Bird

Jeff and I met for lunch today and the first thing I said to him was, "When did your beard grow back in?" Apparently, I haven't looked at his face in a week.

There are a few faces, however, that I have been seeing a lot of lately -- and those faces belong to three of my classmates. The four of us have two classes together this quarter, and we are the only four people in both of those classes. So, needless to say, we spend every single day together, and we have been meeting every single weekend to work on the collaborative midterm project that I mentioned here and here -- and I have to confess: I am pretty much in love with them forever.

A hard deadline and a common goal will bond any number of people together; but add to it a lot of coffee, and the compulsive nature of four design students [with an unhealthy appetite for approval], and you've got the makings of a beautiful and long lasting friendship.

Honestly, they are pretty much the only people I've had a real conversation with in about five weeks, so this is all I have to show for myself right now. Several of the following shots were taken by other members of the group. So, in keeping with my academic life, this post is somewhat of a collaborative effort:

That last one is me getting my model on for Caio. He told me I looked like Taylor Swift, which pretty much sealed his fate as my favorite person for life.

Here's to ampersands and Georgia Parks and beer and coffee and exacto knifes and t-squares and bird.

Jessica, walk out from behind that camera and join the group shot, um-kay, thanks! 

Midterms are over on Valentine's Day. See you on the other side!

Ryan

Home Sweet Construction Zone

I lovingly refer to our house as the 'construction zone'. I've gotten quite accustomed to weaving through boxes on my way to make coffee, and keeping all of the doors closed, so the cats don't accidentally rub against a saw, or step on a razor blade, or swallow a screw, etc. However, I have to say that I am excited for the day that I can have guests over without having to give the 'our-house-is-a-construction-zone-please-don't-judge-us' disclaimer. It gets old, and even I am getting sick of hearing myself say it.

And no, I did not stage the above shot. I was photographing the formal living room this weekend, and almost leaned back on this death trap. Jeff claims that he was testing the nail gun on this scrap piece of wood, but I'm hard pressed to believe that it took him ten tries to figure out that it was working properly.

Anyhow, the whole living-and-working-in-the-house-you're-remodeling thing is not as glamorous as HGTV led me to believe.

Literally, every corner of the house is being occupied. Be it a rug, a curtain rod, or a power tool -- there is something resting in every available nook in this house. It is nerve racking as I constantly feel that any one of the numerous piles-of-stuff that we have stacked to the ceiling could come crashing down with one false move.

Anyhow, in less dangerous news, something else I've noticed about living in a construction zone: I can't live without my iPad. It is, hands down, the most brilliant product I've ever owned (besides the mothership, of course) -- and I don't know how people survived this whole remodeling process without being able to carry a beautiful baby TV with them from room to room.

Let's not even talk about the carport. I dream of the day that our cars will have shelter from the rain.

And yes, I'm pretty sure our neighbors can't wait for that day either. 

The thing about remodeling a house that you just moved into is that everyone wants to "come see the new place", or "come see what you've done so far" -- and let me just tell you, it ain't pretty. Half of our house is covered in construction-grade paper, the other half is holding the furniture and stuff that will eventually go on top of the floors that are currently cover in construction-grade paper. It's a mess, people; and it loses it's charm after about 10 minutes when you realize there is no where to sit down -- because, apparently, every chair we own is also occupied.

I don't want this to discourage any visits as I have gotten really good at "giving the tour" when people come over -- not to mention, I started a blog to document the remodeling process, so I obviously don't have any secrets. However, if you want to come visit, you must (1) bring alcohol and/or your working gloves, or (2) take us out to eat ... which we've discovered is our parent's trick -- and. it. works. every. time.

Here's to our home, sweet, home construction zone. Happy Thursday!

Ryan

Ready, set, blog...

We have officially been in our new house for one month; one month and three days, to be exact.

This also means, however, that I am one month and two days behind my original schedule -- to start a blog.

Well, I'm finally making good on my promise. I've officially reached "write first blog post" on my to-do list. This is a miracle as it means that I have also crossed "sleep for eight hours" off my list, too!

This first post is just a quick hello to let you know that we're alive. I am also happy to report [because I know you all are dying to know] that the animals are settling in beautifully. Leo is in heaven with all of the natural light, Toby has claimed the backyard as his kingdom, and Chance...is well, still Chance. He likes to play with bobby pins.

I am working on a photo based house-tour to track the progress of each room; so, the next time I crumble on the floor and whimper, "Can't we just hire someone to do this?" -- Jeff can redirect my attention to the progress we're making. It's kind of hard to absorb when you're living in a construction zone. Seriously, I have to move a mattress every time I want to take a shower.

So, here's a run down on what's been happening:

In retrospect, that is a disturbingly accurate portrayal of the last few weeks of our life.

We would not have survived without our parents and friends -- and of course, our local pizza shop and drive thru liquor store. Yes, you heard me right, drive thru...

The house tour will be up and running very soon. All our love!