Holy Cow!

I snuck over to the house on Friday to try and peek in the window, expecting that they'd be about halfway through grouting the tile floor. Instead, they were almost completely done with everything, including the carpet!

Except for the refrigerator, the kitchen is totally done - the tile is in and all the hardware is on the cabinets.

The tile runs down the hall from the entryway toward the family room. It's still mostly covered by paper in this shot. The carpet looks different depending on your vantage point and the amount of light it's getting. The stairs look much darker than the dining room in this shot, but it's the exact same color.

D's enjoying the carpet in the family room.

A closer shot of the tile. It has lots of different shades of gray and blue and beige (and more).

Flooring Phase 1

We got to go inside yesterday, so I was able to take some interior pictures. The tile work is just getting started and the carpet is still a few days away, but the linoleum is in place. We decided not to upgrade the bathroom areas and put in tile....who wants to clean grout?

The upstairs guest bathroom.

The master bathroom.

The laundry room (we got to keep the cabinets).

The flooring isn't done here yet, but I wanted to get a shot of the built-in desk and cabinets at the top of the stairs. They're still waiting for hardware, but they look great!

A Yard!

I'm back from a long, boring week in Hawaii (boo!). Lots of work, both with a customer and on the book. We managed to swing by the house on Saturday after I got back.

We have a yard! The landscaping was put in and the fence has been painted, so the front of the house is pretty much exactly like it will be when we move in (aside from the caution tape).

We can't go in because they're preparing the floors for tile and carpet, but I managed to take this picture through the back door. The cabinet facing is on, but there's no hardware yet. All the appliances are also in place.

Another angle on the front. By late next week, all our floors should be in, so I can take more interior pictures.

Countertops and a lonely tree

One last post before I head to Hawaii. There were several updates this week, but even more are coming next week. In about a week and a half, most of the obvious internal work will be done (flooring, cabinet faces, etc). We're still set to close escrow on November 12, after a couple of walkthroughs.

The side fence and gates are done, though they still have to be painted. They've also added a tree to our front yard...a single, lonely tree. They'll add grass and small shrubs around the windows later.

Though the tub still isn't in, the mirrors, lights, and shower door are all set. One of the things I'm most excited about is getting my own medicine cabinet and not having to share with "a girl." I know, cheap thrills, huh?

The countertops are in, and they're beautiful. They're green, but they look almost black until you see them in the light. We love the contrast between the dark granite and the white cabinets.

Here you can see the color a little bit better, along with the range.

The color is even more realistic here. It's made mostly of large green flecks...that's why it's called Verde Butterfly. There are also white, gold, and even red specks throughout, though the white are obviously the most noticeable. The oven and microwave are visible in the background, the dishwasher is still wrapped in plastic in the foreground, and the beautiful white sink continues the dark/light contrast.

Non-House Update

From this blog, it would seem that our lives revolve around our weekly visit to the new house.  While that's certainly one of our more enjoyable activities (just wait until you see this week's pictures!), it's not the only thing we've been doing.

I've been traveling a little more than I did last quarter, and the trips have been a little further than normal.  Though my area is technically the West, and more specifically the Pacific Southwest, it's based on where the company headquarters are, so it doesn't take into account any remote offices.  I took two quick trips to Denver to visit a customer's HQ, then last week went to Minneapolis to visit one of their other offices.  After Minneapolis I hit Waltham, MA for two days, to visit another customer (whose HQ is in SF).  I also took a quick trip out to Honolulu, which sounds fun until you realize it was only for two days.  I left our house at 4:45 on a Monday morning, and got back around midnight the next day.  When I wasn't flying, I was in meetings....ugh.  I have to go back next week for a few days, and it will be just as frustrating this time.  It's no fun seeing the Pacific Ocean from a window and not having any time to walk out to the beach.

D has been busy with school....lots of papers to grade, lots of kids to teach.  Her newspaper kids have put out one paper issue and two online versions.  She has more kids than usual this year...the normal staff for the paper version and a smaller group of younger students that are doing the Web newspaper.  The site is hosted by the American Society of Newspaper Editors; they host hundreds of Web-based papers for high schools all across the country.  On their first "release," D's students had two articles that were chosen for the "National Edition" for their quality and applicability to all high school students.

When we're not working or visiting the house, we're trying to find time for fun.  We made it to a USC game several weeks ago, and went to the So You Think You Can Dance live tour as well.

The book is going well, though I have a lot of work to do this week.  We're at the copyedit stage, which means we have to make sure our copyeditors didn't change any technical details when they did their editing.  I have to get five of my own chapters reviewed by Friday, and review six of someone else's chapters.  Oh boy.

Okay, gotta go....we're going to sign our final paperwork for our flooring, then headed to dinner for my B-day.  Thanks to everyone that's left a comment, sent an email, or written on my wall (though now I'm officially too old for Facebook).  Ta-ta!

It's a Real House!

Well, it's definitely starting to look like a real house...one that could almost be lived in. In the last two weeks, they've done quite a bit of work.

• Everything's been painted
• Bathroom sinks/toilets/faucets/showerheads/medicine cabinets have been installed
• Fireplace is in
• Chandelier is in
• All electrical plates and wall switches are in
• Fence building is in progress
• Water heater is in
• Outdoor lights are in
• The yards have been graded and prepared for planting
  
• We have a doorbell!
• All doors and windows are in and secured....they had to unlock it to let us in

We expect the countertops to go in next.

The bannister looks much better with a coat of paint.

You can see the fence being built along the left, and the dirt has been graded appropriately for gardening.

The fireplace is going to look great with our carpet and tile.

The bathrooms are almost ready to go!