The Walls Came Tumbling Down

1811 Walnut will never be the same.

We picked up the keys this past Thursday and tomorrow demolition begins. We got a head start this evening though. We invited our families, our closest friends and all those people who have been working along side us to make this building dream of ours a reality to join us at the building. Then we gave them sledge hammers. Golden sledge hammers to be exact. And boys being boys (and girls being girls it turns out), walls came tumbling down. Well, they didn’t actually tumble, but there were a few gaping holes.

We had help from some little people as well. My niece and nephew Chloe’ and Garrett, and my friend Michelle’s son Tanner took turns at the wall with a golden hammer. They made surprising progress.

We billed it a demolition party but really we just wanted to give every one a chance to see the “before.” The after becomes so much more meaningful when you can see where it all began.

It was also a thank you. We have been so lucky to work with such an amazing team of people. A quick shout out to:

Suzie Aron –Nicholson Real Estate - our realtor
Elizabeth Rosin – Rosin Historic Preservation – our historic buildings consultant
Jay Tomlison, Brad Kingsley, Joe Jimenez – Helix – our architects
Brett Gordon & Tab White – McCown Gordon – our contractors
Mark Westerfelt – our owners rep
Bob Long – Economic Development Corp - our tax abatement consultant
Mike Marsh – CPA – our historic tax credits accountant
Kathy Hauser – Lathrop & Gage - our attorney
John Geiger – United Bank of Kansas – our banker
David Long – Heartland Business Capital – our other banker
Mark Lowe – Contract Furnishings - our furniture contractor
Kathy Luetkenhoelter – our bookkeeper & business manager

We could not have gotten this far without the talent and generosity of these amazing folks!

So it all begins tomorrow and if it goes as planned the shootin’ match should be over by June 1st. I am not holding my breath. I’ve yet to be involved in a construction project that finished on time although we’d like to be the first. Still, a lot will be happening at 1811 Walnut over the next 3 months. And soon, Meers Marketing will have a new home.

Hold onto your hats! We’re off!

Tree Spirits

http://www.paulindigo.blogspot.com

On Being Forty

I kind of like it.
I feel more relaxed, not as volatile. More centered and grounded.
I am more likely to say the right things at the right times, instead of blurting them out.
I am more likely to say nothing at all, and that is often a good thing.
I am less likely to care that other people disagree.
I am less likely to put up with drama.
I can get my emotions to work for me, instead of being overwhelmed by them.
I can do a lot more good in my 40s, than I could in my 20s.
I think I will.

Weekend Redux

• Sleeping in until 11:00am sure felt luxurious

• Completed the FAFSA – finally!

• A trip to Costco -I couldn’t be persuaded to wear shoes, so wore my slippers instead.

• Ran into my artist friend Nicole Cawfield who told me she has a great job, but wishes she didn’t have to work every day. Her and me both!

• Bought a $100,000 Bar at CVS and shared it with Sam, ‘cause he’s worth at least $50,000.

• Researched candidate websites for Mayor and 4th District City Council. Now that I’ve been through city politics for our PIEA, I actually care who gets elected.

• Coughing and sneezing and coughing and sneezing. Not sure how much longer I’ll have this, but Sam is on his 13th day of being sick. It’s been 5 days for me.

• I want a grey kitten.

• Made plans to visit Lynn Wylie for a long weekend in June. It can’t come soon enough!

• This weekend felt like a 4-day weekend. Wonderful. It’s a shame it takes being sick to slow us down, but God has it felt good to step off the hamster wheel. Even with all the coughing.

Winter Colds

Sam has been blowing his nose non-stop.
I’ve been coughing.
We are a mess, he and I.
We’ve watched some movies, read magazines and slept.
It’s good to have company when you are sick.

Lost in Translation

Hello? Any one there? Oh hi! I didn’t know if I would find anyone here or not. It’s been so long since I’ve posted you know. Thanks for checking in - it’s very nice of you.

I feel like I should explain my long absence, and I wished it were a better story. I’ve been busy. Very, very busy. That’s a new one, right? First time you’ve heard it? Well, candidly, I get tired of hearing myself talk about how busy I’ve been. When I die the most true thing my friends and family will say about me was that I was always very busy. Good grief.

But it hasn’t only been that I’ve been busy. It’s also been that I’ve been feeling rather private of late. The ying and yang of blogging is that while it can feel incredibly cathartic to post something that a few will read and many more could potentially read, those few and potential many may not be the most ideal audience for my catharsis.

And so that little voice that lives inside my head, the one that usually nags and pesters me, has actually been looking out for me lately, although I wish he would adjust his attitude a bit.

“You are really going to write that? Well, I guess that makes you a f*#king idiot then.”

See what I mean? I have threatened to send that voice in my head to an Emily Post seminar to brush up on manners and graciousness but he reminds me that I should save my money for that day when I become homeless. I might need it then. He’s sly like that.

So anyway, for the last month or so, I’ve written dozens of posts in my head, but exactly none of them have made it past the editor. And that is probably just as well.

My friend Rita attended a writing seminar a couple of months ago and came back with a good tip. She reminded me of it again this week and so I am going to try it here. She suggested that rather than writing a whole long post or journal entry, I try writing in bullet points. I kind of like the idea and because I think Rita is the Boss, Applesauce, I am going to give it a whirl.

But not today. Tomorrow.