Goodbye, Dear Friend

This morning is somewhat bittersweet. The feeling in the air is somber...because the Skipfiniti has a new owner (breathe). The picture above is the last one I will ever take with her. Sure, I have a smile on my face... perhaps due to the venture ahead, onward with the set of wheels that is (I say begrudgingly) "replacing" her... perhaps due to the value I was offered way above reasonable expectations. Regardless, I am sad to see her go and the grin is nothing short of a facade. Those of you that knew me before or at the time I bought this car have known me for a long time. She is a '99 Infiniti G20, fully loaded. She and I met in 2002 at a cramped pre-owned lot at Dean Team Kirkwood in the St. Louis suburbs. Back then I traded in my prized '91 Nissan 240SX - it was a trade up. I was in the market for something to make me look the part of a successful young eligible bachelor... enter the good times. I have a LOT of memories with this car. I've been driving it for over 10+ years, so by my quick calculation (seeing that I am just shy of my 31st birthday) for one-third of my life! Hell, I've only had my driver's license for 15 years, so I've had this car 200% longer than all the other (3) cars I had before her! The Skipfiniti has gotten me home on the wings of angels quite a few more times than I'd like to admit. However, most of the memories are positive - and quite a few of you have shared in these good times with us. We have been to Gulf Shores, Al and Pensacola, Fl, KC, Chicago, StL, Springfield, Branson, Lake of the Ozarks, and more places than I can remember... Those of you who are reading may have been driven to one of these places, driven home, or just tagged along around town. I invite all of you to join me in wishing her well on her next journey and hope that she gets the love and care that she deserves and has so greatly earned. The Skipfiniti, sadly to say, was not in her best shape when we parted ways - it pains me to admit that. She was dirty, had some mechanical and physical issues, and was in desperate need of regularly-scheduled maintenance. It was such a risky box to be inside that not only did I feel unsafe driving around town for work, but since we found out that Kristen was pregnant, I wouldn't even allow her to ride in it. The car hasn't been driven more than 50 miles on one trip in over a year. When I said goodbye, her odometer read just over 166k - but her engine is solid and she has kept on ticking (in a good way). Had I taken better care of her, I know I could have gotten many more miles. However, every once in a while in the life the "plan" changes and we're required to make decisions that not only impact ourselves, but involve one or more other humans that must rely on us for our ability to make such decisions and the quality of which we do so. Our currently expanding family is the main reason to make this move, and to upsize to a new family vehicle. We've chosen a more practical and kid-friendly car and I just hope she produces as many if not more great moments as my Skipfiniti... Goodbye, old girl. Godspeed and good luck. You'll be missed. With love- Your previous driver

Baby J Update

Hello, all, and welcome back for another exciting update on the progress of Baby Jackson #1. So far so good. Baby is still cooking away in mama's midsection. We're greatly anticipating the arrival of our little peanut and the realness is starting to kick in. As of this writing, Kristen is almost 30 weeks along in her pregnancy. If you're doing the math at home, you know that puts her well into her 3rd trimester and now only just a short trip down the home stretch (albeit we want that thing to reach full term). We had a Dr appt this past week for another checkup, which was brought on by a previous checkup 2 weeks prior where we were given a very minor "scare" (if you want to call it that). Kristen was measuring a little large at the earlier of the two so the Dr wanted to see her again sooner than scheduled. Obviously this put us into a bit of a two-week tizzy about why and what... We made the cardinal mistake of "googling" this condition and held our breath until this most recent appt. When we went back everything was measuring fine, heart rate was good, etc. Of course I made sure I was at this visit in case there was some news about that engorgement - but everything seems to be back on track. I suppose, not unlike its father, this baby is already a good eater. However, as a point of keeping the comic relief, I like to maintain that it was gas... :) We had 1 of 2 baby showers 2 weekends ago. This one was in St. Louis and was a bit earlier due to the travel and Kristen's ever-growing inability to do so. Special thanks, by the way, to everyone who was able to make it out and contribute to what (already) seems like a veritable money pit... oh well - money well spent, I suppose. Anyway I had a good time catching up and I know it was nice for Kristen to see some good friends and family. So now the baby has a lot of nice new things! Shower #2 will be local and we're as eagerly anticipating another fun event... and some more baby swag! It's like the baby's first birthday party! So now that we have all this nice stuff we've been putting the finishing touches on the place to store most of it. The nursery is near completion! I painted it a few weeks ago and the furniture that we ordered arrived last week. We also added a nice area rug as an accent and to soften up and contrast with the hardwood floors. The one we got turned out to be too small, but we love it in there and there is one size larger so we just need to replace that in our spare time (when I'm not goofing around on the internet). We also ordered some artwork which is very befitting of an androgynous nursery... The decor includes a light green, almost yellowish-green wall color, a bright green rug, chocolate crib, dresser, and chest, and the artwork which will match the bedding of an earthy, autumnal color palette. We're excited to see this all come together. Seeing that empty bed and furniture really hits home that a human will be living there shortly. So that's where we are for now. Hope to give out a few more updates over these next two months. In the meantime we hope to get to see everyone one last time before we go into hiding ;)...

Kitchen Remodel - Phase by Phase

So this little guy has kept me busy for the past month. Above is a slideshow of the progress of construction throughout the remodel of my kitchen. I started this project by doing the design (obviously) and demo myself. I then enlisted the help of some trusted subcontractors for carpentry, electrical, drywall, and countertops. I also did the painting, plumbing, hardware installation, and appliance hookup myself. You may notice that the backsplash is incomplete. You may also have noticed that some of the wood flooring is a different color. Both of these minor projects will be completed in the not-too-distant future, but I wanted to get this kitchen back to serviceable condition asap, and share this album in the meantime. For now I will be moving along to my next project -- the nursery. So please take 5 minutes and enjoy the slideshow. If you'd like to slow down and see the pictures more closely, you can go directly to the online album at the address below. Enjoy! https://picasaweb.google.com/106513156747812293526/KitchenRemodelPhaseByPhase?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNeuqYiKvYqlngE&feat=directlink

Half way to Fatherhood

I warned you all this would happen. I promise the next post will be something not baby-related. However, we've hit a milestone in the pregnancy so aside from the typical facebook status update, I thought I'd take a few moments to elaborate and share some news. Today is Thursday, June 7, 2012. Last night Kristen had her 20-week ultrasound, which included a full fetal scan (almost typed 'fecal' there... could you imagine?!). Although the "results" of said scan are yet to be known, an unofficial review of the measurements seemed to be right on par with the average/appropriate point of Baby Jackson's development. We'll know for sure in a week or so, but we feel a lot better having seen the baby move, the heartbeat, umbilical cord, and counted all fingers, toes, arms, legs, organs, brain hemispheres, etc. We're not expecting any huge surprises or disappointments when we hear from the Dr. As many of you know, another major potential discovery from such a scan is that the gender of the baby can likely be determined. After much waffling and talking to others and each other, we decided before the appointment that we would let it be a surprise during the birth. However, we also both admitted that we'd be looking during the ultrasound and if we saw something, we saw it and we'd be okay with that. Alas! the images we saw were pretty much inconclusive. The technician mentioned that even if we wanted to know she probably wouldn't be able to tell. Apparently Baby Jackson is a bit restless - go figure considering the parents... So we did get to see him/her moving all around but the legs stayed together and the genital region covered and remaining in darkness most of the time. So I guess we were granted our wish in not finding out, but truth be told I would not have been disappointed to "accidentally" get the news. Looks like we'll have to wait until October for that one... and it also looks like a unisex decorating effort for the nursery! I guess the next step IS the nursery. We've already been doing some research, but need to hit it harder now that we're past the halfway mark. I suppose once that 3rd trimester rolls around in a few weeks I'll be transforming our empty bedroom into a baby utopia outfitted with all the goods and necessities... So that's all for now. I'll be in touch soon. -me

Hey-ooooo

Hello, world. Remember me? I'm the guy that used to write these hilarious antidotes on a weekly or monthly basis. Well it seemed I've slipped over the past 8 or so months, but I'm back by popular demand (thanks, Bridget). I guess the reason for my prolonged absence can be attributed to facebook... thanks a lot, Mark Fuckerberg! Those bastards have made it so easy to just jump on (even from your mobile phone!!) and say "hi" to the world... and your friends and family can see it immediately and respond instantaneously! It's actually pretty cool, but I do miss this opportunity to express myself in writing - and of course give the world the benefit of my excellent story-telling. So, since my last post I would say a lot has happened... probably the most life-changing milestones you can imagine in one span of less than a year. Here's a rundown. First, I turned 30. Thanks for everyone that came out bowling... it was a blast and nice to be surrounded by good friends. I moved to Darien, IL - where we purchased our first single-family home. My first escapade in home ownership was a townhouse in St. Louis where I lost my ass selling it, You may remember that story. I love suburb living, even though some of my pals make fun and accuse me of moving to Iowa... it's just a tad further east than that, but I won't lie, it's a hike back into the City. I do make my way back to Chicago for work and play at least once a week so I really do enjoy the best of both worlds. The conveniences of living near so many of my regular needs (stores, restaurants, etc) and being able to park in my garage when I get home is priceless. Not to mention that Jake (65lb furry baby) LOVES playing in his big grassy backyard. I also get to work out of my house because in addition to the 4 bedrooms, there is a large office where I can work peacefully and maintain self-employment. So overall it's been a pretty solid move. I've also gotten some home improvements done to the house - updating some of the decor from the early 80s to modern tastes. I've ripped out some paneling and replaced drywall, replaced the garage door and mailbox, and added some new furnishings. I have also redesigned the very updated kitchen and am in the process of obtaining all of the pieces to undergo that rather large project. I'm really looking forward to the finished product and will be posted photos along the way (on facebook, of course). After that, next on the agenda is outdoor upgrades including a new paver patio and wood deck - but those will wait until next year. We did also have a mini-vacation scattered in there. For the superbowl, we took a 4-day trip out to Las Vegas. It was a blast and we're so glad we committed to it. We got to watch the Giants beat the Patriots again and we did it int he environs of the greatest casinos and nightlife in the US. I suppose the biggest bit of news is that we found out we're expecting our first child - on or around Oct. 24 this year. I think everyone knows this so it's not really news, but it's important enough that it bears repeating. Of course we're super excited and eagerly anticipate the arrival of our new bundle of joy and a little brother or sister for Jake. At the time of this writing we're just shy of 20 weeks. We'll have an ultrasound appointment soon and at that time we have the option to find out the gender of our baby. After much deliberation I think we've decided to keep this first one a surprise. I think it will not only be a fun surprise but will also help Kristen throughout the birthing process. So now that we're at this point, we're just now getting started with preparing our nursery. We've got another big challenge ahead of us with regard to design and furnishing of another room in the house - this time for our androgynous little package. Obviously we'll be keeping it neutral and I'm thinking ducks and frogs will be a major theme at the beginning. That's just phase 1 and we've got such a long road ahead before Baby Jackson arrives, so we're taking it all in stride, one step at a time. With all of this going on, please forgive the blog posts being few and far between, as you've grown accustomed. Also, please excuse me if this turns into a baby update blog, which if anything that is most likely to happen. At least this gives me an avenue for writing and updating at a longer clip than is practical for a facebook status update. Also a big deterrent for updating this blog has been my work schedule. Things picked up a little bit for a while there and I remain steady with work and hope to continue on a good pace to keep the doors open at cj architect, inc. So that's all for now, folks. I hope you've enjoyed the update and I hope you missed me and are excited to see a post after such a long sabbatical. I'll be back in touch just as soon as I find the time and the inspiration. Bye.