Summer Vacation

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. With Jay's move, trying to finish up school, and going crazy at work, I've had no time to blog or read up on anybody. I need a little more time to catch up and then I'll be back. I promise!

The Nest: Florida Style

So here it is...Jay's new home and my home away from home. Let's start with the important stuff first. Requirement numero uno: Kick a$$ pool.

Throw in a pretty fancy kitchen for a one-bedroom condo rental...granite counters, GE Profile stainless appliances, tile floors, and plenty of cabinet storage.

We looked at two units in this complex, both identical with the exception that one had espresso stained cabinets. While we loved the dark cabinets better, this unit had a much better price and location.

Jay's condo is on the top floor of a four-story building. This is the view out his front door. That thing behind the pool is a covered parking garage.

In Michigan, we'd call this a covered balcony. In Florida, it's a lanai. Sounds so much fancier that way, doesn't it?!

The master bedroom. Although the picture doesn't show it, it's pretty spacious. It also has access to the lanai through those hot vertical blinds.

There's only one bathroom, but it's a really good size too. The counters were travertine and there's a huge soaking tub/shower.

Back to the kitchen/dining/living room...it's all one room. There's plenty of builder white going on. The landlord seems to be a stickler, but maybe, just maybe, he'll let us paint a neutral color other than white. That's our awesome realtor, Lori, with Jay.

There's four buildings that make up this complex. Jay's building has the fitness center, basketball courts, clubhouse, etc. This vestibule leads to all of those ammenities.

Look Who's Back

And with some interesting news:

1. We were in Washington DC for the first week of July. I met Michelle Obama. Well, met in the sense that I zoomed in as far as I can on my camera while MO enjoyed a breezy afternoon on the White House balcony. OK, that has stalker written all over it.

2. We were in Florida for the second week. Holy humidity. Florida in July is rather unbearable, but definitely beats Michigan winters hands down.

The exciting news from this trip? You are now looking at Southern Florida's newest fourth grade teacher. Jay accepted a position at a brand new, state of the art elementary school. The technology at the school is amazing...Smart Boards, video projection and computers everywhere, flat panel TVs in the cafeteria scrolling news reels for the kids to absorb during their lunch break. The school Jay taught at last year is a few years old and in a wealthy district, but doesn't offer anything close to the technology that his new school has. He is beyond excited.

With that comes a new (rented) condo. Apartments in southern Florida are VERY expensive, especially on a teacher's salary. We looked high and low before our neighbor (in Michigan) referred us to her real estate agent friend that lives in the area. She hooked Jay up with a beautiful place that is about $200/month cheaper than the crappiest of apartments we looked at. He's so excited!

And no...I haven't figured out what I'm doing yet. I'm locked into Michigan for the time being...at least I have a posh place to visit now. Stay tuned.

House Crashing

I'm blowing the dust off my blog again...I'm just not into it lately. Every other post has been about Shelby or my mom and dad's landscaping, and now that the project is done, I'm really scraping for material.

Shelby is doing better since her latest trips to the vet, but unfortunately the news isn't the greatest. She has chronic kidney failure...basically, she's an old dog and her kidney's are starting to shut down. The good news is that it's not an immediate death sentence...animals with kidney failure can live weeks, months, even years. Right now, she doesn't have any pain, and other than incontinence (um, yeah, that's a doozie), she looks and acts like her normal self. So hopefully this disease doesn't progress terribly fast and she can live out her senior years to the fullest. (I'll have to post a pic of her in Puppy Pampers...as sad as it is, it's really quite funny.)

Beyond that, I was cleaning out my digital camera and stumbled across these pics I took a few weeks ago of Jay's aunt and uncle's house (a different aunt and uncle than the one that hosted his cousin's graduation party) , so I thought it would be fun to do a "house crashing" post. The pictures really don't do it justice...the house, landscaping, and views are just incredible. Check it out - click on the pics to make bigger.

Love the slate roof and stucco exterior. The stucco is something you don't see too often in our area.

They live on a golfcourse with views of a bay that leads out to Lake Michigan in the background.

Jay's aunt said the plan came out of a catalog. I've searched online trying to find it, but haven't had any luck. Mom - click the pic and look next to the rock wall...that's a Harry Lauder Walking Stick, LOL.

This is the main-level laundry room. There's a second in the lower level for guests to use.

This is the butler's pantry and side foyer entry.

Three-season porch with gas fireplace.

This was my absolute favorite part of the kitchen/great room area...the ceiling above the dining table.

This is the lower level game room and wet-bar. All of the guest suites (each room has it's own bath) are on the lower level...the master bedroom is on the main floor.

This is the lower level guest laundry.

The house is in a new development and there are only about 10 houses or so right now. This is the neighbor's house, which is a short walk down the road and is right on the bay. Amazing, isn't it?!

The Dog Drama Continues...

Off to the vet...again! My sister's internet sleuthing seems to point to a urinary tract infection, possibly a side effect from the antibiotics Shelby was taking for her leg surgery. Should know more tomorrow...fingers crossed!

The Big Reveal

Let’s call it like it is…the before is a hot mess, plain and simple. I dug up this pic from 2005 and thought I was confusing it with my Photoshopped masterpiece. The sad thing is that we all thought it looked good at the time. Um, no. We were wrong.

It didn’t start off that way. Some nineteen years ago, the trees and shrubs were little. Over time, everything grew together. Big trees blocked sunlight and the smaller plantings began to look bare. After some selective editing a few years ago, it began to look like a “plant-a-bush-here, plant-a-bush-there” strategy was used.

For the new landscape, the final design is a hybrid of my drawing and the landscaper’s. The garden walls, lighting, annual beds, and boxwood hedge in front of the garage stayed from the landscaper’s plan. The type of shrubs and overall layout is from mine. The landscaper did nix the Magnolia tree…there wasn’t enough room. And I lost out on the Hicks Yews versus Dense Yews for the hedging in front of the windows. But you can’t win ‘em all.

Now, for the big reveal: Ta-da!

Dramatic, isn’t it? Maybe I’m a little biased, but it sure doesn’t look like a 20 year old house to me.

I have to admit, even without a tree to anchor the space, I love it. More importantly, my mom and dad love it. It’s neat, organized, and low maintenance. And the maintenance it will require my parents can do without hanging off a ladder. The cool thing is that they can enjoy the landscape from inside the house as well. From their foyer, there’s a nice view of day lilies, silvery-blue grasses, and the Japanese Maple. Even better, from inside the bedrooms, you can actually see out. What a concept.

One of the best features: The landscape lighting. This was a splurge, but after seeing the dramatic results, it was definitely worth it. This image is pretty true to what you see when driving by at night.

Here’s one taken with flash.

Mom and Dad...it looks beautiful!!!! You should be proud of the end result!

Progress...

The beds are dug, the edging is in, the electrical is complete, and the garden wall was started. Then the rain set in. If the weather cooperates, everything should be finished tomorrow.