More Susie Surprises - MA

My last full day with my sis we left early to drive to Massachusetts.  This was definitely a different kind of adventure.  Who knew about this hidden treat - ziplining?

It sounded like great fun, though I'll admit that in reading and signing the liability release,I did hesitate for a second.  Mentions of injury or death, 60 MPH and even extra fees if you chickened out and made someone escort you down the mountain on foot.  Gulp... why not?  After a ski lift to the top of the mountain, they started us off on some smaller lines.  Good to figure out what was going on.  It really was fun and not nearly as daring as repelling off a mountain is (I have my stories to tell from my "youth" on that).  There were 7 lines total that we went on, in a group of 15 people.  The last two were the most impressive - up to 50 & 60 MPH respectively.

Here we are getting ready to ride on one of the longer ones - we got to race against each other here.

These were our "guides" through the canopy.  It was obvious they enjoy their jobs and they made the day plenty of fun for all of us.  Below you can experience the 50 MPH ride on the 2,300 foot line (not the longest one of the day).  It was AMAZING!!!

  

Thanks so much to my man and my sis, Susie, for making my birthday EXTRA special this year.  I love you guys!

Susie's Surprises - NYC

To celebrate my 40th birthday this year, my man bought me a ticket to fly out East and see my big sis - Susie.  Sweet huh?  Well we finally found a time that would work and I flew to CT this month.  Susie picked up the birthday surprises by planning a full and exciting weekend for the two of us.   The very next day, she wisked me off to New York City for the day!  Now I have no desire to live in the city but visiting is another story.  We took the train and the subway and walked all over the place (mostly in Chinatown).  What an adventure....

Here I am standing next to some dragonfruit.  I have no idea what it tastes like but it was some of the coolest stuff I'd ever seen.  We went to Jing Fong Restaurant where they brought a continuous selection of dumplings and such.  Delicious!  Then we had a pedicure - my first ever.

The coolest thing about this place was the massage chairs.  We were pampered from neck to foot.  And check out those daring colors we chose....

By the end of the day, we went to see The Addams Family musical on Broadway.  Third row seats!  It was a pretty funny play and they did a great job.  I guess that's why they get paid to do this. :)

We got back to Susie's place at 2:30 am after a very full day.  That's cool though since I was able to sleep in as late as I wanted - that never happens at home!  That evening she took me to The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant that was scrumptious.  Who knew?  I really ate well that weekend.

Transformation

I've been quiet here but plenty busy at home.  Our house has gone through a transformation this past month and we LOVE it!  Always on the wish list and finally on the to-do list was replacing our kitchen cabinets and refinishing our hardwood floors.  Though the photos don't convey just how bad they were, the particle board cabinets were warped, sagging and falling apart.  We decided to put our tax return to good use and fix some things and by the time we were done, we also rearranged things as well.  This is the before shot of our little (crowded) galley kitchen.....

Not only was it dilapidated, but as we found when things were torn out, there were some other serious problems going on "under there".  It so nice to know that the wall, floor, pipes, etc are all in tip top shape now BEHIND the new kitchen.  There was lots to fix.

And here is the before photo of our old wood floor (unfortunately it was down to bare wood in many places).  It's been needing refinishing since we moved in 6 years ago but the timing wasn't right until now.

And the amazing effects after....

The hardest part of doing the floors and kitchen together was having to move EVERYTHING out of the two rooms we use the most.  All my bookshelves, homeschooling stuff, dining furniture and kitchen needs all had to find a temporary home for the remodeling efforts.  I'm so glad it's over with!

And the big finale....

Ta Da!  The custom, all wood cabinets should last us forever (hypothetically speaking) and were built and installed by a local carpenter, Bob Korff.  I highly recommend him if you're in need.   Nothing in our kitchen was "flush" or straight and customizing was a must.  We love the look of the rustic hickory and I just couldn't change my apple green color scheme so I didn't. :)  There is more space in the higher cabinets but the biggest improvement is the layout.  I have much more usable counter space since we moved the fridge and I can now open my oven door without gouging the wall.  Other than getting used to where everything is located in the new kitchen, it's such a breeze to work there now, even with room for the kids to help.  What a huge blessing this has been!  My favorite Mother's Day gift EVER.....