It's a new year...

With a ton of new adventures! I've been in full nesting mode and have lots of new things to share but for now I'll leave you with this cookie dough deliciousness. It's been a Martha Stewart sort of day. Cheers!

Before and After: Deck!

You know I love before and after photos...especially from a project that has been on our list for a very long time. T and his friends spent a Saturday a few weeks ago, tearing up the old decking and replacing the cracked wood with shiny new boards. That don't have splinters. And that are not green. It's fabulous.

The before

 And the after..

 They even replaced my bench. I love this bench and all of the seating that it offers. When we bought the house, I had visions of enjoying a cup of coffee outside. Now I actually can. Bliss.

 My very own Ty Pennington! The man who was nervous about operating a power saw is now in the market to buy one. He is deciding what else he can build. I love it and I love him. and I love the deck he built. :)

Back

I've been around but haven't felt like writing. I have had a growing list of things I wanted to write about but just didn't have the motivation. The last few months have been stuffed full of travel, friends, and new experiences but I just haven't felt like sharing. I guess I've become a bit more introspective lately, preferring to process things on my own instead of getting them out here. The downside of that for me is that I can get lost in my own head.

I started this blog for T and I, so we could look back someday on our wild and crazy days and remember everything that had made us who we are. I've definitely dropped the ball on that and I'm going to change that. This blog has been a way to keep in touch with long distance family and friends, and a Doogie Howser style journal for me and I'm bringing it back. I need it.

My first post back will be tomorrow with our new deck! T and I have been branching out a lot in terms of our comfort level with new projects. He is very thoughtful, preferring to plan it out ahead of time and know exactly how it needs to go. I am more adventurous. All I need is a material list and a rough idea and I'm off and running. Together, we make the perfect carpenter. And we're no longer afraid of power tools.

As I type this, there are three men outside, ripping off the old warped boards and trying to figure out how to save my beloved wooden bench. I can't wait to see the finished project. This is a big item that will come off our TO-DO list and I'm thrilled.

Weather Thursday: We went from this...

...to this

...within a few minutes. The strangest part of this storm was watching it roll in while hearing absolutely nothing. It was eerily quiet right before it roared over us like a freight train. The fun part was watching the neighbor's lights flicker a second before our power went out. Luckily we have plenty of candles on hand from the outage last year. :)

My new to-do list

It's been a tough year for me, one full of ups and big downs. In the last few weeks, I've finally been able to shine the light into the deep recesses of the old mind. It turns out that I've packed a lot in there over the last year or so and kept it out of sight so I could pretend that I was feeling fine. But I haven't.

I've made a new list for myself, a To-Do List that is not at all about completing projects. This one is about healing and rediscovering my life.  

Live in the moment not the what if's.

Don't put my life on hold.

Don't be afraid to make plans.

Live healthy.

Clear the mind chatter.

Improve family connections.

Be nice to me.

I've been busy..

...training for my first half marathon! 10 weeks down of training down and only 2 left before the race. Wish me luck!

Our homage

The Great Wall of Fame is done.

 Actually, I lied. It's not completely done. We're waiting on one more photo from Snapfish. Although we do think the orange flowers in the brown frame below go rather nicely with the room.

We are loving the way this basement is turning out..It's clean and simple and calming. And completely us. So much of out 11 years together has been surrounded by sports that these aren't just photos and ticket stubs. They're memories. It's the Clay Buckholz no hitter that we saw in  2007 from the roofdeck of Fenway. The baseball signed by the 1989 Giants that my dad won in a silent auction, and made me the happiest girl in the neighborhood that Christmas morning. The time we stood outside a bar in Manhattan on a frigid January day to see the Giants WS trophy. It's T's favorite Boston Globe cover that he chose from the 6 bags of 2004 newspapers that he kept from that amazing season. And it's the collection of baseball cards from my favorite player of all time that went missing in CA. My dad replaced them this year by scouring the Bay Area sports stores so Will Clark could take his place on the Wall.