Independence Day

Independence is a slippery word.

Once I was known as wife. Once I was known as girlfriend. Now I am known as me. 

Today would have been my 17th wedding anniversary. Now it is the one year, one month, and fourth day anniversary of my divorce. I find I like this anniversary better. It feels significantly more relevant and there isn't anyone sitting on the couch that forgot to buy me flowers.

Once I was a homeowner. Once I shared a house with a husband and then a boyfriend. Now I live for the first time in a place that is all mine. Well, mostly mine...Iona remains the welcome constant.

It is only right and fair that I now live on a street called Independence Place. That slippery, slippery state of being is actually a place. My place.

Storm Troopers

I would be remiss to classify any of the weekends I have with Jason as normal. Even during our anticipated downtime, we somehow manage to instigate things and converse about things that set the day delightfully topsy-turvy. Nothing is ever expected and nothing is ever, ever dull. Perhaps some of our inability to prophetize is due to our excitement and newness with each other, but it seems more likely that it is simply our two complimentary beings colliding. This weekend was of course, no exception.

On Saturday afternoon we found ourselves gallivanting through Raleigh with our dear friend Amy. She and I are known throughout the Philippines as "The Twin Towers" and also seem to attract chaos, complexity and entertainment at every turn. This human trifecta could only be interesting.

We three had all watched the weather report earlier and knew that precipitation was our future. Sure, there were talks of severe winds and inclement storms and tornadoes, but we took that news with a light-hearted attitude. The last time that the three of us were together in NYC, we experienced unprecedented winds, so we figured there was little that could get blown at us that we hadn't felt before. HA! As Amy later said, our combined personalities seemingly fuel and anger the weather gods. We three have a little Dorothy in us.

With that said, we prepared for the threat of historic storms by bringing coats. 

We should have realized that things were turning for the worse when the outdoor festival we were attending was suddenly dismantled and people began fleeing. The organizers were literally yanking the chairs out from under us. So instead of going home and seeking shelter, we wandered on over to Hargett Street and the Raleigh Times. The skies opened up during our one drink there, and then there was an eerie clarity and silence. Now I grew up in Wisconsin and have spent many a time cowering in a basement, so I know what that means. The tornadoes are a coming. So we used that little break as a sign that we should walk down to The Landmark Tavern. 

Now the Landmark holds a special place for Jason and me. We never fail to be memorable there and I seem to find my relationship courage at the bottom of their glasses. Most nights find us huddled together and animatedly discussing the future of the world and our place in it. I've had some of my most lucid and life-changing conversations within those walls.

So it was rather apropos that on those barstools we sat watching the weather on the TV and on our phones. We were still in denial of our doom, so we kept laughing about the pending non-event and telling tales of our prior weather adventures. Then it actually began around us. 

We could physically feel the pressure change, and then the winds picked up, the electricity went out, and there was debris whipping around past the windows. All of a sudden the doors blew open and needed to be bolted shut. It was slightly past 4pm and became pitch black outside. Dorothy and her merry men be warned. Once the tornado sirens began, the bartender calmly and loudly ushered us all into the women's bathroom where we stood together under candlelight with drinks still in hand. Of course everyone brought their drink. If you are huddled in a bathroom with people you love, you might as well have a good cocktail to toast with.

The storm went past quickly and left its path of destruction through downtown and throughout North Carolina. 22 people died and 13 counties are now considered to be in a State of Emergency. For all those that lost something or someone on Saturday, you have my thoughts. 

I certainly don't discount the severity, but I can't help but think...just a typical weekend...just a typical Sarah Saturday. And I love you both for sharing it. 

My New Year's Plea

It is early morning on the first day of 2009. I am thrilled for this year to begin and for us to move into the House and really start our Raleigh experience. Not just the Renovation Experience, but the WHOLE RALEIGH EXPERIENCE. 2009 will be good for us and our little family.

In the meantime all I can think about is paint. If you are listening, please don't make me go back up the ladder. I will paint any surface below the eight feet mark. Maybe I can even stretch a little further or use the extension handle. Just don't make me go back up the ladder. If you do, I will punch you in the head. Punch you in the head until you understand the pain that is coursing through my calves at this very moment. That's all. Ladder = Punch in the Head. Happy New Year.

What a Year It's Been

It is very easy for us to recall where we were a year ago. We spent the holidays in Wisconsin and New Year's Eve out with my (almost) entire family. Elizabeth wasn't feeling well, but other than that we had a great time. Eric, Angela, Michael and I actually spent the night at Elizabeth and the Bad Man's house and I remember how wonderful it was for us girls to just sit in the living room and hang out together. The three of us were sprawled on the couch with the dogs and just couldn't stop laughing and talking. Later that night we played cards at the kitchen table and drank way too much. Oddly enough, that was the last time either Michael or I saw the Bad Man. It would only be a matter of months before he just left my sister and shortly thereafter they were divorced.


Last holiday season is also when Michael and I decided that our lives needed to change. We needed to spend more time together - in the same city and the same home - and we needed to move on from LA. We talked about the different city options for us, and opted to visit Raleigh first. We came here initially to scope out the city on 1/11/08 and had moved here by Memorial Day. And here we are.

No surprise with how we are spending this New Year's Eve. Painting walls and hanging cabinets. So much has happened this year and I am terribly grateful that we have this opportunity...to be together, to live in the same place together, and to renovate together and still love each other. No parties and no great dinner for us tonight. And I would have it absolutely no other way.

Happy New Year!

The Pain of Progress

We are both moving very slowly this morning. I guess about 15 hours working on the House yesterday was just a few too many. While there is great pleasure in all this sweat equity, I acknowledge that turning this over for someone else to do has its advantages. Ah, if only for a bigger budget.

We finished the kitchen wall paint (Lariat Tan) and almost all the Living/Dining (Leather Satchel), and the Foyer (Dry Earth and Caraway Shield). We have to finish the touch up and trim, but the main walls are done. The moldings are still yet to come. Neither of us had the energy to tackle that yet. I don't think we'll strip them and repaint this go around.


We were still painting the foyer at 11p last night, and we're hoping it looks good in the light of day. We were concerned about the primary green color when it first went up and were worried that we had another "stomach lining incident". Several years ago we needed to paint over a room that was COMPLETELY covered in a Storybook themed mural. We are talking ceiling, closet and walls. If you had a slightly demented kid that liked being stared at by creepy things, then this was your room. If like us, you only had house guests that preferred not sleeping with Humpty Dumpty, then something had to be done. On the advice of the paint person at Home Depot we chose paint that was supposed to cover dark colors with one coat. Well, we ended up with a shiny, dark pink room that was hideous and repulsive. We decided it was like standing in "stomach lining". It subsequently took a coat of primer and almost three coats of regular paint to cover it. I doubt any of our guests appreciated the time that room took us, or the horror that they almost slept in!

Our initial paint pass in the foyer looked with greenish-yellow...well, you get it. Second coat looked good. At least it looked good by the standards of two exhausted home owners.

Good deliveries yesterday! All the appliances and the tub came! Granted, there is no good place for anything right now, so the tub is in the middle of the living room, the washer and dryer in the bedroom, and the fridge is floating in the soon to be kitchen space. The tub is so beautiful and was nicknamed the "Army Tub" by the restoration guy.

All and all a good day. Now, back to it you slackers. Chop, chop.

Covering the Sins of Others

After a slow start yesterday (and $450 worth of paint and supplies) we finally made it over to the House. The floors are fantastic, so we immediately needed to cover as much of them as possible. While I love painting, I can't claim to be the neatest at it.

During our last house renovation, I had one major regret...and that was the color of the kitchen. It was our house up in Lake Arrowhead and I had envisioned mustard colored walls to accent the custom cabinets and the blue tiles. What ended up on the walls was this awful lemon yellow color. Once I had two walls painted, I realized it was just wrong, wrong, wrong. I tried to like it and thought that balancing it with a lighter brown would help. It didn't. And each time I looked out the window to the house next door, I was reminded of the color I could have had. Should have had. The neighbors had painted their entire house a perfect mustard color and it was a slap in the face every day. HA! Other people got it right!

The entire time we owned the house, I wanted to repaint. Michael wouldn't agree to it though, and there was absolutely no way I could paint those high walls myself. I needed help, and help was being stubborn. It might of had something to do with dangling on a tall ladder that was positioned on top of a cedar chest while stretching to reach the highest peaks. OK, I give.

I think we got it right this time. Mustard kitchen walls are coming! Half the dining and living room walls are a darker version of the same color. We wanted to keep the same theme going through all three rooms to show the depth of the space. I think it will work wonderfully. I think Michael is a little skeptical, but I am getting happier by the paint stroke. I am heading back to Lowes today to buy more (underestimated) and then we'll work on cabinets. We're also expecting the appliances and tub to be delivered this afternoon. Now if only the plumber, counter guy and electrician would call us back...