This Old House: Monster Garage Complete, more projects to come...

Some of you know that Steph and I's home is a bit of a fixer-upper. Besides the recovery of the lawn, a bit of clean up inside, building a storage shed and some painting here and there, we really have not remodeled any rooms yet. That is about to change and you will see it here on the Hughes family blog. A few months ago we finished the first big inside remodeling project, the garage! Now that we have a clean, bright, insulated and heated garage, the house projects should start falling into line as we have a great place to complete them. Currently in progress are a new central heat and air system and our bedroom. More pics will becoming soon on those projects so keep checking the site.

Click on the picture to enlarge the before and after picture. Garage before and after notes: The only items from the before picture that survived the remodel of the entire garage are the Craftsmen door opener, my hand-built workbench, and the vintage Snap-On tool box. Everything else has been completely reworked; new doors, windows, walls, electric, sound system, cable TV, ceiling fan, heater, fridge and tool cabinets. I plan on moving in shortly... :)

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Baby News: The Beagle Blues

We'll, Matt and I went to my second appointment today and found out that it would be another 2 weeks before I get an ultrasound. While I found it to be a little disheartening, our poor beagles took it the hardest. After I came home and told them the news,

Duke pouted all day on his bed...

while Chloe sleep off her disappointment.

They weren't even interested in their bones! I can just imagine the sleepless night they had sitting up wondering if it would be a little girl or a little boy that will soon try to eat their food, steal their toys and pull on their ears. What will they do in the meantime...the agony...the anxiety...the (can't think of any more "a" words...)

It seems the wait will continue until December 5th at 5pm, which is when the ultrasound is scheduled.

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Blogmaster Beginner: Comment Posting Security Fix

It has come to my attention that no one could post comments to our blog messages. Turns out, the newbie behind the wheel of this 18-wheeler-of-expression just got his permit. I had the blog site "locked down" if you will and no one could submit their comments. Abracadabra...Abracadabra...this should now be fixed for you family members, friends, opinionated masses and chit-chatters. Go ahead, drop a line, say "Hello", give us a piece of your mind, your 2 cents, your manifesto, or even just a friendly comment for discussion. We would love to hear from you!

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You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go...

"..........Downtown,
things'll be great when you're
Downtown,
no finer place for sure,
Downtown,
everything's waiting for you,
...Downtown"

So I have been singing that song for like 2 weeks straight now and it is not making me feel any better... It's official, the powers that be are moving my department to the downtown Fair Isaac office. As you might suspect the thought of going downtown again after being there for 2 years with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young kind of... well... sucks, it sucks. Allow me to elaborate.

Its one of those total lifestyle downgrading events. Let's see, the short list would be some thing like:
- I currently live only 5 minutes from work,... now it will take any where between 45-60 minutes depending on which idiot slammed into another idiot while both were talking on their cell phones in SUVs the size of Exxon oil tankers.
- My current daily commute now consists of leaving the house when I am appropriately ready for a leisurely 4 mile drive with no highways, no traffic, and free parking right next to my building....However, in a few weeks I will get to enjoy the vast openness of the local "Park and Ride" during -30 degree wind chills at 6AM, ride a packed bus with other unhappy "bus people", pay extra Rush Hour bus fares so I can experience the thrill of riding in a bus going 95 MPH on the shoulder of a highway passing stopped traffic like something out of an LAPD hot pursuit chase while I'm not even half awake and already stressed to the max! And let's not forget that fabulous bus schedule that my life will now revolve around. Wonderful.

Other things I am looking forward to... Downtown! (there's that song again)
- Days I need to drive my car anyways due to graduate classes in the evenings means bumper-to-bumper traffic, costly parking, more gas than normal, and everyone's favorite, the panic-rush-hustle leaving Minneapolis to get to my Saint Paul campus classes on time 2 nights a week.
- Let's face it, there will be no more college fund for Baby Hughes. Why you ask??? Because parking downtown costs as much as a 2 bedroom Condo costs in Miami, and lunch at a fine dining establishment like... Taco Bell, costs about $21.50 for 2 tacos and hot sauce packet.

But I'm not complaining, what's not to love? After all, I get to work in the top 4 floors of the AT&T Building (pictured above). Did I mention that I get vertigo when I stand on street curbs? Or that I watched WAY WAY WAY too much 9/11 news footage?...hmmm this should be awesome working on the top floors of a skyscraper!

Well I'm sure all this will be made up for by the happy and inspiring people in the city that I will be interacting each day. There is Mr. Pissed-Off Bus Driver, Mr. Pissed-Off Taco Bell Cashier, Mrs. Pissed-Off Parking Attendant, and let's not forget all the other positive individuals that I get to interact with from now on including, Mr. Snotty-stuckup-know-it-all-corporate-type fresh out of college that thinks his shit doesn't stink.... oh yeah, I was one of those...but I digress.
What is really important here is that my user community that I support is completely served! Um... yeah... you see, they are not coming to the downtown office with us. My users, my clients, the reason I exist, they are staying at the old office. Soooooooo, the people that I normally work with daily in their cubes are now going to be 45 minutes away by car. This outta make troubleshooting the Payroll systems VERY interesting. But hey, I'm sure everyone in the company has a spare paycheck in the bank, no worries.

Where was I???

Oh yeah..."I'm not complaining"...okay, okay, so I am venting heavily, ya got me. :)

Most of you aleady have this commute and see it as no-big-deal. And I have to agree, downtown is not really all that bad. I'm just worried about all these "little things" adding up and the impact that will have on my wife, school, budget, and soon...Baby Hughes. Yeah I know, I'm being a tinny tiny bit dramatic, but it is more fun that way at 1:30 in morning.

To wrap up...being the (sucker, no, pushover, no, wuss, no, spineless, no, guy-how-cares-too-much-about-the-mortgage-payment, no) ...ah yes... team player that I am, I said I would try it out and see how it goes.

Stay tuned, this should get interesting.

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Baby News: The Inevitable

Yes, the inevitable happened this week. I'm sure you've all guess it by now... Maternity pants! That's right, I bought myself two pair of work pants with adjustable waistbands at the nudging of Matt. Mom bought me a few tops too. I don't need them quite yet as my regular close still fit...for the most part. However, I'm sure my days are numbered.

In other news, we're anxiously awaiting our next appointment (count down: 6 days). Hopefully we'll get in for an ultrasound to take a peek at the little one. Or, as Lynsey's doctor would say, to find out if it's a hamburger or a hotdog...

More to come later...post a comment if you're reading these :)

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Baby News: Shopping time!

So tonight mom and I went to Burlington Coat Factory to look at a highchair and a portable play crib. Found one or two potentials, but too early to choose.

Had an ice cream cone from McDonald's on the way home...while it sound good and tasted good (the first time), I think I'm done with those for a while.

Lyns and Jim found out they are having a girl :) How exciting!! Makes me anxious to find out what we are having. Two weeks and couting.

That's all for now...

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Easy Rider: Matt's Harley

Most parents to-be sell off all the "toys" and prepare to "grow-up" and "act like adults". I'm not so sure Steph and I fit that mold just yet. So on Friday I finally found the Harley Davidson that I have been seeking out for the past year. You have no idea how hard it was to find a simple Black & Chrome HD Softtail Custom that has not been grotesquely violated by misguided motorheads. All that searching is over now and the new arrival is home in our garage. We've owned her only 3 days and have put 140 miles on it...man what a ride!

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