Thank You, Florida

Thank you, Florida for the best vacation in a long time. Thank you to Mimi and Pop-pop and Gramma and Grandpa too for everything, and having us! As a kid, I went to the Sundial Resort a handful of times, on trips to Sanibel Island with my family. It's been years though, easily 10 or 15, but I remembered it well and it was pretty neat to go back with my family, and experience it in a new way.

My parents decided last fall that they wanted to take all of us back for a trip this spring. It was hard to find flights and a time that worked for everyone, so my parents and Sara went Sunday to Monday, Bren came down Thursday to Sunday, and we piggy backed in the middle, staying Wednesday to Sunday with my family and then over Sunday - Tuesday with Brian's parents in Bonita Springs. It was great to be able to hang with my fam in one spot, and then drive just an hour to spend some time with Gramma and Grandpa, and the girls loved the time with everyone too.

 In all the times I've been to Florida recently, this was the best stretch of weather yet. It was hot - low 90's every day, and no rain until the last day of our trip. The flights were a challenge again with Miss Anna, so I was a big ball of stress then, but once we were on land, I'd quickly forgotten about it. I think in general, it's tough to travel with two little ones, especially when naps fall by the way side, or early bedtimes are missed, etc but all in all - I'd say our little ones were great - and this fun vacation couldn't have come at a more perfect time!

Here are some pics from our trip:

Mimi and Madelyn doing a sand art activity 

Sara trying paddle boarding for the first time!

Miss M's new found love for jumping into the pool

Auntie and Anna on our patio

Our view from our patio - gorgeous!

Dinner at the Bubble Room - an old favorite

  with slices of cake the size of your face, and they had GF - amazing!

Me and my baby girl

Getting ready for the sunset on the beach!

The next morning in Bonita at Gramma's and Grandpa's

Happy Birthday Daddy!

 Daddy and his girls, loving the pool!

Our little fish

* UPDATE *

About two weeks ago here, I mentioned some things that were up to. I figured I'd let you know what's been going on since then. As I'd mentioned, the contractor we found came very highly recommended, and was very easy to work with prior to us leaving for vacation. At his suggestion, we made all of our choices for both our bathrooms - lights, tile, vanities, fixtures in about 5 days, so that we could go away on vacation and they could do the work while we were away. At the very same time, I was called out of the blue from my recruiter, with a job offer that I couldn't pass up. So, I accepted the offer, was doing all the paperwork and drug tests, and quitting my other job, while packing for our trip. To say those 5 days were insane, might be the biggest understatement of all time. Anyway, the contractor made us feel confident there would be no issues and we'd essentially come home from vacation to two updated bathrooms. They were completely gutting ours, and redoing the floor, replacing the vanity and adding bead board into our main bath.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

First - we had the most amazing vacation, the best in years. The weather was perfect, and the time with both our families was just perfect. So, I am very thankful for that, and blessed that we were able to get away at this busy time for quality time together. The day after we got back, I started my new job, and so far, so good. So, that's the good update.

The bad - So, here we are about 2.5 weeks later, with absolutely nothing in our master bath but sheet rock and a partially completed tile floor, and a partially completely floor in the guest bath and barely-functioning toilet and a leaking sink. Granted, 7 days seems like a quick turnaround for our updates, but he was so sure. He's been doing this for 25+ years, so, of course we trusted him and expected little things might pop up. While we were away, he was keeping me posted, writing with updates on Saturday and late at night about their progress. We couldn't wait to get home to see everything.

My mom happened to pop over on Tuesday night, the night we were do in, just to check and she texted me with a "call me if you can." Ut oh. She assured me our bathroom had nothing in it, not even floor tile and the toilet to the guest bath was in the hall, and that room had a partial floor down. I quickly checked in with the contractor for an update, and he casually wrote - yes, make arrangements not to stay at our house tonight, it's not done, but at least the guest bath should be done tomorrow (Wednesday).

So after an annoying experience at the airport and a frustrating delay getting out of JFK, we returned exhausted at 1am - to sleep with the girls and Q, at my parents house. I went to our house on Wednesday to check in and the (one) worker, mentioned the floor tile was short and they needed more, that's why that floor wasn't finished. He then proceeded to lay the master bath floor that day. When I checked with the contractor, he said the extra tile should be in any day... I come to find out, they hadn't even ordered it - and it takes days. We're finally expecting it tomorrow - Monday!

I requested a meeting at the house with the contractor to go over everything and get a better idea of what's really going on. He shows up with a s*&^ eating grin, as nice as could be, like no big deal. I asked why it was taking longer than planned, and he brushed it off. Said its a big job, and no question, everything will be done by Friday - 2 days from then. Friday, came and the vanities were finally ordered - only to be delivered NEXT FRIDAY 4/24. We still do not have bead board, grout, the extra tile, etc. We stayed with my parents for the next few days, I started my new job and we tried to get back into some sort of routine. I mean, re-entry is hard enough after vacation, right? This was brutal.

We came home Friday night to NO progress since Wednesday. Nada. I can't for the life of me figure any of this out. Is he lying to my face, does he think its a joke? Why on earth has he fallen short on every time line and promise of completion. I know this kind of thing happens to people all the time, ironically my parents are going through something similar with a small addition that's taking far longer than expected. But, it just seemed like our work was so simple, and he has been so confident in his plan and timeline. We provided all of the information, and a nice big check, before we left on 4/7 so that we wouldn't run into any hold ups. There is no excuse.

So, I proceeded to write a not-so-nice email to our contractor on Friday night. With 10+ years in customer service, its hard for me to actually be mean, but I certainly was straight forward and to the point. He had written asking for money, and I told him we aren't paying any more, until there is progress. He's usually pretty responsive, and I haven't heard from him since... what do you want to bet, they don't come back? I might really lose it then! Hopefully, sometime in the next month, there will be an update and I'll be able to post some before and afters :) Until then... I'm putting it all out of my mind, and focusing on other stuff!

Happy weekend to you!

I can't keep calm...

I am very excited to share some news -

As I mentioned in my last post, we've had lots going on over the last week. Prepping for vacation can be a little chaotic on its own, then add in a full weekend of fun and Easter festivities, and picking all of the elements of our bathroom reno's - we have literally been crazed. The one other thing that I've had on my plate is a new job opportunity! I had to share because I'm excited about the opportunity, but also because the way in which it all played out is neat in its own right.

I connected with a recruiter sometime last year. Just for the discussion and to see if anything came up. I was open to different opportunities, but I also have a specific background and requirements. So, months passed and I didn't hear from her, then she connected me with a few jobs/interviews and nothing really panned out. 

In January, she called me about a "unique opportunity" and many of the features of the jobs were spot on. It was a role for a Customer Service Manager, at a small start up. I had some reservations but I was definitely interested. After 3 different interview visits to the office, and a lot of excitement on my side, I got an email that they were changing some things around and they'd keep me in mind. That was about 2.5 months ago. 

Flash forward to last week, when things are really picking up as we get ready for our trip. I get a call from my recruiters office. My original recruiter doesn't even work there anymore - so this is someone I've never spoken to before! She was calling about the company, WITH AN OFFER! Out of left field, I nearly drove off the road. She could tell I was frazzled, and needed some time to think. I had sort of put the role out of mind, and moved on. As it turns out, they'd filled the Manager position, but they created a position for me, and they really wanted me on board. 

As you may or may not know, I was very heavily involved in my church, and youth group in high school. It was a big part of my youth. I mean, how many teenagers do you know that make time to attend adoration weekly at 5am before school? Yup, I was that kid. Anyway, while I don't attend church as often as I'd like right now, and I've drifted a bit over the years, I like to think of myself as fairly religious still. It's a foundation that you never really loose. Things have been up in the air a bit at work for me and I'd been praying for a sign, something to help me find my way.  

So, while I needed some time to process that out-of-the-blue phone call, I knew, that was it. That's the sign I was wishing for. So, it's a different role, in a smaller company, and I think it'll bring lots of new challenges. But, I am SO excited. I can't wait to see how my past experiences will help me in this role, and to meet new people. 

I gave my "notice" today right when I got to work. Unfortunately, because of the way the timing worked, my "notice" was just one day, today. We leave at 4am for Florida, and I'll start at the new job the day after we get home. Ahhh! I feel like this was the right decision, I have no regrets - and I'm so looking forward to what's to come! Wish me luck on this little adventure :) Happy Tuesday!

On our horizon

After mulling it over for months, we've decided to do a bunch of work to our house. We're going to redo our small bonus room upstairs, so that it has heat/ac, proper carpet and stairs, both our bathrooms, and gut our kitchen. As excited as I am for all of it, as it gets a little closer, I'm beginning to get a little worried about the chaos that the actual work will bring to our lives! With two little kids and a dog... are we nuts?

I'm not sure if we'll have to go live with my parents for a bit or not (I guess I should check with them to see if its OK! :) but things will certainly be stirred up a bit around here. I think we're going to start with the upstairs, which should be an easy-er project, that'll be done in a few days and we wont be bothered by it. It'll mean coordinating to have the dog out of the house, and out of the way, and someone being here to let them or answer questions sometimes, but overall that should be easy! We're going to make that into a true playroom for the kids, and we can't wait for them to have their own space where they can play together, and we can store all their stuff! Yay :)

Over the next month, we're meeting with a contractor and picking out all of our finishes for a brand new kitchen and master bath, and a few things for our guest bath. This has me ecstatic and so anxious! We'll be without a kitchen for at least 2 weeks - ahh! They're tearing the whole thing out, including our entry way and kitchen floor, and starting from scratch. They do provide a portable sink so that you aren't totally put out - which actually, is a great idea but I'm not really looking forward to that two week period. We happen to be leaving for Florida in 10 days, and I was trying to plan it to start while we were away for the week, but of course that didn't work. So we'll come back from a nice vacation - to a completely torn up house. Oh well... I just need to remind myself of the end result, take a few deep breaths, and ce la vie!

I'm not great about before and after pictures, but I'll be sure to share a few as we go :) Then hopefully we'll be party-ready by the kick off of summer, as we have lots of entertaining to catch up on! 

*** UPDATE *** I started writing this post a few days ago, and things have really gone fast forward in just those few days. Work has been insane for Brian, as they are going through a huge office move, and he's been a little frazzled because of the transition and all that it entails for him. I am also going through some big changes at work, so our days have just been insane. On top of that, we met with the contractor on Tuesday evening just for a follow up, and what started as a touch base, turned into a project in full swing. They are free next week, so they want to do both bathrooms while we are away. So, while I can be really indecisive about some things, we are trying to make smart, yet quick design decisions, so that they can completely gut and renovate our bathrooms while we are away for a week starting next Wednesday. I mean, it only makes sense, but of course things didn't really get set it motion until just a few days ago. So, we've been studying pinterest, houzz.com and going through tons of photos to pick vanities and tile! Ahh. As if things couldn't get any nuttier around here, with Easter and work craziness, now we're designing our bathrooms with less than a weeks notice! CRUNCH time. TGIF in a big way :) Before and afters to follow, but first a fun family weekend and a (much needed) break in Florida with my family! Happy weekend all!