The Ride-An idea is born

Surfin' NYC

This young man is seeking the help of his fellow New Yorkers to carry him (physically) the entire length of Manhattan. Mark Malkoff will attempt to crowd surf the city and has put out a request for folks to volunteer to help. The potential for wondering hands makes me REALLY nervous about this. Best of luck and God's speed, Mark.

Trim and Windows and Tile, Oh My!

I thought I'd try something a little different. A full blown tour of the house and its progress. They have trimmed out a significant portion of the house, put in the majority of the windows and started the tile. It's all very exciting! The video's a little long, so I won't blame you if you get tired of it, but there is a nice shot of Scott, him mom, and sister at the end. This was filmed on Thanksgiving Day. How fitting!

Sheetrockin' and rollin'

Progress has been made!! We had the whole house sprayed with foam insulation, wood floor was laid in the rest of the house, it's been sheetrocked, and now the texture has been put on the walls. (Not to mention all of the electrical and HVAC, since I last posted.) We're rollin' right along. Hooray!

Foamy homey.

Our house is coming right along! My brother-in-law, Chad worked his foam insulation magic on our old, drafty house. I can't wait to reap the rewards, a warm home and lowered heating bills this winter. Looks pretty awesome, reminds me of Ghost Busters when the Stay Puff Marshmellow Man explodes in NYC. Nice.

Piland Pad Progress

We went over to the house yesterday to check on the framing and make sure all of the doors were in the right places for our bathroom addition. SO EXCITED to see the house coming together. I was so nervous about vaulting the ceiling in the living/dining room, and I think it looks incredible. I got chills the moment I walked in. And, they were able to incorporate the dormer window on the front of the house. I'm in awe of how beautiful it is.

My sister was there to offer (really good) furniture placement advice. This isn't her first rodeo. She's beautifully decorated several of their houses. Also, I think we've finally decided how we want the kitchen to look (cabinets, sink, hardware, appliances–everything). This is major progress for us.

They are supposed to be finishing all of the electrical and plumbing next week, so the photos from that might not be too exciting. I'll share them all the same. Think good thoughts for a smooth wiring of the house. (!)

The Dirtiest House on the Block

These pictures are a little dated, however, I wanted to post them to see the progression of the work. At this point, they had removed all of the sheet rock, ripped out the appliances and cabinets, and generally made a mess. Feast your eyes on the wreckage! Also, the last few pictures are of treasures found in the attic and garage. SO COOL.

Cliff Dwelling

I try to limit this blog to only one or two personally-focused entries a month, but there is something just too exciting to sit on. Oh, wait! It's October! Hooray! We bought a house! Actually, we bought it about two weeks ago.

It's an old Tudor, built in 1925, and it's only had two owners. The before pictures can be overwhelming, but it has incredible bones. We won't be moving in until January or so, because we're doing some pretty extensive renovations (adding a bathroom, completely remodeling the kitchen, doing some exterior work, landscaping, refinishing floors, electrical, HVAC, the list is long).

We totally fell in love with the neighborhood. North Oak Cliff has it all, rolling hills (the likes of which I didn't know existed in Dallas), huge trees, beautiful houses, great people, tradition-it's a true community. Also, I am ancestrally tied to Oak Cliff. My maternal great-grandparents lived there, as did my paternal great-grandmother, both sets of grandparents, my parents, and most of my parents' friends. It's sort of amazing to think that our kids will learn to ride their bikes on the same streets that my parents did.

Anyway, we've been talking to as many "Cliff Dwellers" as we can find and spending every free moment in Bishop Arts District. We could not be more excited!! Can't wait to get in and throw a big party. Everyone is invited.