So, two rooms and the hallways are done. The living room and fire place were both white. Now, they are "Bagel" with some special touches. These pictures are a little difficult to compare and we still have some furniture to move back in, but this is pretty much it.

Here are the before and after photos:
















The dining room is now officially the "red room." It's a striking difference. The walls are actually a little richer than they appear in the photo, which doesn't really catch the ambience. The back wall is striped in different finishes. I like it best at night with the glass lighting. Very sexy. Still needs some finishing touches, but for all practical purposes, it's done too.

Here are the before and after photos:















Jeff and David rock!

Still more to do!

Thanks for the input! We went with the color on the left. The room is now done, the furniture is back in it, and the carpet is steam cleaned. I just need some silk drapery for a final touch (and something on that back wall). It's a drastic change and I love it!

I took some pictures but my new camera is acting up and creating spots on the picture. It's not a lens problem because the spots are in different locations each picture. It seems to be a lighting problem (with the camera) but I really don't know.

But to give you an idea about the amount of work that went into this...check this out:



I will putz around with the camera tomorrow but for now I am tired after a full day's work followed by dinner at Spencer's with my husband and brother. The guys wanted meat and they got it!

Tomorrow we will eat dinner in our new dining room!

Which color?

I think I like the color on the left for our dining room. Bold and beautiful!

...and he cooks too!

It's been so nice to spend time with my brother, Jeff. He and David have nearly completed redoing our living room and, in fact, they have already started on the dining room while some paint is drying. He is an absolute pleasure to have around.

It hasn't all been work though. I couldn't decide which of my men to bring to my work holiday party (the first time I've gone to one of these in many years!), so I brought them both. It was tons of fun - as far as work parties go. Yesterday, Jeff made manicotti for us, which is an old recipe of my mom's. Mmm! It was delicious!



When I showed him this picture, he said it looked like he broke into the house to steal some fresh mozzarella....Yes, he did shower and he does clean up nicely.

Today, he went to a bar to watch the Packers game. I'm glad the Pack won. Maybe all these nice things wil entice him to move out this way....

Ahh! My legs are finally sore!

Finally, I can run far enough so that my legs feel sore the next day. What a nice feeling!

The Las Vegas Marathon was great. Tim met me at the gate and gave me a quick tour through the airport fire and emergency response station. I've never driven on the tarmac with the airplanes before! He then drove me to transporation and I shuttled it to the Mandalay Bay Hotel. On the shuttle, I met Jon from Iowa who is writing a story for Runners World on "ecomarathoner" Hajime Nishi. He was going to run the race wtih Hajime to learn about his mission.

It was easy to find the Zombie's at the expo. All I had to do was look for the booth with masses of people around it. What a nice site! Don and Gillian have created a superb business. After hanging with the Zombies and buying a Snot Spot, I went to the Luxor to meet Scott and Leah. We went to dinner at Komol Restaurant with a couple of their friends.

The weather in the morning was chilly but very bearable. Overall, the temps for marathon running couldn't have been better. There was quite a bit of wind however over one long gentle upgrade and it actually got a little warm the last few miles (for us Northwesterners) but I was very pleased with the weather and pretty much everything.

I went out a little fast. I usually don't do that but I ran early to catch up with a couple of people, including half-marathoners Donna and her friend who were dresssed as bunnies in pink skirts, ears and cotton tails. I knew early that I had better chill my pace lest I pay for it over the second half. And I did a little as I tired over the miles and into the wind.

At about mile 24, a runner goes flying by me - uphill. I can barely read the back of his shirt. It says, "Set a good example." It is Badwater doubler John Radich and he is sprinting to the finish. After I cross the line, I find him and we get a chance to talk about all sorts of running stuff.

My goal was to finish under 4 hours and so I did. The results are already posted. I am satisfied. I am also glad I have run far enough and hard enough to have some muscle soreness. I was going to hop in the sauna this morning, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow instead!

Leah wanted to run around 3:45 and she ran a great race, finishing in 3:47:05. Donna, the bunny in the half marathon, is usually a pretty fast runner, but she is presently coming back from an injury. Her goal was just to be able to cover the distance but also to hopefully make in it under 2 hours....and she did! Way to go, Donna!

Previous lesson learned: NOW, I will rest. I will let my legs - that want so much to run again today - recover. I will treat them like I should and not push them too much. I want to be back for good this time!

Sweetness

This was on my desk this morning. Thanks sweet David!

Vegas baby!

Ohh kaay! I'm packed for Vegas. It's always harder to pack when you want to pack light. I did pretty good - simple, organized, light, yet still prepared for anything at the marathon. I'm glad the temps will be a little warmer this weekend than they have been. Tim called and said he'll meet me at the gate when I arrive just to say hello. He works at the Vegas airport, so I thought that was a really nice thing for him to do. I'll then head to the expo and get my race packet, say hi to the Zombies, and then go to dinner with Scott, Leah, and few other runners. Leah is running the marathon and Scott is the "supporter." Nice. Leah and I will likely talk excitedly about the Death Valley Trail Marathon for which we both registered the other day. Then, I'll catch a few hours sleep, wake ultra early (literally - the marathon starts at 6 am), run easy, and hope I can make it back to my hotel in time to shower before check out (for the sake of the person I have to sit next to on the plane). Then I'm headed back to the airport for a convoluted connecting flight back home. Should be perfect!