Orange.
Sep/091
You may recall from a much earlier blog post that we selected an orange paint color for our guest room. The guest room is serving a dual purpose of office and spare bedroom. In order to accommodate both purposes, we contemplated using a futon in the room instead of a bed, thereby saving space and providing a couch when the bed was not needed. However, I also have owned a small waterbed since I was in high school. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give it up just yet, so we decided to nix the futon idea temporarily and try having a waterbed in our house once again.
The building of the waterbed is somewhat of a chore. It involves assembling with screws many different pieces and then adding the mattress and filling it with water. The main conundrum is how to get the headboard screwed in properly… from the underside. I knew from prior experiences that I am physically capable of sliding in this tiny crawl space and doing it myself. Trevor, on the other hand, was not convinced. And so, as any good wife would do, I proved my husband wrong. It was an even sweeter victory, literally, because Trevor put up Ben and Jerry’s ice cream as a reward for my success.
But I did squeeze in and help assemble the waterbed, screwing the headboard soundly in place. I think that may be the last time I’d like to do it, but for now, it has been done. Our waterbed is now filled, warm and welcoming for any future guests.
Foto Friday.
Sep/091
In honor of the fall racing season here in the Bluegrass, I’ll share some shots taken in the pre-dawn hours at Keeneland with my fellow (alas, former) photography partner in crime. Or should I say, partner in photography crime? … Just kidding. I miss you, Lauren.
And yes, we were crazy enough to head to the racetrack before 5:30am on not one, but two occasions. We snagged shots of the horses warming up and breezing around the track, mingled with jockeys and trainers around the barns, and tried to avoid stepping in something unpleasant or being stepped on by such large (and beautiful) animals. Horses are simply amazing. It makes me miss riding, in addition to fun photography shoots, just reminiscing about the shoot itself.
Speaking of bathrooms.
Sep/094
While we have been on the topic of bathrooms, what better time to introduce our second bathroom, the downstairs full bath. Our full bath in our downstairs did not miss out on the painting fun. It also didn’t miss out on some nice upgrades that included:
-low flow handheld/fixed showerhead combo, that uses nearly 30% less water than traditional shower heads
-brushed nickel curved shower curtain rod to allow for nice elbow room in the shower
-coordinating chocolate brown bath rugs and sink accessories
-new light fixture, also in brushed nickel (that matches the one in our upstairs half bath)
-hand towel rod that hangs on the cabinet door
-IKEA wall shelf over the toilet
And now it is time for, as the HGTV designers would say, The Reveal.
The shelf is a nice way to store towels and other items for guests (like the extra t.p.). Now we just need to come up with something to decorate that large space beneath the shelf, something that is immune to moisture. (Ideas?)
We also put a filled half gallon plastic milk jug in the tank of the toilet to conserve water, the same thing we did with our upstairs half bath. Our red bucket also hangs around the shower and we fill it every day (or so) with the water we would have wasted in waiting for the shower to reach the ideal temperature.
Retreats are the Shizzle.
Sep/090
Back in August we had Durbin Retreat 2009. Granted, there had never been a retreat before this, but we decided to start a new tradition. We had heard stories of other couples doing something similar — getting away, checking in with each other, talking about life, talking about the future, making plans and goals. When we faced some decisions in our lives and marriage, it seemed like a good time to do some “reflection and projection” (Trevor’s subtitle for the retreat). It also conveniently happened to be around our 6 month anniversary. A good time, it seemed, to have a marriage check-up.
Saturday morning we headed to the Abbey of Gethsemani. Located in Trappist, Kentucky, the abbey is best-known as Thomas Merton’s residence for 27 years of his life. Neither of us had been, and going was an excellent decision. The abbey grounds are replete with secluded nooks to sit and have a quiet moment. There were benches beneath trees, chairs next to the cemetery, and plenty of grassy space. We reflected on our first months of marriage — talked about the good and the places for improvement, revisited our vows and noted the words or phrases that stuck out to us. We also thought about what we’ve done well in upholding those and what we could put more attention and focus on and talked a lot about God’s guidance for our lives.
In addition to the quiet places that were a perfect environment for conversation, we also trekked down the road and hit a hiking trail that took us through wooded forests, next to a large pond, across wooden bridges, and had us encountering monuments and statues throughout the trail.
When we got back, we joined the other visitors and monks for their None service at 2:30. There was a characteristic hush over the grounds. We also couldn’t resist visiting their bookstore and picking up a few Merton titles. No Man Is An Island for Trevor and The Seven Storey Mountain for Kristi. We also climbed up a nearby hill, with a concrete cross atop it. At the summit we had a beautiful view of the hills and the abbey grounds, and discovered a perfect bench to sit and enjoy the view.
Next stop: the Springhill Winery in nearby Bloomfield, just outside Bardstown. Our original plan was to head into Bardstown for dinner, and then go back on Sunday during the day, find a coffee shop, and finish up retreat talks. We ended up eating at a local Bloomfield pizza joint for dinner, which was the better choice.
The Springhill winery was also a very good decision. It serves a dual-purpose: winery and plantation bed-and-breakfast. Each of the rooms were named after a wine — ours was the “chardonnay” room. While we’re not big on your typical Victorian-esque style that most bed and breakfast places embody, this place managed a nice balance of the traditional elements without being overboard in their frou-frou style. Our hosts were accommodating and friendly, and prepared a huge spread of foods in the morning. (Our favorite was the rolled pancakes filled with a light whipped cream cheese filling and topped with baked apple chunks. Yum.)
Perhaps the best part of the Springhill winery are the surrounding grounds. Their vineyards lay beside and behind the plantation home, and we enjoyed strolling through the vines and taking some shots. They had a huge elm tree flanked by swings, covered porches with wicker furniture to sprawl on for reading (Trevor read Bird by Bird, Kristi read Your Jesus Is Too Safe), and a back patio with a koi pond, flowers, and the resident cat to keep you company as you enjoyed the sunset. It was a fabulous quiet, and even romantic, close to our first day of the retreat.
Sunday did not go as planned as we soon discovered there is pretty much nothing to do in Bardstown itself (to put it more accurately, nothing we were interested in doing). Without a coffee shop to enjoy (how do you not have a coffee house in your city?!), we wrapped up the retreat at a local park.
Two thumbs up for marriage retreats. We learned that a weekend away doesn’t have to be extravagant or expensive to be special and fruitful. All you need to do is be intentional.
Pull Up a Chair.
Sep/090
Welcome to our little deck space… made all the more cozy with bright lime green chair cushions and a market umbrella! The umbrella was a steal – we waited until the summer season was already in full swing before shopping for one, and got this $25 umbrella at an amazing discounted price of only $7. It pays to wait.
If mosquitoes didn’t love me so much, I’d probably spent much more time sitting out here. I love being outside, hearing the wind rustle leaves and the birds chirp. It is a nice place to have dinner in the summer time, when it’s still light out. But once the sun goes down, we use a strand of white mini christmas lights to keep the space lit into the evening.
10K Training
Kristi's Training Mileage:
Trevor's Training Mileage:
Good Reads
Kristi's read shelf:
Trevor's read shelf: