it's a lovely place to work

Say hello to the updated office! We spent the weekend painting the walls and refinishing/staining the hardwood floors. And hoooo boy, did that work make a difference in there.

About a month after we moved in, we tore out the carpet in the office, revealing original - but badly in need of love - hardwood floors. We lived with the bare wood floors for nearly a year, knowing that when we painted the room we'd tackle the floors, too. After a good cleaning and a light sanding, we applied one coat of Minwax Natural 209. Picture us doing the happy dance when it blended seamlessly with the floor in the hallway!

The walls are Rising Tide, from the same color card in this post. Depending on the time of day and the light coming in, it reads anywhere from pale blue to gray. 

The bookcase also got a fresh coat of color, Pantone's color of the year, Emerald. On one of our many visit's to Lowe's, I noticed the sample pots of paint and HAD TO HAVE SOME. At the time, I didn't know where I was going to use it, but that didn't matter. I needed to have that color in my house. I love how the bookcase pops right off the wall now.

I also used this as an excuse to reorganize my office supplies, magazines and crafting supplies. Go figure.

Brian and I share the office, so he needed to be represented, too. The mug on the right features the design he made for a Boy Scout event in 1985. The other two are from different places he was stationed.

There's still some work to do in there, however. We'd like to add crown, some quarter round to the base boards - just to nicely finish off the look - and of course paint all that trim. But those are projects for another day.

getting the beige out

Another painting project can be checked off: the living room. We used Valspar Ultra in Lighthouse Shadows and are in love it.

It's a nice soft blue with a touch of gray, which pairs really well with the orangey red oak floors. 

It's amazing how much brighter the room feels now, too. It feels clean and fresh and OURS.

We still need to paint the ceiling, which is the same beige the walls used to be. Thankfully this is the only room (and hall) that needs to have the ceiling redone. To help the crown stand out - and to keep us from having to redo all the ceilings so they're the same white - we're going to do a half-tint of the lightest color on the paint sample: 

Once that's done, we'll begin the daunting task of repainting all the trim in the house, room by room. I love the idea of crisp, white, glossy trim.

when you know, you know

My entire world and focus shifted.

The trajectory of my life was forever changed.

Brian and I met five years ago today. Neither of us planned on being at the event, but we were. When I saw him across the plaza, everything and everyone else just faded away. I had to meet him. I had to know him.

We talked for two straight hours before exchanging numbers. I loved his smile and wanted to hear more of his laugh. The way my name sounded when he said it felt like home.

I was 98% sure he was My One later that day when we met for drinks. On our third date - two weeks later - I knew, without a doubt, he was My One and we would be together.

He makes me happier than I've ever been; I am the best version of myself when we're together. Our lives are so different from what they were five years ago, but we wouldn't change a thing.

Brian, thanks for letting me ask you about the bomb suit. I love you.