Same ol', same old

This week has basically been a Groundhog Day (movie with Bill Murray) of last week- more kitchen work, more surfing. We headed down to Port A with our friend Tim to catch some more waves. While there we stuffed ourselves with crab-stuffed flounder, made some wonderful new friends (Joe and Jill), and generally wore ourselves out with surf and sun. Wow, imagine if life could be like this all the time- oh, wait, we're not actually working right now. Spending 8 hours a day at a job really cuts down on this type of activity.

Looks like our passports with NZ visa stickers have finally arrived. It's still a strange thing to think that we'll have a whole new... everything... by Christmas.

A few more improvements.

So it probably seems like we're moving at a snails pace around here. In our defense, we had to go to the coast for 2 days to catch some waves. Luckily we returned refreshed (and sunburned), and Kyle knocked out the shelves on either side of the stove. They still need the wood panels behind them, the Zodiaq countertop and the kickplate/foot cover, but it's totally got us excited! Our countertop slab should be in tomorrow and they can come do the template and get it installed pretty soon! Too bad I sunburned the crud out of the tops of my feet- just when my hip muscle had gotten back to normal. I should just get used to hobbling around the house like an 80 year old. Who knew swollen, crispy foot-tops could put such a crimp in your stride.

We get to go see my friend Pati's house this weekend- this is the house I would *love* to inhabit. Check out the pics at http://miesandcarrots.com/, you have to scroll way down past the treehouse article.

We've also been able to get alot of our stuff sold either through craigslist or shoppin' it around town. It feels great to lighten up, but wow, there's still tons left.

In the pic of Kyle he's sitting in a chair that had washed up on the beach, next to a 50 gallon drum (which he then log rolled down the beach). You find the weirdest things on San Jose Island. This was actually from a previous trip.

This house is renovating my marriage!?!

I knew a renovation was a stressful event, just like planning a wedding. Before the latter, I kept telling myself, "I'm a professional in this industry, how hard could it be?". Well, two crying breakdowns later, I was on the honeymoon. Never underestimate the emotional component of a major life event.

So you'd think I would have learned a thing or two... Nope. At the start of this project I said to myself, "I used to (kind-of) be a professional in the interiors industry, how hard could it be?". The landscaping- no problem, it even turned out better than expected. Then when the paint color I chose ended up Day-Glo yellow, I put it off to bad luck. More recently, I chose a fabric for the exterior of the kitchen partition. First let me say that I had about 24 hours to run around town and select a fabric (on a Sunday). This eliminated Kyle and I's first choice- Chilewich woven vinyl in a metallic tone, which would have taken weeks... So we settled on ultrasuede- we just had to pick between chocolate and khaki. I vehemently persuaded Kyle that the chocolate was perfect, etc., etc., no question. Later, after spending hours stapling and glueing, we set up the first panel. Imagine the sinking feeling in my stomach as I realized how *awefully dark* it was. Funny how the 4 inch swatch didn't seem like a life-sucking black hole when I'd held it up in that location. So, many apologies later I was back at the fabric store buying the color that Kyle had picked out- which turned out just perfect, as you can tell in the picture. So maybe we won't be house flippers, or at least not with me as the designer ;).

You can also see the beautiful eucalyptus wood fronts on our cabinets- stainless steel bar pulls coming soon. Can we pack our NZ container with this kitchen?? Guess what, just heard Ikea is opening a Wellington location. My prayers have been answered.

Also on the home front, I've been researching building a home in NZ, and have stumbled upon a few interesting links: http://www.earthhomes.com/ and http://www.architecturenz.net/. How small of a rammed earth house can I live in? If lots there are over $200K, we won't have anything left to actually build a house with.

Floor...done!

Joanne was kind enough to help us lay the bamboo flooring this weekend. Here's a shot of how far we got on day one. We finished up the next day, all the way into the kitchen. It looks fantastic! Already got several scratches and dents to make sure it matches the bamboo in the back on the house ;). House prices are still going up in Austin- can we get half a mill for this place?? Only if it was in California.

Unfortunately I worked so hard I can't stand up straight now. Seriously, I can't walk without excruciating pain running down my leg from my right hip. Hopefully a massage tomorrow and some yoga will do the trick, if not, I'll be wheelchairin' it to NZ. We both woke up this morning saying, "Is it worth it? Are we crazy?" We've got a great support network here, we love our house, blahblahblah.... We just can't wait to get there and see if it's what we envision.

Off to hobble into the bedroom for a rest.