The Work Continues / Jaci Arrives for Christmas
The latest round of home improvement projects that began last Saturday continue. While we did finish the hardwood floor installation downstairs (Allowing that level to return to normal), the real bulk of the madness is upstairs in the family room which we're converting into a home theater. It began with the simple installation of an in-wall box to house the projector for the entertainment system. It blossomed into a variety of tasks such as more hardwood floor installation, painting, track lighting installation and creating/relocating several wall outlets for power, light switches, video and phone lines. All that's left is to finish painting, clean like crazy and to mount the massive 9-foot-wide projector screen that came in Wednesday. My asthma has been hit hard from all the dust and paint fumes and I find it increasingly hard to work in the room for more than a half hour at a time. Had it not been for my condition, we may have finished in time for Christmas.
A month ago, I invited Jaci to join my family and me for Christmas here in Portland. It's been almost a year since she was here so a visit was long overdue. She arrived earlier this evening and will be here until Monday. With her here, pretty much all work will stop on the theater room as Christmas officially arrives and everyone relaxes. I was hoping to of had the room ready to go for the holiday for movies and a road-trip photography slideshow, but it probably won't happen. It doesn't really feel like Christmas here either as no decorations or a tree were put up this year because no one had time or space with all the home improvement things going on all month long. But it doesn't matter what Christmas looks like, as long as friends and family are together. And this year, we are all together. Every time I see Jacalyn for the first time after being apart, I find her spellbindingly beautiful. It's her face, her smile. Maybe I should move in with her in Boise... Decisions, decisions...
Speaking of my road trip, my $70 softcover 83-page picture book of the best 150-or-so photos from the trip arrived in the mail a couple days ago. It's a stunning book-- quite worth every penny for a tome of such quality and immediate sentimental value. I will make a digital version available online soon for those of you who don't have an opportunity or ability to see or buy your own copy of the real thing (Yes, I'm printing more in three different affordable sizes). More info on that later.
A month ago, I invited Jaci to join my family and me for Christmas here in Portland. It's been almost a year since she was here so a visit was long overdue. She arrived earlier this evening and will be here until Monday. With her here, pretty much all work will stop on the theater room as Christmas officially arrives and everyone relaxes. I was hoping to of had the room ready to go for the holiday for movies and a road-trip photography slideshow, but it probably won't happen. It doesn't really feel like Christmas here either as no decorations or a tree were put up this year because no one had time or space with all the home improvement things going on all month long. But it doesn't matter what Christmas looks like, as long as friends and family are together. And this year, we are all together. Every time I see Jacalyn for the first time after being apart, I find her spellbindingly beautiful. It's her face, her smile. Maybe I should move in with her in Boise... Decisions, decisions...
Speaking of my road trip, my $70 softcover 83-page picture book of the best 150-or-so photos from the trip arrived in the mail a couple days ago. It's a stunning book-- quite worth every penny for a tome of such quality and immediate sentimental value. I will make a digital version available online soon for those of you who don't have an opportunity or ability to see or buy your own copy of the real thing (Yes, I'm printing more in three different affordable sizes). More info on that later.