The Kitchen is Done!!!

I have been waiting for this day for 18 months!!! The kitchen is finished and we are very happy with it. There were definitely some interesting "issues" along the way - thanks to all who listened to us complain. But I can say that is is definitely worth it. Our house feels so much more open and user friendly - not to mention much nicer to look at! Here are some pictures of the final product. Any and all are welcome to come by for a visit - we are excited to show it off. I will say this experience has made me question if I will ever be able to build a house. I always thought that sounded like fun, but wow it is a lot of work. Hats off to all of you that have taken that on.

The Police

Chris and I were lucky and were given tickets to go see The Police reunion concert last night. It was an amazing show! Here are a few pics. Oh, and some trivia for those that are curious - Sting's real name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner. He is also looking very good for 55! Here are a few pics from the show!

The RED is back in the kitchen!

No, we didn't save the beautiful formica countertops. We did however, in memory of them, paint our walls RED! Well actually, if you know me at all you know how much I love the color red. After looking at greens and blues, we came back to red and decided to go with it. The doors are on the cabinets and they are starting to put appliances in today. The backsplash should be done later this week. A few other small things and we are done! I must say, I think I hit a wall this week and it just can't get done fast enough. I'm ready to have our entire house back! Here are some updated photos.

I'll post final pics once it is finished! Keep your fingers crossed for us please - we really want it done this week! :)

Cabo Vacation!

Chris and I decided to take what we are calling "Our Last Adult Vacation" for some time to Cabo San Lucas. We were there for 8 days, 7 nights and really did relax most of the time. We slept in, layed at the pool, and ate a lot! We also took a Sunset Cruise one afternoon, visited some of the "hot spots" like Cabo Wabo and The Office, and stayed at two hotels - Sheraton Hacienda del Mar and Las Ventanas.


Chris went fishing on Monday morning and caught a 120lb Blue Marlin. I passed on deep sea fishing, afraid it would make me sick (since it did on our honeymoon). I decided to spend the time he was away at the spa at Las Ventanas - and it was totally worth it! While I was getting pampered, Chris was fighting with this rather large fish - who eventually decided that Chris needed a little more than pictures to remember him by. I think Chris is proud of his battle "wound".


It was an amazing time and we are already wondering when we can go back! I would reccomend both hotels, they were great. If you really want to be pampered, go to Las Ventanas. It was the most peaceful place I've ever been. Here are a few pics.

Chris and I at The Office. I wish this was the view from my office!

At Cabo Wabo. We think the baby enjoyed the music!

On a Sunset Cruise. The famous Arch is behind us - where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) meet.

Sea lion laying on the boat ramp in town. He was there every day!

Pool at Hacienda Del Mar.

View from our rooftop at Las Ventanas.

Our room at Las Ventanas with our balcony.

Chris's fish!

He looks VERY proud!

Chris's battle wound. The fish left a mark with his sword.

Las Ventanas pool.

Me on our rooftop at Las Ventanas. Here is a belly pic for those who have asked.

Chris lounging on our rooftop.

One last picture before we headed to the airport. So sad to leave.

Hope you enjoyed! We definitely did.

A HUGE thank you to Carrie and Heather for watching our pups while we were away! They told us they had the best time with you guys!

We're having a BOY!!!!

Well, we have had a busy week! We went on vacation to Cabo and arrived back last night. We went to the doctor this morning for our 19 week sonogram and we were able to see the baby! As you will see in the pictures below, we are having a little boy! We are both super excited and can not wait to meet him. He has started moving around a lot. I can feel him, but his movements are not strong enough for Chris to feel yet. Just flutters and taps on my belly from the inside.

The doctor said everything looks really good, he is growing on track (19 weeks tomorrow), weighs approx 10 ounces (so a little less than a Coke) and is about 15 cm long (so about the size of a banana). We were able to see the various parts of his brain, all four chambers of his heart, and most of his toes and fingers. He moved around a good bit and WAS NOT shy when it came time to show us he was definitely a he! Chris was a very proud father at that point!

Here are some pics of the little guy!

Little Boy Halpin sucking his thumb!

Our little alien baby is looking right at you! The dark spots are his eyes. His little nose is in between them!

His foot!

His little baby bottom!

And the money shots! He had his legs crossed and it they said it was going to be hard to see. Then the doctor just pushed on my tummy a few times and he rolled right over on his back and let us see.

I am sure he'll love that I shared these with all of you when he is 16! We are super excited and are looking forward to doing more planning now! I'll send pics from vacation and a kitchen update later this week! I hope all is well with everyone!

Counter tops

We have counter tops! The room is really starting to look like a kitchen. They primed the cabinets last week and put the counter tops in today. They are painting the cabinets this week. Then we just have appliances to install, walls to paint, and floors to refinish. We're making progress. BIG thanks to the granite guys who were here until 9:30 tonight. They did a great job. Here are a few pics.