September 2019

             As we come to the end of September, things are starting to come together with our renovation and we can see some sort of normalcy in our lives.  Some of the kid’s activities have ended and as we start to get our house back together, we are excited to have our new kitchen and fewer things on the calendar. 

            Our goal was to complete the kitchen by the end of September, but a few setbacks along the way have this project likely coming to an end in early October.  Nothing too major, just timing of some of the contractors have had us adjusting the schedule.  As of now, the floors and drywall are done and the cabinets are installed.  We are hoping the trim work, paint and counter tops can get done in early October.  After we take a deep breath from that, we will unpack and invite anyone that wants to come over to see the great work of our contractor, designer and Debbie!  We have a had a lot of dinners made for us and people who have invited us over for meals, so I don’t want to try to list everyone off.  However, we do owe a big thanks to Brandon and Diane who opened up their house to us for 2 nights while our flooring was being finished and stained.  Their hospitality was very much appreciated and we enjoyed a few nights on their back porch and catching up. 

            Randy and Anna came for a visit in mid-September.  They came to town for a doctor appointment for Randy’s knee and they did a “Metal Walk” with Debbie’s clinic where they celebrate artificial knees and hips.  We also utilized the free babysitting to go to Kent Campbell’s surprise party at the Red Room on Friday and we went to our neighborhood’s progressive dinner on Saturday.  Anna also took the opportunity to get some more information and measurements for the Halloween costumes she is making for the girls. 

                         

Sarah’s Things of the Month

Sarah enjoyed a hike with her Daisy troop at Cool Creek Park in Carmel.  She enjoyed exploring and seeing he friends on the weekend.  She completed the basketball clinic at school and enjoyed singing at church in the choir.  We were concerned that she was on a soccer team where she doesn’t know anyone, but she is having fun and even playing a little bit of soccer. 

Allison’s Thing of the Month

            Allison completed the basketball clinic at school and her kickball season came to an end.  She also sang during mass this month in the children’s choir.  She has continued playing soccer for Coach Mo and is enjoying playing on the larger field and being able to play goalie.  She is still running cross-country but struggling to get a better time than what she was able to do in 2^nd grade. 

A few more items from this month:

•            We went to a cookout at the O’Rourkes over Labor Day weekend.  The highlight of the evening was that our girls both rode bikes off a home-made ramp at their house!  We enjoyed seeing several families from school.  
• ·         The girls had their school pictures taken this month. 
• ·         We were able to see my cousin, Chelsea, for the first time in over a year.  It was great to catch up with her and her fiancé while they were in town before heading off to their next adventure. 
• ·         Kent Campbell came over and helped me cut down a dying tree in our yard.  To be honest, I moved around limbs while he utilized his chain saw as I don’t think I’m coordinated enough to use one! 
• ·         We went to the annual Smokefest party at Brandon & Diane’s.  The kids were off playing most of the time while we got a chance to catch up with friends. 
• ·         Mom and I went to lunch in late September.  She has sold her condo and is moving to Ohio, so it is nice to see her a few extra times. 
• ·         Beth and I had a few beers and caught up on at her house one evening. 
• ·         I went to a Financial Executive Institute event at Ruth’s Chris.  I was invited by a college friend of mine and it was great to see her and enjoy an evening learning and networking. 
• ·         I met up with Sonja for lunch.  Always good to see her to get some career advice and share some laughs! 
• ·         Christ the King had church in Broad Ripple park.  It was a great event that allows for the parish to gather for mass and a picnic.  We had to leave the picnic early to make it to Sarah’s soccer game. 
• ·         The girls went to a movie night put on by the PTO in the gym.  Deb and I utilized that time to have a quiet dinner at home and clean up the house from the renovation progress from the week. 
• ·         Deb completed her first 5K as part of the Women’s 5K and Mini-marathon.  She ran the entire time and the girls and I were there to cheer for her! 
• ·         Deb and Monica also volunteered for the 2^nd year in a row to organize Grandparent’s Day at school. 

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August 2019

August 2019

            For the 3^rd post on this blog in a row, I’m late in posting what happened to our family in the past month.  I think when you see the pictures below of the renovation we are doing, it will make sense! 

            Starting the 3^rd week of August, we started a complete renovation of our entire first floor.  It is hard to believe that this all started 5 weeks ago, but we have been living essentially in our basement and upstairs.  We are taking down a wall between our dining room and kitchen to combine both rooms.  We are putting down hardwood floors where there was carpet.  In the kitchen, we will have new cabinets and counter tops.  We have opened up our stairways into the basement and upstairs.  We have replaced the aluminum wiring in our first floor.  We hope to finish the project by the end of September.  When I say “we” it basically means that Debbie has worked with a neighbor who has been our contractor and a parishioner who has been our designer.  I’ve done my best to write some pretty big checks and not complain. 

            We started the month with a fun weekend at my mom’s condo swimming in her lake.  We decided to get a family picture taken, which is our first one since 2010.  I haven’t seen the pictures, but I heard they turned out great.  The kids had fun hanging out with their cousins and we enjoyed playing cards.  Laura and her family came back to visit over Labor Day weekend and we enjoyed the indoor pool at mom’s condo since the weather wasn’t warm enough for the lake.

            School is back in session and the girls were sad to say goodbye to their summer nanny.  They tried to be “cool” saying they didn’t want to go back to school, but they have done well getting back into the routine.  Of course, we have them signed up for everything, which has us busy most evenings and weekends.   

Sarah’s Things of the Month

Sarah has started daisies which is the step before brownies.  She is loving that along with participating in the basketball clinic at CKS along with starting soccer in late August.  Since she is in 1^st grade, she was invited to participate in the children’s choir at church. 

Allison’s Thing of the Month

            Allison has been participating in kickball, choir, soccer, basketball and cross country.  She has enjoyed it, but we think we signed her up for too much so we will see what may change next fall.  Her first experience with kickball was fun to watch as she was part of a team with her classmates. 

A few more items from this month:

• ·         Beth and I have switched our routine of going to lunch to simply meeting up after both of our kids are in bed.  We found that our schedules weren’t easy to match up for meeting up during the day, so we decided to try to meet up once a month in the evening at one of our houses and catch up. 
• ·         We went to the annual “Rookies vs. Vets” party put on by some parents at church.  The classification is that if you have a kid in middle school, you can be a vet.  It essentially is a bunch of fun games similar to “minute to win it” and the team that wins the most events wins the competition. 
• ·         Brian, Gareth and I met up for some beers on Brian’s back deck.  It is always fun to catch up with these guys and see what is going on with them and their families. 
• ·         We took advantage of one more date night before some of our sitters went off to college.  We went out to dinner in Broad Ripple and met up with the Steffeys, Lawton and Shannon at Flatwater afterwards. 
• ·         I joined Orange Theory after going to one of the sessions.  It is a one-hour workout in a studio that consists of rowing, running and some weight lifting.  It pretty much consists of interval training and I’ve enjoyed it.
• ·         Debbie is continuing to train for a 5K in September.  She has stuck to the training schedule and seems to enjoy the challenge.  She is doing this with several other moms from church. 
• ·         My mom watched the girls so we could go down to Deb’s co-worker’s house on Lake Sweetwater.  It was a fun day seeing everyone from her work and enjoying some beers.  The girls enjoyed spending time with grandma.
• ·         We closed out the pool season at the K of C this year with some fun times over Labor Day weekend.