Mom to the Rescue!

"All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."
 ~ Abraham Lincoln


It was the weekend I'd been anticipating since we moved in December!  My mom has been such a huge help throughout our relocation process, and her generosity ceases to amaze me.  When we moved in December, we quickly realized that we wouldn't be able to bring as much stuff as we had originally planned.  So, as usual, it was mom to the rescue!  She so generously offered to bring some belongings from our condo in Wisconsin to our new apartment in Michigan.  After being up north all weekend celebrating her birthday with "The Tribe," she drove to our condo on Tuesday night and packed as much as she could into my dad's truck.  Then she drove six and a half hours on Wednesday, where she was greeted with HUGE smiles from Finnegan (I thought his fur was going to fall off, he was shaking and jumping and wagging his tail so hard!).  It was SO great to see her smiling face :-)

In typical Kurtz fashion, we wasted no time getting down to business. My incredibly generous mother-in-law ordered a beautiful bed frame for our new king size mattress, and it worked out perfectly that my mom could be here when it was delivered bright and early Thursday morning!  

It took us a few hours to put it together, but it was SO worth it!  It is stunning and we couldn't be happier!  Not only is the bed beautiful and comfortable, it also coordinates perfectly with our bedroom furniture (which is still in our condo in WI), AND it has six large cedar-lined drawers, providing much needed storage in this teeny tiny apartment!

Marty and I aren't the only ones who love our comfy new bed :o)

Thursday and Friday flew by as we unloaded the truck and slowly but surely found a place for everything.  It was so nice having my mom here to help us get situated and organized; we are so much alike and make a fantastic team when we're on a mission!

I wasn't the only one who was very excited to have my mom here... Finnegan slept next to his gramma every night, and was wagging his tail when he woke up every morning and realized she was still here :o)

Finnegan thought it was a big sleepover party

We celebrated our January birthdays with a yummy dinner out in Birmingham, followed by some delicious cupcakes for dessert!

After a productive weekend, Mom headed back to Wisconsin on Saturday morning.  We were all sad to see her go, but someone was a bit more gloomy than usual the rest of the weekend...

Finn waited by the window all day, hoping his gramma was coming back to him!

Mom, we are SO incredibly thankful for all that you have done for us throughout our relocation.  We absolutely positively wouldn't have been able to do everything without your love, support and endless amounts of help!  Thank you for driving our stuff all the way to Michigan, and for helping with the boring grunt work while you were here.  We can't wait to see you again - when we'll actually do some fun stuff!!  We love you!

Auto Show

After a long week of basement renovations in Buffalo, it was nice to spend the weekend at home with Marty and Finnegan.  We've been so busy lately, and haven't really had a chance to explore the area.  So we dropped Finnegan off at doggy daycare (which he LOVES!) on Sunday, and then headed to the North American International Auto Show at the Cobo Exhibition Center downtown Detroit.  I went to an auto show in Chicago when I was a little girl, and I remember everything looking so bright and shiny and futuristic; it felt the same way as an adult!
It was very cool to see some of the new 2011 models, as well as the Prototype cars of the future.  I was very excited to take pictures at the auto show so that I could share them with my dad, but as my luck would have it, my camera battery died after snapping only two pictures...of the FORD exhibit :-(

The 2010 Mustang has come cool new features, including a smart key system, 

which gives parents control of things like maximum radio volume and speed when their kids are driving!!

The new Ford Focus was surprisingly cool & I loved the color  
(Uh Oh...I like a station wagon...what is happening to me?!)

I was SO annoyed, but decided that snapping some shots with my phone would just have to do...

a funky GMC prototype

The ultimate tailgating truck, complete with built-in TV, keg, and a gigantic pot for boiling brats!

The Ferrari and Maserati exhibits were very swanky

This Chrysler 300 was signed by celebrities at the 2010 Golden Globes to benefit Haiti Earthquake relief efforts

My next new car: the Audi Q7 :-)

There were so many cool cars, but my phone's camera just doesn't do them justice :-(

After the Auto Show we headed back to Birmingham to do some exploring and grab a late brunch at our favorite new restaurant, Toast.  This funky downtown bar & restaurant has secured a spot on our top 5 places to eat in our new neighborhood.  Their breakfast burrito is AMAZING and I can't wait to try their Grand Marnier French Toast, made with cinnamon Challah bread and toasted almonds...yummmmy!!  :-)

My mom is coming to visit on Wednesday with a truckload of our belongings from Wisconsin; I am SO excited to see her ...and to finally have some of our stuff!

"Stick with Stick-On!" (tales from the Midnight Mimosa Club)

It was supposed to be a quick trip to Buffalo to borrow some furniture for our apartment, and to do a quick paint job to spruce up my mother-in-law Kathy's basement...


Finnegan and I drove to Buffalo on Saturday with the intention of coming home on Tuesday... and ended up staying until Friday!!  The week was full of looong days and late nights (each ending with a mimosa, of course) but it was SO worth it, because the basement turned out better than we ever imagined!!


I forgot to take some "before" photos of the basement, so I've dug up some photos from this past Christmas for reference:

Notice the old gray-blue colored trim, floor, paneling & stairs (with old green carpeting)

Notice the sponged walls & old paneling with unpainted trim piece

Notice the unpainted door between the bar area and Kathy's office

Notice the paint color (yellow with tan sponged accents)

Notice the color/finish of the old bar countertop

Notice the old flooring and unpainted office door in this photo of Finnegan 

enjoying some champagne this year at Christmas :o)

I arrived in Buffalo on Saturday night, so we didn't begin working on the basement until Sunday morning.  It would take me days to recount all of the events (some very funny, others very frustrating!).  It took us over 5 hours just to prime the old paneling on the first day, then a few days to get everything painted, and then the flooring...YIKES!  For the record, snap-together laminate wood flooring is NOT for amateurs, no matter what the guy at the Lowe's store tells you!!  Hence my new motto: "Stick with Stick-On!!"

And now, the glorious "AFTER" photos (which really don't do the room justice; it is SO beautiful and warm in person!)

We painted the paneling, trim and doors a warm ivory color, which makes the room look so much bigger!

I installed this fantastic vinyl tile, which has the same appearance and texture of real stone

Refinished bar countertop using the same tile as the floor (complete with mitred wood trim pieces!) 

We painted the office the same warm tan color, and rearranged the furniture to better utilize the space!

The view of the updated family room from inside Kathy's office

(the paint will be scraped off the glass on the office door once it has dried completely)

We ripped the carpet off of the stairs, which will be painted brown 

and then carpet treads will be added for traction

Believe it or not, I also managed to visit with some of my favorite people while I was in town!  I got to snuggle our adorable niece Samantha, catch up with Brian, Steph and Julie, have lunch with Jack, Tracie and Rylie, and I even got to ride on Grandpa Joe's snazzy new lift chair :o)  Finnegan also did some socializing while he was in town; he ran around in the mud with his doggy cousin Brady McCann, went for a walk with his new buddy Charlie Brown, and played outside with Mc and Morgan!  It was so nice to catch up with them after the craziness of the holidays and moving.

The very best part about my visit, however, was being able to spend so much quality time with my wonderful mother-in-law.  We make a great team, and it was really rewarding to do something nice for her in return for all of the wonderful things that she does for us.  I am SO lucky to have her as my mother-in-law, and I look forward to making memories in the basement that we created together :-)

What a Year!

I don't know why I've chosen today as the day to write my first blog entry.  It's not an important day; just an ordinary day.  I have a million and one things I should be doing, but as I'm sitting here eating breakfast, I have decided that I'd like to start documenting this time in my life; the good, the bad and the boring - it's all happening so fast these days!

We've had a lot of changes in the last year...

January 2009

We completed our very first home improvement project together when we installed a tumbled marble backsplash in our kitchen

February 2009

We adopted our first furry child, Finnegan 

March 2009

Bridal Showers in Buffalo (and Finn's first St. Patty's Day!)

Steph told everyone she had "given up alcohol for Lent."  

The truth was she was pregnant with Samantha, and no one knew except me :-)

One Lucky Pup :o)

April 2009

Bridal Shower at Rotary Gardens in Janesville

May 30, 2009

Our Wedding Day!  Buffalo, NY

June 2009

Our Honeymoon in Pagosa Springs, Colorado

The magnificent view from the patio at Great Aunt Kathy's condo in Pagosa

The view from our picnic lunch after our hike at Williams Lake Reservoir

July 2009

We celebrated America's birthday with my family in Duluth, MN.  This proved to be the best weekend of Finnegan's life; he got to meet his BFF Jade, and the two didn't stop playing all weekend.  The humans managed to have a little bit of fun, too ;-)

Best Buddies

 

Our wonderful hosts for the weekend :-)

"Black Beard"

October 2009

Marty started his new job, which required him to be in Indiana for 10 weeks of training.  It was a challenge to be apart for so long (especially during such a stressful time in our lives) but it makes us really appreciate the time we have together now.  I visited him once during training; we managed to see three different states in one afternoon of sight-seeing: Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky!

Fountain Square in Cincinnati

November 2009

Marty had a few days off from training for Thanksgiving, so he flew home and then we headed up to Duluth for our annual celebration with my family.  We also celebrated Finnegan's first birthday with a special birthday cake I made for him :o)

 

FiRsT NiGhT fReNzY

Happy 1st Birthday Finnegan!

December 2009

Marty finished his new job training and flew home to Wisconsin on Friday, December 11.  I spent that whole week packing up and cleaning our condo, so on Saturday we finished packing, celebrated Christmas with my mom and dad, and then we hit the road on Sunday morning!  It was about a 7 hour trip, with a few potty breaks for Finn (who was such a good traveler!).  

Making a pit stop in Indiana

We spent our first three nights in Michigan at the Hilton Suites in Auburn Hills, which was a bit of a challenge with a dog and two vehicles loaded to capacity!

Keeping up on his neighborhood watch duties from the 5th floor of the hotel

Then on December 16 we moved into a furnished corporate apartment in Troy, MI.  It was so nice to have a full kitchen and space to spread out after being cramped in our hotel room and cars for four days!

Finn unpacking his toys

We had just enough time to unpack before hitting the road again; this time to Buffalo for Christmas with Marty's family!  Another 5 1/2 hours in the car and  then it was finally time to relax and spend time with our new niece Samantha McCann :-)

Uncle Marty and Samantha

Finn also got to spend time with his cousin Brady (and play with his toys)

It's hard to sum up such a whirlwind year in one posting; we've gone through so many changes, had so much fun, and have learned and grown so much as individuals and as a couple.  I feel so blessed to have the love and support of such wonderful family and friends, and I'm really looking forward to 2010 and all of the new adventures it brings!