Public Announcement

I have been self appointed to the position of your liaison to the missionaries in The Bush. So if you are like me and go to their site with fingers crossed looking for adventure updates you will be most surprised to find new info from emails that I have gotten over the past month or so. Hopefully this will take a load off M&D and when they get the internet up and running in their apartment they can add posts or just comment on the stuff I put up. Then we can all enjoy hearing from them and all the fun they are having!
I asked the neighbors to come over and check out the carbon monoxide detector cuz it keeps going off and as Bro Knock was playing with the malfunctioning box (that's all it was, I wasn't in danger of peacefully drifting off in a toxic type nap so no worries!) I filled them in on the latest from Johannesburg and since they liked hearing about the missionaries I figured the idea take over the PBPB Blog was a good call. That in mind and a comment from Heather today sealed the deal. The decision was decided.

Gooseberry & Guacamole

After a quick morning of painting a baby nursery I took the rest of the day off to head up to Zion to go camping with my new friend Tony and a bunch of his friends.

When we got to the campsite Tony, his two buddies Brad and

Glen and I drove up to a trail called Guacamole on the west side of

Springdale to go mountain biking.

I had no idea what real mountain biking is all about. What I have been doing around home is like a walk in the park compared to what we were up to this weekend.

Luckily the guys were really patient with me and taught me a lot about how to use my gears and shifting my weight back to go down the steep rocks. I love it! I'm hooked!

Friday's ride was more fun for me because it was less technical than the trail we did Saturday. We did Gooseberry Mesa Saturday and when I told Laurie where we rode she was pretty amazed. She said in the biking magazine she subscribes to, Gooseberry is one of the top ten most difficult trails in the nation. Wow. I think I carried my bike more than I rode it! But I had a blast trying to ride and now I can say I've been there. I already want to go back.
This is my knee. It looks pretty doesn't it? I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I hit my knee on my bike ALL time!

Saturday night we went to see Peter Breinholt perform at Tuacahn.

I gave a talk today in church. I think it went alright. {You know how you really can't remember anything once it is over?} But I wasn't near as nervous as I've been in the past, mostly I was excited for the challenge and trying to get across the information I had studied. I think having to talk so much the last couple of years has helped me find a process that works for me to get over the nerves of getting up there. Doing what I will call the 'wet run' before seems to help. If I read my talk out a couple of times the day of I can get out some loose tears so I can be in more control when it counts. Mom and Dad called me at just the right time this morning so I practiced it on them. They are a good audience with helpful hints. I got to a part where I said 'Taking the sacrament should not be a passive experience.' Dad pipes up, That's important! Highlight it! So I did. He passed a long a couple great quotes that I also used. It's so good to have a seminary wizard on hand! And Mom, I gave you credit for my tears, blaming heredity.

Slacker!

I think that is the longest I've ever gone with out an entry since I started my blog. And it's not like I wasn't thinking about it, but what could I say? I was enjoying my routine but not much was happening other than the usual.
Grey's was fun tonight huh Heather? So looking forward to the two hour special next week!
Work has been really nice and relaxing. A lot of down time which is exactly what I've needed this week. I'm talking on Sunday so I've spent a lot of my free time studying. I am my fathers daughter! It has been so fun learning more about my topic. (the sacrament)
I've also been out on Rodeo Boys bike the last few evenings after work. I have it as a trial to see if I like it enough to buy it from him. I don't think I do, but I'm still riding it. Can't stop myself. I'm addicted! And I'm finding that there are a lot of trails around home to explore so I can just hop on the bike and wander off. Today I went towards the golf course thinking I would have to turn around and ended up on a four wheeler trail that runs along the cliff above the river. I'm finding all kinds of cool places around here to play. True, the lava rock isn't exactly what I'd call a smooth ride but it is training me to stay on the bike even when it gets bumpy. My first reaction is to jump off but I'm getting better at just going faster when I get scared. Yeah, sounds crazy but it works. I wanted my camera so I could show you were I was. Mom and Dad will know where I'm talking about but it is so breathtakingly beautiful out there I want to show you guys. I'll take my backpack next time.
The photo is of some art I whipped up for a client we are doing a few projects for. I didn't want to spend a lot of time on them cuz I don't think I'll be compensated for them. I know, such a slackers way of thinking about a project, I guess I'm a little tired of painting for nothing. I am working on another project for her too. This one will be more fun. I'll post pics when I get done.

Rice Pudding

I was totally channeling my mom this morning when I got up to make some rice for the dinner I cooked for a bunch of my friends today. I made way too much rice as I usually do but instead of putting it all in a tupperware where it would normally die a cold lonely death at the back of the fridge, I pulled out my moms handy recipes and made my very first solo attempt at her rice pudding. Yummy stuff I think, and my rendition turned out not at all too bad. I hope. I am always a little leery of cooking for my friends. What if they aren't my friends anymore after I cook for them? I almost killed them once when I decided to use the spaghetti fixings I'd received as a white elephant gift this last Christmas, only to find out the people who gave them to me got them for their wedding. In 2002. Ooops. We all took a bite and put our forks down, no one wanted to say anything so as not to hurt my feelings. But I just busted up laughing... how was I supposed to know? I didn't think Callee was grasping the concept of the funny gift and gave me a nice gift instead. Joke was on me!
But they are all still alive tonight. Well, at least I hope they are.
Now what I really need to do is figure out how my mom makes her cookies. I've tried her recipe bunches of times and my cookies never come close! I wouldn't worry about it except my stock of frozen cookies that she left for me is dwindling and I'm starting to panic!

Finally Ever After

Tada! Here they are finally. The After photos.

I know I said a couple of days ago the job couldn't have gone better, but that was mid job. Now having it completed I can say that it was by far the funnest job I've done and it went so smoothly I am still in awe that we can finish a room in under a month and it doesn't have to be the long drawn out process it used to be when Jana was trying to do it all herself. Honestly, what was she paying me for? Now I feel like I've found my stride and we are more of a team. My new more active roll in things has totally made a difference in how I feel about my job. I love being with the client and solving issues for them, even if it is just about a disagreement over tassels. I realized something, Jana and Kim never spoke once on the phone and met only once before we started buying for the job. That is a huge change in how things used to go.

Yesterday we walked through the rooms with Kim and Cory to go over any concerns or elements we might improve and they didn't have anything they wanted changed. They loved it all! YEA!

The entry way didn't need much at all. We added the potted topiaries and an iron wall piece to the existing art and rugs. Simple and elegant.

We did window treatments on the main level (7 windows total!) Kim couldn't decide what she wanted to do with the wall above her piano. They couldn't agree on art so a huge mirror was an easy fix. What do you think of those candle holders Michele? ;)

My favorite part of the project was the master suite. Probably because it was the biggest change and it was really drastic when it was finished. The decorative finish in the bedroom turned out beautifully if I do say so myself. The suede finish makes the room feel soft and inviting and the color scheme is rich with all the jewel colors and the champagne light golds.



In the bathroom I would have chosen a different

paint color but I lost on this issue and the green eventually grew on me. I used a high gloss finish so it helped win me over because it worked with the spa retreat type feel we were

going for.

Technical Issues

Maybe I just wasn't meant to show you the after photos of this job? I had the post finished and ready to go when my internet decided to be unreliable and poof! it was gone. Then I just tried again and the pics won't come up. I'm only giving up for the night. I will be back again shortly...

Result Hold Up

I know you guys are all just dying to see the pics from this job and believe me, it is shaping up nicely... BUT we cut our day short due to the usual insanity that is Jana's life and the first migraine I've had in 2 months has put my life to a grinding stop. OK. Not really. I'm very ok considering the Pit of Despair worthy torture of the old headaches vs the mild pansy type I find myself enjoying today. I just couldn't concentrate on work. So instead we called it an early day and I've been chillin trying to take it easy and banish the evil that is my migraine torture.

So I thought instead of the finished product I'd post the before pictures now to let them marinate. You can get a taste for that blah that was, so you can appreciate fully the very cool transformation you'll see shortly. Oh, and MDK, I know you are looking for the promised Hoze Beast. It's coming. That's a threat btw :)