Basment Update - Done!

So, the basement if FINALLY finito and paid fo. We will no longer have men bang-a-langing around it's 22 crooked walls all the live long day. Woo hooo! I can't even believe it's true.  It's like the best news ever.  That and the fact that we love every inch of it.  Even the inch that already has chipped paint on it. Ack!  But don't get me wrong, I am SOOOO happy this reno is over. I used to think people who hated renovating were cray cray because hellooo, it's so worth it in the end, but now I see the light. The cold hard 'grass is greener' truth. Reno's are hard. Even without children and a month away from it all. They're hard, they just are.

So here we are...in a place between renovating and decorating.  And even though we can't really use it properly, it is super fun to hang out in. Who wouldn't want to hang out in the best insulated floor of the house?!  

Oh, and by the way Jeff's TV is 50 inches. I just felt that I should clarify that fact since he was worried these pictures might make it look small due to it not being mounted correctly. HA. 

Remy looooves the new basement.  You can tell from his hesitation in going down the steps.

The bah.

Bar into loungey area...couch being delivered Thursday! Woooooo!

Washer and Dryer or as I like to call 'em, old googly eyes

This room would be better with a bigger TV. I kid, I kid.

There is a window back there, not pictured.

From haunted to HALLELUJAH!!!!

Basement Reno - It is coming together!!!

From the beginning to now...here is a small idea of how far we've come...

And we thought clearing out the space was hard!

This basement renovation has really been an interesting learning experience for me. And don't get me wrong.  When I say interesting...I don't mean awe-inspiring, I mean equal parts AWFUL and INSPIRING.  There is something so incredibly inspirational in having a vision and then getting to watch it grow into something day by day.  And actually seeing the progress is really necessary and makes it all the more special to me.  I mean, when you hand over a 100 year old crappy basement, it is beyond impressive to see what can be done with a boat load of elbow grease and patience.

I guess that is why when I have a really hard reno day like today, and I am forced to stand witness to our contractor plow down a small portion of my neighbors' fence, I have to remind myself that this is all worth it.  It takes WORK and lots of it.  It is not going to just appear finished one day. There will be hiccups and blemishes in the process but I know it is a process.  It will be completed soon, though and I am confident that the finished product will be all 'us'.  

xoxo
L

FASHION RULE #2

ALWAYS match your sweatshirt to your voting booth curtain...

AND, when possible...look as homeless as possible.

Yay for voting!

Sandy Things...

Hurricane Sandy means:

Making mac and cheese...while the oven still works.

 Cozy socks from South Dakota (purchased especially for times like these)...

A dog who stands guard at his storm watching post...

A transformer that blew up in flames on the street in front of our house the moment that night fell...

Power that is lost.

And days that are ALL about the essentials...such as morning toast made on the gas stove top...

Generator-sharing with a neighbor to save some of the perishable foods...

Fresh firewood cut from the fallen trees...

Gas lines...

And walking around town only to discover that YES losing power for over a week is FREEZING and plain terrible...but it is not the end of the world.  We are surrounded with multiple examples of how blessed our home actually is!

Like, the fact that we have a fireplace to keep our feet warm every morning!

This is NOT our front yard...

This did not fall on my head...

 And this tree did NOT land on our house...

Now, before I sign off I just want to give my Grandma a birthday shout out! 83 years young today! And for a birthday gift, her power came back on yesterday. THANK THE LORD!

xoxo
L

EDITED TO ADD: Our power came on after 8 days!!! We can no longer see our breath indoors and it is a beautiful thing!  Now just praying that everyone else can get up and running before this Nor-eastern hits...

Sandy is Here!!!

Reporting from Northwest (i think?) NJ here.  Hurricane Sandy is coming in full force with wind gusts in the 20-30 mph range and light rain.  Landfall is likely to hit late tonight, and our last day in the city was supposed to be Wednesday morning, leading Jeff and I to officially leave city life early. Womp womp.

As of 7pm Tuesday, all of NYC transit (MetroNorth, LIRR, Subways, etc) had been shut down, with NJtransit following shortly behind. These closures led me to believe that if Jeff and I stay in the city for Sandy, we will undoubtedly have to move out of the apartment IN a hurricane and move into a friends apartment since no transportation will be running on or off the island. Boo. Risking power outages and major branch wreckage at home seemed more worth it than completing our month long NYC adventure.  So that's what we did. We're home! And we have company!  

My parents and their dog have since joined us seeing that they reside down the shore and whole darn place has been evacuated.  With good reason. Here is a picture of the house across the street from my parents (they set up a camera in their window).  Mind you, the hurricane hasn't even really hit yet!!!

How scary is that?! The bay has picked up so much that they now have a 100 percent unintended waterfront property. I know that my parents are really nervous for some of their most prized possessions such as baby books and photo albums, but my Mom is really just praying that the island withstands Sandy and that her house survives. Period.

Meanwhile, I'll just be here worrying the MASSIVE Red Cedar trees that are surely trying to kill me. Why are they so tall?!
Ack!

Storm pup - Rufie

Praying that Sandy doesn't lose her ish too much.  BE KIND SANDY!!!

Turning 30.

Tomorrow, I turn 30. 

Wow.

Growing up, I always used to think that 24 was going to be my BEST age EVER (possibly (definitely) from lack of creativity since my birthday IS on the 24th) but now thinking back on that, I can't help but laugh.  That was SIX years ago. Six! Of course one year cannot define a person.  Yes, it was fun to look forward to and it was kind of amazing. I didn't have any wrinkles, fine lines or sun spots, I wasn't worried about the people I love getting old.  I was just starting out in my career, living carefree in NYC. Oh and did I mention meeting my husband mere weeks after landing a dream job? 

But, as I look back...nothing stopped there. Things didn't get bad or worse.  Yes, I started to see all of the unpleasant things that have to do with aging and all that it entails, but everything else continued on a pleasant path.  And things that weren't so great...well, I tend to overlook those. 

On the one hand, I'm scared of getting older.  I remember being sixteen and writing in my diary, "these are the best days of my life."  Did I believe it even as I wrote it?  No. I just knew they were supposed to be.  I wanted to acknowledge it and never miss a thing. I wanted to feel sixteen while I was sixteen instead of just looking back with fondness. 

So I guess all that I can do is acknowledge this entry into a new decade. Feel it. Enjoy it. I can only plan out so much of life. I can plan to do a cross country road trip, to be the best at my job, to have AS much fun as possible every day but I can't plan it all.  And that...has taken YEARS to learn.

Lucky for me, I have amazing friends and family to enjoy this time with. Here is a sneak peek at my 30th birthday bash, thrown at Art Bar in the West Village.  In a town where living rooms fit for a party are scarce, their back room is a hot commodity.

Boom. 30.

My beautiful sister!

Highschool girls

Candid.

50% Dr. Phil...50% Bon Jovi concert.

The night was filled with amazing poses.

How cool are my cake glasses?!

3 perfect staches.

Here is a picture from my birthday dinner at Gnocco in the east village. GREAT gnocchi and great atmosphere.  If not for my insane heartburn...this would have been the perfect birthday meal:)

Onto the next...
xoxo
L