kentucky. (This is normally where Jason breathes in deep and says "ah, Kentucky.") We turned to head over the river and there was a back-up. There was construction on the bridge, so it was down to one lane. As we waited behind several cars we saw a truck driving towards us. What was unusual about the truck was that the front end was severely bashed up with the hood up, blocking the windshield, and a cone underneath the front of the truck. I couldn't figure out how he could see! He was driving really slow with his head stuck out the window!

At first we thought he was just pulling off the bridge to get out of the way but then we realized, he was just driving off! He went down a country road like nothing had happened. Unbelievable.

We sat and waited about five minutes wondering what had happened when a long line of cars came through, following the truck. Finally it was our turn to cross the bridge. We saw where the cones had been scattered and were assuming that he went across the line of cones and hit the side of the bridge. But we could see any marks on the side of the bridge or any debris from the accident. There were several construction guys standing around and one was trying to straighten the cones and get them out of the way.

We then drove past the construction area and past the other cars waiting to go the other direction when we saw where the accident had happened. There was an older Jeep with the back end completely smashed in. Several people were standing around the Jeep with a guy holding something against the back of his head. There was debris from the collision everywhere and then skid marks after the accident. 

We think what happened was that the truck wasn't paying attention and was probably going too fast and couldn't stop in time when he saw the traffic stopped. He rear-ended the Jeep, pushing it about 100 yards into the opposite lane. Thankfully it seems there was no traffic there due to the one lane being closed. The truck then tried to speed off, but with a twisted front wheel and hood blocking his view. We're thinking the skid marks were from him accelerating after the accident and trying to manuever over the bridge caused him to pick up a cone along the way.

We headed down the river on the other side and saw several emergency vehicles heading towards the accident - about 15-20 minutes after it happened. This morning I tried to google the accident to find out what happened, but as expected, nothing showed up. I'm sure whomever did it was "caught" shortly after he got home. However, as Jason has experienced personally (when he was hit by a drunk driver), he probably didn't get arrested.

Kitchen Progress - Part 2

Today the flooring was put in and we made some last decisions about the countertop. The granite countertop should be installed next Wednesday. We still need to get a few things, pick out the backsplash, and paint the door and window trim. Hopefully we'll be done in a couple of weeks. :)

Here's the progress so far...

This is what we're calling the china cabinet set. The upper cabinet will have glass doors to show off my Mikasa place settings.

The ladder is where the fridge will go. There will be another tall cabinet on the other side of the fridge. (This will be installed after the floor is done.)

Some of the cabinets with doors.

Microwave installed, flooring done, and most of the cabinets have doors now.

Where the vinyl meets the wood. I think these two ended up looking very nice together. (The wood will need to be refinished at some point and we'll probably pick a more muted finish.)

The landing down to the basement. 

(Basement to the left, back door to the right.)

Progress!! On Saturday we'll be able to move the fridge to it's designated spot and install the range and dishwasher. (Plumbing is not done yet, so they won't be ready to go just yet.) More pictures coming soon! :)