Professor Plum, in the kitchen, with the paint

After being in the house for 4 years, and having spent more than half our marriage without cabinet doors, our kitchen project is finished.

Early this year Todd started sanding the kitchen cabinets--the house was built in early 1950, so we have great old quality cabinets that have been covered in paint. We were hoping to restore them to their intended glory. However, after Todd sanded all the upper cabinet doors when he wasn't busy (ha), we realized we'd bitten off more than we could chew and it made more sense to just repaint the cabinet doors instead of staining the entire kitchen.

We found a fantastic kitchen example at Lowe's and loved the color scheme and ideas. Thus began the transformation. Todd found out from the paint mixer this paint is their most requested color right now. And I understand that. It's perfect. "Ponytail." Mmmmm.

Here's the kitchen before--notice how the stark whiteness of everything totally accentuates the atrocious yellow and blue counter top (they even painted over the hinges).

And here's our kitchen now, with the crown moulding (yes, they camouflaged crown moulding) and door frames and old-school light and cabinet drawers and doors repainted, and new beautiful hardware. I LOVE how it turned out. Todd did a great job.

We repainted the hallway closet, too. I think that's my favorite part. I used to cover it up with my aprons because it was so blah and monochromatic; now I've found a new place for my aprons.

We're hoping these changes will make the kitchen less intimidating when we sell the house. I wish I would have done this years ago--I really enjoy the kitchen now.

(Sorry, I tried to take the pictures and make a collage, but I now officially hate Picasa.)

These boots were made for walkin'

I am writing this from my hotel in Reno. I was supposed to fly home tonight, but it's SNOWING in Las Vegas, so they closed the airport there and cancelled my flight. Apparently it's just insane down there right now; Las Vegas is not equipped for snow. I love this cool picture the Review-Journal took.

I was really anxious to go home, but not just because I've been in Reno since Monday. This morning at 3:00 a.m. (yikes!) Todd and I found out about his residency.

He got into an anesthesia residency, which is the most important part. And we learned that although I really want boots such as these, I will need boots, and scarves and tights and hats and gloves and . . . because his residency is in Washington DC! Isn't that exciting?! I know the poll, and Jen, wanted San Antonio more than DC, but really, we had great choices either way. I'm so happy.

But I can't use those boots just yet, because for the year before DC we're going somewhere that looks a lot like this.

The internship year is in Hawaii!!!!!! I am SO very excited about that. That was our #1 choice for our DC internship, but I had pretty much discounted it, so it was a fun surprise. We have to be there July 1, and I'm glad I can finally start planning where we might live, how to find housing, what to do with our cars and house full of crap, etc.

So, one year in Hawaii, then the next three years in DC. What a fantastic voyage. Ü I can't wait to get started. As soon as I make it back home.

I'm fearful this is becoming a tradition for me

I have a little bit of a wrapping paper compulsion--I love wrapping paper, especially when I can buy it on sale the day after Christmas. I have rolls and rolls and rolls of Christmas paper. It's a bit neurotic, but fun anyway.

Each year I have a favorite Christmas paper. This was last year's paper. I love how there's black on Christmas paper. So non-traditional and beautiful. Last year, because it was my favorite, I didn't wrap many presents with this paper because it is so beautiful. Again with the neurotic.

This year, this is my favorite paper. It's blue! I had forgotten I owned this paper. That's the best part about having myriad rolls of paper--I forget about the ones I have and get to rediscover them every year. Because this is my Choice Wrapping '08, I have a hard time using it to actually wrap presents (I know, I know), so next year I expect many presents will use this paper and I'll find another one I love and won't use. It's a vicious, wonderful cycle.

What Christmas things are you festively neurotic about?

Gmail is watching (and I think I like it)

I use Gmail as my primary personal e-mail account, and I love it.

They track the e-mails you send and customize their unobtrusive ads based on what your e-mails are saying (I know there's a term for this, but I don't care to remember it or look it up; in my Luddite defense, I went to college when e-mail was still a relatively new thing. Back when I walked barefoot through the snow, both ways, to school.).

I used to be a bit annoyed to know I was being so closely monitored.

But then I sent an e-mail to my brother-in-law giving him the tracking number for a package I sent. I didn't tell him which delivery company I used, just gave him the tracking number. Then today, after he responded to my e-mail, I got this ad from Google.
How cool is that?! It knows I'm interested in the package and it will track it for me.

Maybe sometimes having a Big Brother isn't a bad thing. Ü