Ahhh...To Be A Home Owner

What do you get when you combine a really cool tank top sunburn, upper body ache, at least 1 gallon of perspiration lost, $100 of materials, and at least 25 emotional breakdowns? Okay, I will tell you....the answer is a 3 day Memorial Weekend project of completing and staining a fence, and then deciding to do some landscape cleanup afterwards.

I am not exactly sure what inspired me to make the phone call home on Saturday morning to ask Kristin if she could go out on our deck and measure the space where we needed a new fence built? But, all I know is that I came home with a truck full of lumber and stain and a big fat smile on my face. I began the project not really knowing what I was doing, but come on how hard can building a fence really be? The truth is, building the damn fence is really not that difficult, but getting it done in 97 plus degrees is a whole different story. I definitely have a new appreciation for those who work construction, or any other kind of labor intensive job, out here in the Lonestar State.

So, here we are on the last day of my 3 day weekend, and I can finally sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor. The only unfortunate part to this project was that it didn't have the "WOW factor" that I am always looking for. The "WOW factor" is when you can instantly see a major difference between the before and the after. In this case, our fence was so unstable that it literally took a swift kick, and wallah 15 seconds worth of demo. Now the structure and the materials are brand new and stable, so I can at least feel good that Kristin and I aren't going to be laying out one day, and then the whole fence falls down...I know what you're thinking...no, I do not lay out naked!

Happy Memorial Day...Now What Project Should I Complete?

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! It's funny how one extra day added on to the typically way too short weekend can make you feel so excited and refreshed to start the weekend. With the extra 24 hours of time added on, my mind is now wondering which of the mannnnnyyyyy projects I should tackle?

Maybe my 3 followers...or the countless readers who browse past my blog can help me decide?

1. Paint the studio, which right now is a gorgeous blood red, brown carpeted CAVE. My wifey and I are planning on sprucing up the joint with a nice refreshing greyish blue color.

2. Work on the hot tub deck, which right now is a chipped up dark brown painted wood deck. Kristin and I are going to use a new material out there called Profekt Decking, which applies directly over the existing wood planks. A little bit of construction adhesive and wallah (spelling?) you have yourself a new looking deck!

3. Install a new vanity in the guest bathroom. Right now we are sporting a 1950's wall mount sink, which is begging to be replaced, and I am toying with the idea of a single white vanity or a modern style pedestal sink.

4. Too many more little projects to list!

So what's it gonna be...#1, #2, or #3. You can vote by leaving a comment, or you can just wait until next week when I post some pics. I must feel inspired cause I have my parents visiting next week and I want the place to feel a little more complete.

So, anyways have a fantastic weekend everyone, and try to relax or get to work...if you're like me!

Coffee Brewing, House is Quiet...Don't You Love A Sunday Morning!

Well, it is what we all like to call another "lazy Sunday". The 24 hour period to cap off a long week of working hard through complex problems and routine issues, and the preface to another chapter of the same old thing.

This week in the Wollman household it was everything, but ordinary, instead this week "the higher power" decided that we would mix it up a bit by having Kristin's eye have some sort of allergic reaction (thank goodness for in-laws in the medical field), weird pain in the right side of Mike's rib area (happens everytime I take a deep breath, but Mom don't freak out it's getting better), and of course Zoe's blow out during a crazy squirrel pursuit.

So, this post is definitely being written to become an inspiration to myself....(deep voice of Mike's inner monologue) "Mike, you will make this a nice lazy Sunday!". I will do my best to put my feet up, after a nice long day yesterday of worrying about my puppy, giving the home it's weekly haircut (front and back...no mullets here), and finishing it all off with some sushi at one of our favorite restaurants in Fort Worth.

So, to all of you out there who read this post today, I bid you a fantastic Sunday full of a whole lotta R & R! If you are reading this tomorrow, than it's too late now....start the countdown and wait til next week :)

Might As Well Been Friday The 13th!

Well, I promised everyone inspirational, beautiful posts full of positive outlooks on life and new ideas. However, I am going to start off on a painful Friday post! Zoe, my cool little "ninja dog" as some refer to her, has decided that this Friday was going to be the day when her second (and only other) "good" knee was going to luxate, or dislocate for those medically unaware.

You see 5 years ago, as my wife and I were just starting out as a young couple, working crap jobs and trying to make it through graduate school, decided to buy a little Shiba Inu - Japanese for "little bushwick dog", but English for "psychotic, karate kicking, possum fighting, but check out my cute little black eyes" dog. Well, long story long, our little Zoe decided not to share with us that she would be the only little puppy from the litter who was born with hip dysplasia and 2 luxating patellas (again, dislocated knees).

So, at the age of just barely 1 year old, we had to venture into her "first" surgery. $1700 later and 2 months of rehab, which included Mike picking Zoe up to take her everywhere and Dylan playing nurse by giving faces of "haha...whose the bitch now?" looks all day long. Zoe sloowwwwlllly became more and more herself, and UNTIL now she has been all good!

Today, she decided that her knee would blow out! Please Zoe....please don't do this to me! Nope, we are not that lucky, after rushing her to the doctor and getting a fat bill to put the cherry on top of the cake, we now have discovered that she will be beginning the surgery adventure again. Kristin and I are very excited, note the sarcasm, about the next few weeks of putting her behind bars and punishing her for being such a psychotic dog. We will be fixing her second knee, and beginning back at step 1 of rehab all over again.

So all in all, today may have been Friday, May 21st, but it will go down as FRIDAY THE 13th in my book!

Hello World, or maybe just me!

Hola to all of you! You will not believe me when I say this, but I have sat here staring at my computer screen and in the attempt to escape all of the normal day to day madness, I have come up with a seriously genious or disastrous idea...maybe I should start a blog!!!

Over the next few days, months, or who knows maybe years? I will be letting my imagination and thoughts run wild on this page. Maybe this blog will be therapeutic, or fun, or funny, or exciting, or exhausting, or boring....the possibilities are endless! But, one thing is for sure...this is something NEW, and something that those who know me, would never expect for me to adventure into.

This is my attempt at sharing the things that I find to be beautiful, exciting, interesting and artistic in life. Whatever finds itself being posted on this page can definitely count on knowing one thing...it most likely will be something that makes it possible to SURVIVE THE 9 to 5!

So once again...HELLO WORLD or maybe just ME!!!