The Bathroom Project (cont...)

Thanks to some extraordinary help this past week we are on schedule to finish the bathroom project late this coming week. I took one day off work to hang drywall with the help of Colby, and the next day he came back with Amy to help mud, tape, and tile. Amy is a genius when it comes to, well, anything, and we were privileged to eat Colby's healthy improvisational cooking. We owe them much. Christy got her hands dirty as well and she hung a portion of the wall tiles on her own. There is a lot to do this coming week, but we're hoping to knock it all out before my parents come into town on Friday night.


Many thanks to Anya and Grandma Toni as well for watching Gus.

Lambert Park Shred Session

Alder and I hit Lambert Park in Alpine this evening. He's really made good progress learning how to ride the tight, twisty, rocky trails. Of course, all our time wasn't spent shredding - we had to take a break by the stream to have a snack and throw some rocks!

We started at the bowery and rode Spring to River to High Bench to Spring.

MISS THOSE FINGERPRINTS

We heard about a woman who couldn't bare to clean off the precious fingerprints after her grandchildren left. Vaun and I didn't think that would ever be us, but now it's painful to know that once they're cleaned off Owen and Henry's fingerprints won't be back for quite a while. We miss "the boys" and Nicki immensely. Last week we drove them and their belongings back to Washington where Nicki is getting her house ready to sell. We stayed for several days and helped her. I mostly tended and helped with misc. things such as replacing knobs on cabinets, but Vaun climbed up to the second floor and painted the trim and some sections of the front of the house and did big stuff. He and Nicki also did some difficult yard work and Vaun fixed sesveral things. It was so hard to leave. Life's not always easy. Nicki, who was always the family princess, has turned into a hard-working lady, not afraid to tackle anything. Okay, now that I think about it, she always was willing to work hard. We're proud of her and proud of Tyson and hope he'll be home safe and sound really soon. He's scheduled to return the beginning of June. Then they're not sure what will happen next. Much depends on where he ends up either going to school or working. We're crossing our fingers it'll be very close to Salt Lake City.

The Bathroom Project

A few weeks ago I started work on remodeling the downstairs bathroom. Since we moved into our house that corner has been our dirty little secret. We're hoping that in a month's time it will be one of the nicest places to spend your quality time, if you know what I mean (and I think you do!).

I ripped out the existing wall, mistakenly cut through a pipe in the process, giving everything a fresh, light shower. I tore down drywall, ripped out he sliding door that gave the bedroom access, and then ran a jackhammer for the first time, chipping out concrete around the toilet and shower drain so that they could be moved. This also allows us to plumb for a vanity on the east side of the room. Below are some photos of that part of the project:

The jackhammer and the toilet drain

The shower drain (soon to be bathtub drain)

Another view of that lovely toilet drain

Pipes exposed and ready to move

Pipes moved now, floor recemented.

You can also see from this photo that I've restudded the east wall and I will continue put up walls in the bathroom. By the end of this week we should have the water heater moved, and a tub along that back wall.

Sunrise Peak

Fun in the Snow up Yellow Fork Canyon

Alder and I did some exploring up Yellow Fork Canyon at the top of Rose Canyon Road in Herriman yesterday afternoon. The weather was great and the snow deep as we made our way up the main road. At the first picnic area we moved from the road to the single track but soon aborted that plan due to the soft, deep, comparatively unpacked snow. I was surprised how deep and soft the snow was, even on the main road. Last year I rode my bike up the road but with the high frequency of storms this winter there hasn't been enough time to really pack down the route. It made for good fun though as Alder enjoyed making snowballs, digging holes, making snow angels and seeing how far he could sink into the drifted areas.

Heel...Toe..Chasse

Here are some pictures from Malia's Monday morning dance class. She took this in the fall and it just started up again in January. She was asking almost everyday if it was January yet so she could go back to her dance class. Mom was so glad when she could finally say yes, it's January!