Designing Our Home

What a week it's been....two days of work and then we FINALLY made it to Nevada.

We loaded up both of our cars with stuff we've packed up - grateful to have H. who helped a lot.  We made the drive up easily - J. waited in the parking lot of the hotel keeping an eye on both cars and I headed in to check in.  Got our keys.  Checked out my favorite machine (which was very near the entrance we were using) and there was a Major of $3800.  OH if only I had been arriving solo, I would have sat down and played.  'Cuz when we did finally head up to our room a couple of hours later, someone had hit that major.  DANG IT!

Instead, we drove to Carson City and went to the storage place.  Filled out all the paperwork for the rental, then unloaded everything into the space.  There is gobs of room left and we will start doing a lot more packing in the weeks to come. 

Spent Thursday with the Cabinet people, then the builders purchasing manager who went over the specs, then the door people.  We are picking out every single thing in the house, right down to every handle or knob, lock or door....it's mind boggling - and very fun.  We figure we spent $70K over the course of those couple days - all of which will be in the price of the house - and we still have a bathroom to pick tile for as well as the stonework for our fireplace.  We spent Friday with the design person, who was so, so helpful - gently making alternate suggestions when she needed to.  For example, I'd been thinking we'd use the same paint color and carpet as our current house - we love it, after all.  But she stepped in and nudged towards other options - since our lower cabinets in the kitchen, the entire kitchen island and 2.5 bathrooms are a deep blue-ish grey.  Yellow paint - no matter how subtle - would look awful with grey.  She was really great at her job, made the process so smooth and relatively easy and we picked out really beautiful counter tops, tile, plank vinyl flooring, carpet and paint.  Well, we've at least talked about paint - J. and I are going to go to Kelly Moore this coming weekend to get some ideas. 

We made a change to the fireplace in location and type - and while the purchasing person at the builder's office was irritated about the change, the builder seemed ambivalent about the revelation that we were making a change.  We're only doing this once - and it's been quite a process - but no way we can let it be built with something we've decided we don't want.  And we're pretty far away from building anyway so....the plans need a slight change again. 

It's been a whirlwind trip.  We were planning to head home today but....I wanted a day of sleeping in and play.  The sleeping in didn't work too well - the hotel clock alarm on our nightstand went off around 6.  I pressed the snooze (since I had no idea how to shut it off), so it went off again 8 minutes later.  Followed at 6:30 by my phone - because I had an alarm set last Saturday and forgot to turn it off.  Did go back to sleep and slept until close to 8 which is sort of 'late' - but felt great! 

J. decided to trek home today - he's had a cold pretty much from day one and bless his heart, sitting in a hotel room isn't his idea of fun.

I hope to be up fairly early and hit the road.  I'd like to have part of the day at home, at least. 

The Board approved hiring my replacement last week and the anticipated start date is May 1st.  Possibly earlier - she has to move from San Diego so that will take a bit of time.  I'm looking forward to having another person to help with the budget.

We're already planning multiple trips back up here and somehow, someway, I want to make those trips.  It will involve a lot of days out of the office which will be covered by working weekends but I'm OK with doing that.  J. and I are super excited about the house and keeping up with it all and bouncing ideas off each other is a team effort -

Sleep is needed.  I had a super fun day - not ending profitably but ending down an amount it's easy to live with.  I met some REALLY great people and love it when we're all pulling for each other and cheering each other on as we attempt to hit the Grand or Major.  Such fun people here - can't wait to be local.  Budget won't have me here daily or even weekly - but when I do want to get here, it's going to be so nice to not have to drive 3.5 hours - just 30 minutes.  Atlantis will be super close!!

Maybe we will come weekly 'cuz we each get a free buffet a week - so we could eat out weekly on the casino!