{Not} Living Vicariously

Leaky Sink, take two

So I decided after my post about listening to my parents that I needed to call a plumber to have the leak looked at. After all, we are in a drought here in Middle Tennessee and I'm the good California recycler girl who would never waste water. I like to drink it too much. I went to bed that night and decided that I'd empty the container in the morning, then call my handyman from work to come out and take a look. However, when I got up the next morning . . . there was no water waiting to be emptied. Hunh? Since then, I've checked twice a day and there was just the slightest amount of water this evening that will probably evaporate faster than it will fill. The only thing I can think of is that I somehow have the faucet set at just the correct angle to allow only the original cold water leak my father warned me about. And the disaster last week was due to having the faucet set at a different angle that wasn't all the way off. I could be totally incorrect about that. Plumbing is not my strong suit. However, I'm glad the leak seems to have fixed itself (mostly).

Dedicated Employee

In this house there is the employer (me) and the employee (the dog). The job is simple, she is to "kill the squeaker" and "unstuff that toy". I have to say, Lindy really gets into her work. And she is really good at her job. However, sometimes she goes above and beyond what I consider to be the call of duty. Take last night. Not only did she kill the squeaker and unstuff the toy . . . but she even managed to turn it inside out. I'm not sure how long it took, or exactly why she felt the need to do so, but here are some photos of the toy both before and after. There are no action shots though. She went to work after I went to bed. I guess she "works" swing shift.

Before:

And after:

PS - Some would tell you that actually Lindy is the employer and I am the employee, my tasks are to earn money to buy her kibble and to cater to her every whim. They might be right.

You should listen to your parents!

So, in the grand kitchen remodel, there was a slight leak under the kitchen sink. Daddy tried for some time to get it to stop, but we never did. So we put some tupperware underneath the two spots and I was to check it regularly and empty out the containers if necessary. However he also said that it might leak slowly enough that the water would evaporate before the container would ever fill. Hmmm. They left and I forgot all about the leak until yesterday. I noticed that the cabinet seemed a bit different when I went to grab something yesterday afternoon. Then I thought about my leaks. And the first container I pulled out was pretty much empty. Yay! Slow leak that evaporates. Then I went to pull out the other container. Which was completely full to the rim. And had spilled over. Oops!!! So everything came out from under the sink and I cleaned up the water that was sitting there. Yes, some water damage did occur. And I'm sad. But it isn't so bad that the cabinet is not salvageable . . . and I will definitely remember to empty that container on a regular basis now . . . and once again I've learned that I should listen to my parents!

Now if they'd only reminded me once they went home that I should check that once in a while . . .

Burgeoning Authors

At the rehersal dinner this past weekend I met a ten year old boy, the son of the preacher who was performing the ceremony, who liked to read a lot of the same stuff I do. We bonded very quickly over favorite books read and I gave several suggestions for future reads. I also got to give to him some audiobooks and advanced reading copies at the reception. Turns out he is writing a book of his own and today I got to read the first 18 pages.

Now lately I've been asked to read works by several new (i.e. unpublished) authors and while it can be fun it can also be scary. What if it is horrible? What do I say? Luckily none of it has been awful. But there have been areas in which I've been able to offer some constructive criticism. The same will happen with this boy. He obviously has worked out a plot and created a world in which these actions are believable. There are some issues where he has a tendency to tell rather than show action. I find this in a lot of new authors. As he practices writing and if he takes any courses at school, he'll learn to let action occur naturally throughout the story. He also needs to work a bit on pacing. But I want to know what happens on page 19.

My brother is another one who has started writing a book. I got to read the prologue . . . enjoyed it . . . and want to know what is going to happen next as well. Hint hint brother of mine, I'm waiting for chapter one!

I don't expect to discover the next J. K. Rowling or John Grisham, but this has been fun for me. Oh, speaking of Rowling and HP, I did really like her way of epiloguing the story. Way to go J. K. I appreciate an author taking ownership of her world!

and you bury one.

Then there was a funeral today. This wonderful guy I go to church with died from leukemia this past week. He was 31 years old. Next Sunday would have been his one year wedding anniversary. Today we celebrated his life instead. I have no clue how Kristy will go on, but she is a strong woman surrounded by many people who love her and we will support her in all ways that we can. Joey was full of faith, hope, and love . . . and left behind these qualities for all of the rest of us.

We knew the end was coming but still it hurts. He touched all of our lives and he will be missed. God bless him for reminding me that life is meant to be lived in the now, knowing that my future is in heaven. I can't ask for anything more from a friend.

So that was my weekend, an emotional roller coaster. Back to work tomorrow . . .

You marry one . . .

So I spent Friday evening and Saturday playing bridesmaid. My friends Molly and Jon got married this weekend and I was part of the wedding party. It was a beautiful ceremony especially as the minister played to the couple's personality and made it a personal service. The fact that they met through swing dancing and want to continue life's journey as a dance was made evident through the ceremony and on into the night as they had a (very good) local swing band play at their reception. I haven't spent much time dancing lately, but I did get out on the floor for a few songs and my feet hurt enough today to let me know I'm out of shape. That was even after changing shoes to dance shoes.

However, for me, the funniest part is what occurred after the whole event was done. I didn't bother changing my clothes at the reception hall. I just drove on home. Then realized I couldn't unzip my dress. Now I'm good friends with the neighbor a few houses up the road from me, and her car was in the drive, but she wasn't answering her phone. Since she is a chef and can sometimes go to bed very early to work early in the morning I didn't want to disturb her. But I also didn't want to go to sleep in my dress. I was trying to figure out who else I could call when I decided to try my immediate neighbors. I don't know them very well, but they have a dog and I see them often in the backyard. Their lights were on and even though it was embarrassing, I decided to walk on over. As I was walking up, Mike was coming out of the house. I asked him if Natalie was available as I couldn't unzip my dress and I needed help. He said he'd get her right away, and then he had was on his way off somewhere. She came outside and helped me, letting me know that is what neighbors are for. I'm lucky she was there. And that I have more good neighbors.

I'm still slightly embarrassed though. I'm not sure why I couldn't unzip the dress. It wasn't too tight. But I was tired and the zipper was high up my back and I guess I was hot from the dancing and it was just stuck . . .

Anyway that was Friday and Saturday.

Yes, K. you may have pictures

So I realized I have no "before" pictures digitally. Therefore you can't see what I was working with. But trust me . . . the "after" makes the last several weeks well worth my while! I just hope my father feels the same.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the kitchen as it is now:

And, just for good measure, here is one of the storage shed my father also built for me:

Aren't I a lucky girl!

For the three of you who actually asked . . .

Yes the last 4 or 5 weeks have been insanely busy. My parents were here for three of them and over the course of their visit we gutted my kitchen, rebuilt it from the subfloor up (new layout, electrical, plumbing, appliances, cabinets, and countertops), had laminate floors installed in the entryway, living, dining, and kitchen, and built a storage shed next to my house. All while I was also working at my regular job. It was a very productive time, but we didn't really vacation. This was also while it is hot hot hot here in Tennessee and when I took my parents to the airport to fly back to 72 degree SLO . . . I wanted to go with them. But no, I'm still here, still hot, and still trying to put my house back in order.

I'd post before and after pictures, but A. we didn't take any and B. I'm still unpacking so the afters would be premature. I'll try to get some up before too much longer though as I'm really proud of how the place turned out.

In other news . . . well there is no other news right now. Work is getting busy again with the start of the school year. I am a bridesmaid in a wedding next Saturday so have been occupied with those duties. And I'm still teaching Sunday School with a group of kids about to graduate to their next class. Which means in a few more weeks I get a new crop. I'll miss these guys, but I'm looking forward to meeting my new kids.

So that's it for tonight. Just a quick message to let you know I'm still around. Hope this summer heat breaks soon. I can't wait for Autumn!