Yay! Mattress!

Tomorrow is an exciting day. It is exciting because we are getting our new mattress delivered! We picked it out about a month ago and I wanted to wait until the Guest Bedroom was finished to have the bed delivered (because this will be the home of our current bed). Well...you all saw how finishing that room is going....it still going. It is taking way longer than planned (updates coming soon!). Also, with so many hours sitting these days (I sit in lecture, I sit when studying, I sit all the time now), my back needs the TLC that a new mattress will bring. This is also a much bigger bed than we have now...we are going from a full to a KING!!! So now there might be room for Chris and me after Lucy takes up her share:

This our first big investment for this house (the couches don't count...they were cheap) and I think it is a good upgrade. That being said, we still haven't decided on a bed frame and any bedroom furniture (lamps included). Chris liked this Bahama Bob set from the same discount store that we picked up the couches from (this picture is from their website, I take no credit):

Well, I thought that much matching furniture would be a little overwhelming. Chris said okay...but then I haven't found anything that I really liked. There is no rush to put 'eh' furniture in the house and now that we are getting the new mattress anyway I can take all the time I want in deciding! 

Hung!

So we have been living here for just about three months, and I am a bit embarrassed to admit that we haven't really hung any of the pictures we have up. Well, Chris was in a hanging stuff up mood and we have some new additions to the walls. First off, is this framed mirror that I picked up at Kirkland's for only 15 dollars:

Right now it is on the dining room wall. I like it there, but as we get furniture for that room, it might move. He also hung up a painting that we had from our  Jersey City apartment:

Sorry for the awful glare on that one, but all my no-flash pictures came out blurry. Basically, it is a story oceanscape that we hung between the bathroom and smaller closet in the Master Bedroom. The colors in the picture are shockingly similar to the "winter lake" color on the walls. We didn't plan it, but I like it. Hopefully we can find a dresser or some other storage for below it. Next, we move to the Office, which got spoiled:

A picture and frame that we picked up from Ikea back when we moved into our Jersey City apartment now graces the wall above the piano. I really like the continuation of the nature/forest theme that this room has going on and This makes the room feel more complete. Also in the office went up my white board:

Right now it is covered with a diagram of protein synthesis initiation, so I opted for the picture with the love note from Chris. It is hung on the otherwise empty wall opposite the piano. It might not be the most attractive thing to hang on the wall, but it is sure getting some use. These four things were only the tip of the iceberg of items we need to hang...but Chris' picture hanging interest waned, and I am more than pleased that these items got put up. 

Color for the Family Room

So I am still in the exciting process of taping off, lining, and priming the wood paneling in the Family Room. Woo! But seriously, I need some motivation for finishing these tasks, so we did some test squares! After my happiness at the color in the Guest Bedroom, Chris decided to take the lead on this one:

Well, the boy knows what he likes. The top color on the far left is the color in the Guest Bedroom, Sea Life. The top panel on the middle one is the first contender  Gem Turquoise. The second contender is the second from the top on the right panel, Jamaican Sea (New Dream Job: Making up paint color names...just saying). I said I wanted something bright and cheerful for this otherwise dark room, Chris wanted a bluer version of what is in the Guest Bedroom. So here we are:

The Gem Turquoise (greener, slightly lighter) is on the left and the Jamaican Sea (bluer, slightly darker) is on the right. They only look slightly more different in real life. I am still concerned about the boldness of this color (as I was in the Guest Bedroom), but Chris is still caught in the throws of 'I told you so' about the boldness of the Guest Bedroom - So I am gonna trust him on this one. We are leaning towards the bluer of the two - Jamaican Sea. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I love hearing from you.

Primer, Part 3

So I mentioned on Monday that I was happy with the oil based primer in the Guest Bedroom, that it mostly covered Paul:

While I was debating if it, 'just needed a second coat', Chris was pulling out the big guns, SheLac based primer:

This is an even stronger primer than the oil based primer that I had used before. It uses an alcohol solvent, so it smells pretty bad and must be used in a well ventilated space (Chris and I disagree on what is worse smelling, the oil or the shelac, either way they stink!). We chose the spray can version because we weren't covering that much wall space and cleaning this out of brushes would have been a nightmare...that and it is more fun to spray paint:

Everywhere I primed with oil based paint was liberally sprayed with the shelac primer. Now, I am certain that Paul has disappeared for good...mauahhah. 

Door, Smoor!

So while priming the Family Room (aka the wood paneling room), there was some debate on if I should prime the door that connects this room with the first floor bathroom hallway:

We decided that it was best if we just removed the door. One of the things that we love about this house is the open floor plan, and this door just wasn't doing anything for us. We could see a world where there wasn't a door between this room and the bathroom (well except for the bathroom door...don't worry we aren't that into the open concept):

So it was taken off its hinges:

It is now resting comfortably in the basement, just in case we need a door somewhere. I am pleased with the change...but I guess we won't really know how successful this removal is until we start using the Family Room. But that is still many moons, oops - gallons of paint, away. 

Getting My Primer On!

So approximately forever ago, Chris and I decided that we were going to paint the wood paneling in the Family Room rather than try and take it down. Through trial and, mostly, error I discovered I was going to need to prime the wood paneling before painting it:

So while I haven't finished lining it or taping it off, here are some before and afters of the awesome priming job that I have started. The first before:

And after:

A way before:

And a way after:

So even while it is just primer, the room seems so much brighter and bigger. I must say that the oil based primer that was used in this room was very, very stinky! This isn't a winter job and I am not looking forward to finishing up the fine priming jobs around the windows, corners, baseboards, and fireplace. 

Take that Paul!

So there was a sad follow up to the Guest Bedroom Olympics...Paul had returned:

We decided what Paul and his friends really needed was a healthy dose of oil based primer. So while these look a bit backwards, here are some before and afters. Before:

And after (I did decide to prime the doors while I had out the paint - totally worth it):

Another before:

And after (the wood paneling glue was showing through, hence the nice linear pattern - we'll call it an accent wall at the moment):

So while we haven't decided if it needs two coats or not yet (the wall art was peaking through when the paint was wet), we can say good-bye to Paul, hopefully for real this time:

Heavy Duty Shelf Lining

The previous owners of this house loved their wallpaper. I mean really loved their wallpaper. So much so that they lined the kitchen cabinets with it:

Relining the cabinets has been on my to-do list for a while. I decided to at least start tackling this and take on the glasses cabinet. Luckily, the wallpaper was not tightly adhered as I feared and it didn't take long to get it to the 'raw' state:

So while I was lucky on that count, I was rather unlucky that the self-adhesive contact paper that we picked out for the job wasn't up for sticking to the particle board. But have no fear, Harbor Freight has moved into the neighborhood. For those of you who don't know, Harbor Freight is the dollar store of tools. Everything is crappy and cheap...and this was a perfect job for a crappy and cheap staple gun:

My four dollar purchase (including staples) allowed me to finish the job:

So while I am glad that I could start this job, I have not yet started the other cabinets  Another day, another cabinet!

White Coat Ceremony

Friday marked my first day as a real medical student and the end of orientation week. It finished with the White Coat Ceremony, where all of the new medical students were awarded their white coats. Here is a picture of the dean starting the ceremony:

Each student is called up on stage and 'coated' by a dean or other faculty member. Here is a picture of me being 'coated':

And officially 'coated':

This event has been foretold as one of the most memorable of our medical school experience and I was lucky enough to share it with my mother:

And photographer, Chris:

This post contains both good and bad news. The good news is that I am officially a medical student now, but the bad news is that in order to provide more time for my studies, there will now be 3 posts a week rather than 5. I hope everyone understands and checks back on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Onward to my studies!

Orientation Week: Exhausting!

Today is the last day of the week-long orientation. It is also the day of my White Coat Ceremony (more on that later). Frankly, I am glad it is Friday because this week has been exhausting.

The week included a ton of ice breakers with my 139 new classmates. It also had night activities that culminated in a skit night last night. It was enjoyable, but the days were very long. Even today it is starting early at 8:30.  I am looking forward to the weekend where I can have some time to myself.
That being said, I am very pleased with the classmates I have met so far and I am excited about the start of classes on Monday. Here's to Medical School!

Remembering Vacations in Our Decorations

Chris and I have gotten the chance to go some really cool places. We also happen to collect trinkets from the places we visit. I am always looking for cool - yet classy ways to display these items around the home. I was extremely excited to do this with a set of three display boxes I got at Kirkland's for only 15 dollars:

They are hanging up in the foyer on the wall that you see immediately upon entering. I picked that spot because it such an empty wall and it is unlikely that we will put any furniture in there any time soon. Makes the place feel lived in as soon as you walk in, which is nice in my opinion. Now for some close ups:

In the largest of the three boxes, we put a painting and some figurines that we got while in Jamaica. This is my favorite of the three boxes because it adds a lot of color to the corner. Now for the two smaller boxes:

These two are lacking in color and that is something that I am hoping to change. The top box has a photo from a waterfall climb in Jamaica and a glass ornament that we got eating at a fancy restaurant at Columbus Circle (Chris won the meal for free and it was amazing). The smallest box contains a shell and a glass bottle that we found while snorkeling in Bermuda. I tried to balance each box with one tall item and one short item so they looked unified. The other thing that I really like about these boxes is that if I get bored with the items in the boxes, I can always switch them. 

Lucy's Rough Summer

So while Chris and I have been enjoying ourselves this summer, it has been a rough one for my favorite little wiener dog:

Back at the start of Lucy she needed to have a tooth extracted. While I found this extremely nerve racking, she was unfazed. If nothing else, she enjoyed the daily dose of peanut butter that came with her antibiotics. Sadly, that wasn't here only trip to the vet this summer. While Chris and I were away in the Dominican Republic, she got a 'laceration' at Doggie Day Care that required stitches. Again she is mostly unfazed, loving the peanut butter and extra attention that she is getting. But it does require her to wear an 'Elizabethan Collar' aka a cone and has tired her out:

She is recovering and isn't letting it stop her from getting in her naps:

She is doing just fine, still loves Doggie Day Care, and is pretty much herself. The only thing is that awkward dog just got more awkward. She is constantly bumping the cone off of things and watching her try to eat a bone is hours of entertainment. 

Trip to the Dominican Republic

Chris and I just got back from the last 'Hurrah' of the summer: our trip to the Dominican Republic. We stayed at a beach front all inclusive and could see a slice of the Atlantic Ocean from our balcony:

The room was nice and has some cute touches. For example, the cleaning personnel would make towel sculptures. One day we got a swan swimming in the sink:

We spent some time at the beach, but the highlight of the trip was our day of SCUBA diving on the other side of the island. Here is shot of me getting ready on the boat - only mildly amused that Chris broke out the camera:

One of the highlights of the trip is that on our way out to the first dive site, there were dolphins that were racing with the boat:

The dives were good. We saw some rays, lionfish, and a huge crab. Sadly, our underwater camera isn't rated to the depths that we were traveling to - so, no pictures from the bottom of the ocean. *sad face* Even without pictures, it was memoriable and diving remains one of, if not one of my favorite things to do on vacation. Our last dive of the trip was in a national park, which also offered the most scenic views from the boat:

These pictures don't do the colors justice at all. It was so gorgeous. After three 50 minute dives, it was great to enjoy the views and the cool breeze:

We had a great trip and it was the perfect end to my last free days before starting school. 

Trip to Montauk

So today marks the end of my summer. It is the first day of orientation. I wanted to take the first part of this week to recap some of the things that Chris, Lucy, and I have taken part in over the summer. Today will be all about the weekend trip Chris and I took to Montauk for his cousin's wedding. 

Montauk is at the eastern most end of New York's Long Island. The traffic getting out there was awful, but otherwise we had a really good time. The weather for the wedding couldn't have been better and we had some time to explore. We saw the Montauk Lighthouse:

And we climbed to the top where we could see the light:

The spiral staircase to reach the top was a bit intense, but the view from the top was a sight. We could even see into Connecticut/Rhode Island and Block Island:

 We also enjoyed some of the local establishments. Chris picked out a restaurant called the Sloppy Tuna simply because it had a mixed drink called the "Clum Bucket" - yea, like the fish slop they feed to attract sharks:

We also found sometime to enjoy the beach (yay, squinty picture):

Overall, we had a great time. It was nice, but Chris and I both agreed if not for his cousin's wedding, the drive out there wasn't worth it.