by. the. way.

four months ago was demo work (well, August 4th to be exact)... then it was a major mold problem... then Ollie became incredibly ill, we thought we were going to lose him, and I was caravanning from my parents' house to work (read: two hours round trip) every day. however, four months later, a diagnosis and recovery from Pemphigus for Ollie, flooring down, new ceilings, updated electric, and lots of quality time with my parents, i am ALMOST done. big things have happened and between commuting, crazy long hours at work, too-frequent vet specialist appointments, and travel for work and holidays -- i present: PROGRESS!  --- let's take a step back and remember what we *used* to see in my kitchen --- --- and after cabinets and counters installed --- antique leather granite, oooooh.  so, we have not quite finishing toe kicks or baseboards, but door trim, handles, pulls, appliances (read: the first time this house as ever had a dishwasher, EVER) ins...

...where did we leave off last time.... oh, yes. mold. google came through. after a significant amount of online research i found a handy article with applicable youtube video demonstrating the easiest way to remove subfloor and flooring quickly when your subfloor is ruined (for whatever reason). basically, you pop off the air vent cover, drop your circular saw in the vent opening to adjust the blade to the proper height to cut through the top flooring and the subfloor without damaging any additional layers below. my dad did the first row or two and then i did a few rows.  my dad is the best better picture of the scored sections we finished strong with my parents and i working as an assembly line of productivity. after each square is cut/scored, you have to pop it up with a pry-bar, then hammer the nails down flat so no one gets harpooned.                                     ...

when i first looked at my house back in 2012 when i was house shopping i knew that 100% the kitchen was a complete re-do needing to happen. it is a super cramped 10x11 foot space that was being terribly utilized when it came to arrangement of cabinets. see below: oooh, sexy almond laminate -- and check out that linoleum!  wasted wall space  i saw a kitchen on a favorite decor site and was inspired! i decided to start planning my imaginary kitchen renovation. that was 18 months ago... i had a plan, a design, a budget, and two voluntary workers (read: mom and dad). i knew i would need a professional plaster guy to fix the ceiling in three rooms due to the water damage from a leaky roof issue (let's not get into that drama here, this is a positive space) and an electrician to bring the kitchen up to code and get me needed outlets for the magic i was planning. other than that, it would be all me (and my parents).  let the gutting begin!! August 2nd it began --...

I find that the most unexpected conversations that I find myself in end up being the most though-provoking… or at least result in some sort of self-reflection. A week ago a male doctor was giving me a hard time (jokingly) by about being single and being “too tough” for most guys. I laughed and brushed it off; I kept typing my progress note as I realized a female physician was looking at me over the computer screen. I stopped typing. “Make sure he gets it,” she said. “Gets it?” “Yea. You know, that he gets ‘you’ and the fact that you don’t need him. Make sure he is actually ok with it. Most of them aren’t, even if they say they are. Figure that out early and save yourself the heartache,” she said. She went on to explain that her husband said he was fine with it. He recognized she didn’t “need” him in the traditional male-female dynamic. Playing a larger role as nurturer with the children was ok with him and he loved her independence. She said that those exact topics...

An amazing thing happened this weekend! My amazing brother proposed to his girlfriend and she said “yes”! Oddly enough, I learned that some people still exist in the 19 th century. Rather than simply congratulating my brother on the exciting, wonderful step he and Lauren are taking in life, they decided it would be an appropriate time and platform to let me know that my relationship status is unsatisfactory for them. Good to know.   The funny this is that I thought it was 2014. A time where women are highly educated, independent creatures whose successes are measured by the people they are and what they do for others rather than the “Bs”: boyfriends, breeding, and betrothal. Luckily for us, we exist in a time where we aren’t married off to the local farmer for two sheep and a cow. And yet, some people still seem to think that regardless of your education, job status, and philanthropy, a woman’s success (read: happiness) in life depends on being paired off with another hum...