House Renovation Update

I mentioned in an earlier post that Patrick's house flooded, and there's been some progress on the renovations. Especially for our parents, I wanted to give an update with a couple pictures.

First though, let's go back... September 17th, 2011, 5:30pm.

Taken about an hour into our progress

After a great day of jet skiing with some friends at Bartlett Lake, Patrick/Chance/Belle/I planned on quickly stopping by his house to get a change of clothes before heading to the Mercury playoff game. We were stopped in our tracks by a couple inches of water throughout his entire house.

We kicked into 'emergency mode' and immediately got to work making phone calls to insurance & Servicemaster and then started getting the water out of the house.

Three hours later, we finally had most of the water out and were EXHAUSTED. Servicemaster wound up coming the next day and set up 3 dehumidifiers and over 20 fans throughout the house. Those ran for over 5-6 days and finally dried out the walls... but it left his house unlivable because of the 110 degree inside temperature.

By the time everything was dry, there were a few areas with significant damage:
   ●  The baseboards (shown in the picture to the right) took in water and expanded so they no longer matched up at the corners. They had to be taken off, and while doing that, paint peeled both off the walls and the floors.
   ●  Since the water was pouring out the cabinet under the kitchen sink for hours, the water damaged some of the cabinets, and the kickboards of the cabinets had to be taken off to make sure water wasn't trapped underneath (resulting in mold/mildew).
   ●  As one of the exit points for the water, the frame of the front door became warped - you can see light coming in when you have the front door closed.

Here's the progress so far:
   ●   The baseboards have been replaced and painted white. The entire house has been repainted to touch up anywhere that the paint peeled (each wall was repainted, not just the area that needed it). Since it would be happening anyway, Patrick's room no longer has the orange accent wall (he's a little sad about this); the accent wall is now a navy/cornflower-ish blue color, and the other three walls are a light gray. The gray looks kind of similar to a baby blue, but as we put things up on the walls, it's looking more and more gray.

Upside-down broken countertop

   ●   The countertop had to be taken off to repair the cabinets. Although it didn't break as they were removing it, it broke in their process of putting it back on. We're now officially getting new countertops!! They put in a couple new cabinets and matched the stain so it matches up. Some retouches need to be done, but the cabinets are just about finished.
   ●   A new front door is leaning up against the living room wall - just waiting to be installed. Instead of the lovely gold-trimmed window in the door & gold hardware, we'll have a dark brown, fiberglass door with brushed nickel hardware.
   ●   We've chosen the type of carpet we want and are going to get a 2nd quote this week in order to get the best possible pricing.

Patrick and I have also made some upgrades/additions of our own. We:

   ●  ...bought a new stainless under-mount sink for the kitchen. With the new granite countertops, we figured it was worth it to make the investment in a new sink since he currently has a top-mount, off-white, porcelain sink. It's not very attractive. ;)
   ●  ...moved the ceiling fan/light from his bedroom to the dining area; now the fans in the living room and dining area match when you look through the room.
   ●  ...installed a new ceiling fan/light in Patrick's bedroom that ties in the dark wood of the headboard and base of the bed.
   ●  ...installed a new light above the island in the kitchen and were even able to position it so it's centered over the island (as compared to being directly over the walkway between the island and refrigerator).

   ●  ...bought a new big clock for the living room.
   ●  ...decided to get rid of the reverse osmosis system - No need to risk having another flood! To replace that, we got a new water dispenser that puts out either hot or cold water, and the 5-gallon jug is hidden inside.
   ● ...installed a motion-detection light in the guest bathroom since the lightswitch is in an awkward spot and guests never know where the light is located.

Even though it seems like it's been a slow process, the house is actually coming together!

-Lisa

Our Garage Sale

This isn't a "wedding" post, but it's kind of related... We're having a garage sale!

If you're worried about us having a lack of garage sale experience, you need not worry. I'm not sure about Patrick, but garage sale-ing is in my blood ;). I'm a proud bargain-hunter who grew up with a mom and a grandma who went to garage sales almost every Saturday. We would usually have our own garage sale every couple years, and I remember how much fun it was to work the garage sale - Grandma would usually come over (sometimes aunts/cousins would come, too), we'd get up early to hang the signs, someone would go get donuts and we'd help with making change, putting purchases into bags and just being there to "help." As kids, we probably got in the way more than anything, but having the garage sales as a family has always been a really fun memory.

Twice a year, Patrick's HOA sponsors a subdivision garage sale. I had been asking him to keep an eye out for notification of the next one, and he got an email today saying the next one is coming up the weekend of November 10th-12th! That leaves us just over 2 weeks to get ready for a Saturday sale. Yikes!

Patrick and I have contradicting opinions about the total amount of belongings I own ;)... He thinks that I have way too much "STUFF," and I think that I'm prepared for just about anything - haha. When I bought my townhouse (which has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a loft), I had a lot of fun filling the house. Each of the rooms is decorated and is completely furnished. The main negative about the idea of Patrick and I eventually moving in together is that his story is identical: when he bought his house, he completely furnished it. That totals 2 houses worth of furniture, clothes, decorations - and yes, Patrick: "stuff" - that will have to go into one house. Arizona doesn't give us the luxury of having a basement to hide stuff in, so the bottom line is that we need to get rid of a lot.

Now that we have the garage sale date, both of us got to work on our houses tonight. I had started by organizing my closet last week, and as of tonight, I have a pile of trash bags, a big Rubbermaid container and a big box filled with garage sale items (see picture for some of it).

We're probably going to have some big items for the sale. This could provide a nice addition to our honeymoon fund or $ to go towards the renovations in his house, and hey, even the little things add up! Anything that isn't sold at the garage sale could either be posted on Craigslist, donated to Goodwill or held onto for a future sale... although I don't necessarily see a May sale (a few weeks before our wedding) making a lot of sense.

I'm excited because just like the half marathon, this gives us a goal to work towards, & it gives a set timeline of when we need to have everything ready to go. In the next couple weeks, there's a lot of work to be done.

-Lisa

Meeting With Potential Officiant #1

Last night, Patrick and I met with a potential wedding officiant for about an hour.

This guy seems genuine and said that he performs weddings because he feels there's a need for someone who would perform Catholic-focused weddings without the requirements the Phoenix Catholic diocese has put in place (9 months of premarital counseling to include 4 months of 'natural family planning,' and the ceremony has to be performed inside a church). He's definitely a talker, and he got off subject easily when asked questions, but we think he'd be good if he had a script to follow. He admitted he isn't the most organized person, but as long as he would have the details we give him for the ceremony, that should go smoothly. He's happy to give suggestions (we got a couple sample scripts), but he said he's more than open to changing the order/wording/details per our preferences.

The only thing that I'm not completely sold on is the fact that we don't really know him, and he doesn't really know us... I'd like whoever officiates our wedding to know us in some way, but how well can you really get to know someone after 1 (or 2) meetings? Patrick put it well in saying that a wedding ceremony is part show, and we need to make sure we find someone who can carry that out well.

We still haven't given up on the idea of finding a priest who will perform the ceremony at Aldea, but nothing has been figured out yet. Until we exhaust all the options, we're not rushing into a decision on the officiant. IF we can't find a priest, we're still planning on meeting with a priest to have our marriage "recognized" by the church, but that'll be some point after our ceremony on May 26th.

Our day is going to be a really special occasion, and I'm sure we'll find the person who will perform the ceremony of our dreams.

-Lisa

A Half Marathon?!

Yes, that's right: Patrick and I signed up for the Arizona Half Marathon on February 25th, 2012.

I'm excited at the thought of having a goal to work towards, and I think that this is an ideal time to train for a half marathon. Patrick has mentioned a few times that he'd like to get back into running, and I want to continue getting into better shape and toning up for the wedding.

Now, let me point out the reasons I'm also terrified... ;) I've never really been someone who enjoys running; I've joked around with people that the only way I'm able to run is if I'm distracted with a basketball, soccer ball, etc and don't realize I'm running ;). Patrick keeps telling me that I'll gain a new appreciation for how relaxing ("RELAXING"?!) running can be, and is convinced I'll start to really enjoy it. We'll see on that... lol. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of my Achilles surgery, and it's crazy to think that a year ago, I wasn't able to even WALK. I'd say that I'm back to about 100%, but it still scares me to push myself too far b/c my Achilles ruptured while I was standing still (in the last minute of an alumni basketball game); I do NOT want to go through that surgery again.

It's a huge commitment, and yes, I'm scared, but I think that it's something that both of us can work towards - and achieve - together.

Still, I'm going back and forth between the reactions of, "I can do this," and "Are you freaking kidding me?! What did I get myself into?" Yikes!

- Lisa

The Suits Have Been Ordered

We got the suits figured out tonight! I really like them and think they're going to look very good, but I have to admit I'm disappointed in one thing: this suit doesn't come with a vest. We had picked out a black suit with a vest originally, and when we went to check out another Men's Wearhouse, we found this similar, charcoal suit by the same designer... Apparently, we didn't realize it was vest-less.

My sneaky way of incorporating pink into the guys' outfits was by those vests: the lining of the inside of the suits and the back part of the vests is a pink silky material with a turquoise logo print. With no longer having the vests, the guys won't be showing any pink when they take off their suit jackets. ::sigh:: Patrick DID promise me though to have a couple pictures taken with the guys showing off the inside lining of the suit jackets, though; that made me smile!

Growing up, the vision I always had of "a wedding" was to have the guys in black tuxes, and it's a little strange for me that we'll be having charcoal-colored suits. Don't get me wrong; I think the dark gray will look great on the guys, and it makes it more spring-y AND gets the look away from a stereotypical penguin suit lol. It's just making the wedding 'us' instead of what's 'expected;' that part is fantastic.

This suit is made from a nicer fabric and is higher quality than the original black tone-on-tone suit with the vest, and like I mentioned before, Patrick really didn't want to go with a black suit... Even though this doesn't have distinct stripes he originally wanted, I think we're both happy!

We still like the idea of getting shirts and ties that match the bridesmaid dresses, and we'll probably just skip the idea of having vests altogether... At this point, our thought for all the guys is:

• Groomsmen: Blue shirt, Blue tie
• Patrick: Blue shirt, White tie
• Dads: White shirt, Blue tie

Closeup of the fabric (it looks lighter b/c of the flash)

Patrick's going to get the details sent out to each of the groomsmen and dads; that'll be coming soon.

Despite my (small) disappointment in the lack of the vest, Patrick looked REALLY sharp in the suit when he tried it on. It was kind of a strange feeling seeing him try it on with a white dress shirt, and it's crazy to think he'll be wearing that in a little over 7 months - for OUR WEDDING!

-Lisa

I'm an Invitation MACHINE!

Most wedding advice/etiquette websites I've found say to send out the invitations 6-8 weeks before the wedding. Since one website said "Plan to place your invitation order at least 3-4 months in advance," we're wayyy ahead b/c I FINISHED THE INVITATIONS TONIGHT!

Traditional wedding etiquette also says that it's necessary to address each envelope by hand, but Martha Stewart is on my side; on her website, she says, "calligraphy done by computer directly on the envelope is gaining popularity and acceptability."

Not that we're doing everything by the book, but thank you, Martha! I printed each of the envelopes using the same two fonts as our invitations, and they're ready to be sealed, stamped and sent at the end of March!

I won't post a clear picture of the actual invitations yet (I'll do that after they're mailed out), but a teaser is posted below. I should have kept track to see how many hours the 100-ish invitations took to make from scratch... but maybe it's better not to know! Let's just say Patrick and I were thrilled that these were safe at my house when his house flooded; if they had been ruined by the water, I may have lost it...! ;)

Even with the ridiculous number of hours printing, cutting, gluing, assembling, etc, etc, etc, looking back, I'd make the decision to do it again! Invitations can get soooo expensive, and I wanted to avoid huge unnecessary expenses. Sure, I'm not charging myself for labor expenses, but by keeping an eye on the sales at Joann's and Michael's, the invitations have wound up costing less than $0.75 each! We still have to get the stamps, but considering I read that "The average couple spends $659 on invitations and reply-cards," I have to think our invitations have been a pretty darn good deal so far!

The hard work paid off!

It's such a great feeling to look at the stacks of invitations and know they came together better than I had hoped. I LOVE them!

On DIY-related note, I got some orders for personalized hangers! I posted pictures of the hangers I had made so far on Facebook last night, and I've received a few requests already (for a total of 5 hangers)! My friend Rachael is coming over on Wednesday night, and we're going to have a crafty night to work on hangers: I'm going to show her what's worked well for me, and then we'll both be making some. It's fun to share the love of crafts with someone!

-Lisa

Garter #2: Finished

Can you believe this is blog entry #51?! Apparently, they add up quickly.

I sat down tonight to work on the 2nd garter, and it's finished! I made it a larger version of the first one: the first will be the throwing garter, and the second will be the one we keep. I liked it a lot in person, but I'm thinking it looks kind of awkward in the picture lol... I'll have to do some thinking if it should be changed in any way - or if I should just stop trying to be a perfectionist and say it looks great. ;)

No need to make a decision at this second, and thank goodness b/c it's time for me to get to sleep. Goodnight!

- Lisa