The Big Three-Oh

Happy Birthday to my hubs, best bud, and just generally wonderful guy: Nate!

 

It's the big 3-0 today, and I'm so excited to see what our thirties bring us together. We had a pretty fabulous 29, and it's only getting better.

Thanks for being the most supportive, dorkiest, funniest, young-Val-Kilmer-look-alike-y-est, all 'round best guy I know.

I'm so lucky to share this life with you. You're my favorite. 

Happy birthday, babe - Love you!

Random Round Up: Scores

Hope everyone had a fun Superbowl weekend! We kept it pretty low key this year: Just the two of us and a few house chores and touch-ups for our pre-game. Look out, we're crazy.

Pins in the mouth: Knocked out some alterations and repairs.

Tassels and leopard make for a happier work day.

Our bowl attire: Nate trying to jinx the 9'ers with a Hawks jersey (he says it worked)

Ancient wallet yielded new money: At least 9 years old. Score!

A new dog park opened near us - Tuck was lovin' it.

One Year Later

It's our anniversary!

It won't be a romantic one... although we are very much still in love... Have you guessed it?

It's been one whole year since we officially moved into our first home! Hard to believe. One year and one month ago yesterday (aka: December 31st, 2011) we were handed the keys, and after taking a month to paint, replace countertops, put in appliances, and generally work a second 40 hour/week job each, we were in on February 1st, 2012.

So much has developed and improved since that day, and although you've seen quite a bit of it by following this blog, I hope to post a more thorough then-and-now soon (ahem, when the house is clean). For now, here are two I found on my phone this morning:

Then: White on white on white in the entryway.

Now: Soft gray with pops of white and oranges.

Then: White wall with too many spackled holes to count in the family room.

Now: Soft yellow with a library table scattered with photos and art.

Thanks to everyone who's advised us, sweated with us, and generally kept us sane through this first year of home-ownership. Cheers to whatever comes next!

Pristine Aubergine

Remember the ugly light fixture from our dining room that I couldn't wait to ship off to Goodwill?

Well, I guess this is proof positive that if something sits in your garage long enough it can become useful again. I've been wanting a new, fun fixture for my someday-sewing room, and it struck me: That perfectly ugly but perfectly functional hunk of glass and gold in the garage could be made over.

 First things first: Pick a color, disassemble (get rid of that giant glass hood!!), prep (i.e. light sanding and a wipe-down), and paint.

 Painting came in a few sessions as it was a 360° job. Once dry, power off and up she went (Nate's becoming a pro at fixture hanging and wiring these days).

The quality of light is roughly a bazillion times better than with the old "boob light" (look at it... that's what it is), and I can't get over how much more personalized the whole room seems already.

Someday you'll get to see the rest... I just have to clear a path first. After all, it's only been a year since we moved in...... cringe. In the meantime: Hooray for mini-makeovers and free upgrades!

What do you think, can you believe this is the same light? I do love a makeover.

P.S. If you noticed some gold peeking out at the top of the fixture in that second-to-last photo: Yes, some of the aubergine paint was knocked off during the wrestling with the chain hanging process. Touch ups will happen with a little paint in a cup and a brush. It's high enough that as long as it's the same color, no one should notice a different application method.

Random Round Up: Back In The Swing

Finally feeling like we're getting back to real life after our chunk of vacation. A little rest, a little housework... It's amazing how fast you get back to reality when you have to load the dishwasher. Happy Monday!

Direct from Winnipeg, the shirt I won from the Lune giveaway!

A chocolate chip pumpkin pancake kind of Sunday.

Nate & I tried uni (sea urchin) on our last sushi date.

Sunset moon on a wire

The last of my chocolate covered potato chips are gone. SIGH.

My spray paint project (mentioned Friday) in action - Reveal this week!

Update in a Can

I have some spray painting plans this weekend - My favorite kind of quick-yet-transformative makeover project. Care for a preview?

Stay tuned - Hopefully positive results to share next week!

Maui 101: Play

Picking up where we left off yesterday, the activities on Maui are endless, and range from free to bank-breaking and back again. We tried to pick and choose, making sure to fit in a few days of nothing but glorious, beach-y lounge time.

Incoming Wave

 While we had a vague outline of things we wanted to do (see the volcano, snorkel) and not do (driving the Road To Hana with a carsick-prone husband) on the island, we took the approach of waking up, heading to the beach for a snorkel, and then deciding on our day's plans from there.

Yellow Hibiscus

But I'm ahead of myself. Snorkeling is my favorite thing to do in Hawaii, and it was a new activity for Nate. Even if you're not a terribly strong swimmer, snorkeling is pretty approachable (lots of places rent life jackets too, if you need some extra buoyancy). We rented our equipment from Boss Frog's, an omnipresent gear rental and adventure cruise booking company that has roughly a million outlets in each town. For $30 a week each, we picked up their most advanced snorkel and mask, flippers, and anti-fog potion, all housed in a handy mesh beach bag. You can rent by day (as low as $1.50/person) or, like us, by week. After that, it's head to the nearest beach and go for a swim.

Thanks to our GoPro, great underwater footage/photos!

Blue on blue on blue. Crystal clear water = Fabulous snorkeling

Maui has a wide variety of topography, and we were able to get a good taste of the West Maui Mountains by heading to the lush Iao Valley to gawk at the Iao Needle, a beautiful vertical rock formation. A national park, it was $5 to drive in and park, then we got to meander around the short trails to various view points and gardens. There are also a strange amount of wild chickens and roosters wandering around. So... There's that. Cooler and misty, it was such a different landscape from the beach town we were used to in Kihei.

Iao Needle

Selfie at the Needle

And talk about a different landscape: Haleakala Volcano National Park is about as far from lush and tropical as you can get. The wind-y drive up takes you from sea level to 10,023 feet in 28 miles, which equals out to bring a jacket! I'd been there before on a previous trip and knew how chilly it would be, so we actually swung by Old Navy so I could pick up a cheap fleece pullover. It was necessary! We even saw a bunch of ill-prepared folks wrapped in hotel towels trying to see the sights before they froze.

Panorama of the crater - Click to enlarge

The Haleakala Silver Sword

If the crater itself is an amazing, colorful site, the observatory perched on the very top is of equal, albeit man-made, fascination. The domes stand out stark white against the blue sky, looking like they're on the edge of the world. You can see all of Maui from the top, offering some stellar photo ops.

We made it!

Nate overlooking Kihei and beyond.

Observatories

We also booked a morning snorkeling trip through the afore-mentioned Boss Frog's. They offered us a discount since we rented our gear for a week, and we hopped aboard a catamaran early Friday morning to be taken out to some areas in deeper water with amazing amounts of colorful coral and tropical fish. Both breakfast and lunch were provided, and although a little too crowded in the water for our taste, it was a blast.

Early morning palms

Apropos of nothing: Nate boogie boarding.

Last but not least, we hit the Maui Ocean Center and were so happy we did. The aquarium is lovely, with both outdoor and indoor exhibits to visit, but best is the clear tube you can walk through to be surrounded by various sharks and rays and gigantic fish. I'm a bit clausterphobic, but found it to be almost like a room, and it didn't cause me any anxiety at all. We basically had to tear ourselves away - So peaceful and amazing. Well worth the semi-steep price of $25/person.

Nate's new friend Ray in the clear mid-tank tube.

As I'm sure you can tell if you're still reading this deluge of info, we had an incredible trip. If you can get to Hawaii - any island - GO. You'll never regret the adventure!

Sunset Love

 P.S. It was SO hard to choose photos from the hundreds we took - Hopefully what I've posted the past week or so gives you a good taste!