Commuting.

When Robert and I first looked at the building in Augusta he asked me if I would work full-time while he finished the renovations. I said "yes." It is the least I could do. It however was harder to find a job than I thought. I don't know if it is because I have been out of the hospital for 7 years or if I have 20 years of experience and they don't want to pay me for that. I feel like I have been open and willing to go back to the hospital. I am teachable and willing to learn. The one thing I don't want to do is work nights. I feel like I have done my time and it really messes up my body clock, so I don't want to do that. So, I kept my job with Children's and my boss was willing to bunch my days together so I could commute and stay with friends. The week after we moved to Augusta I got a job with Medical College of Georgia as a float nurse in the Ambulatory Care Clinics. I work here Monday, Thursday and Friday and in Atlanta Tuesday and Wednesday. I will do that for two more weeks. It has been good and bad. Good because I like my job in Atlanta, I get to stay with friends and it gets me out of the construction for a couple of days. Bad because I am living in two places and it makes it harder to let go and be in Augusta. And it is really tiring. I am listening to some books on tape so that helps the long boring commute on hwy 20. Two more weeks and I will cut my commute down to 4 miles round trip. I think I would like to get a bicycle and try that for my mode of transportation.

Watching Megan and Michael run-bike-run.

Megan and Michael signed up for a triathlon. But, it rained and there was thunder so they were not allowed in the water. So, it ended up being a duathlon they ran 3 miles, biked 11miles and then ran 3 more miles. Robert and I were just going to go for the finish, but because of the rain they started late and we got to see the whole race. It was pretty amazing. Age ranges were from 12-73. Michael's mom Jenny was there so we got to visit and cheer people on, in between chatting. We decided that we got tired just clapping and walking back and forth to the starting line three times, so we did not think that we would sign up for the a triathlon any time soon. This is a picture of them before the race started.

And they are off! Megan signed up for novice. Michael stayed back with Megan, or he would have been in the first wave.

The first 3 miles are over and they are still smiling!

Now 11 miles on bikes on slippery wet roads!

The dismount. Jenny and I were happy to see them dismount carefully as we had seen several people slip and crash at this point.

The finish-line 1 hour and 49 minutes! Woo hoo! I say way to go!

Still smiling, but a lot sweatier!

I'm glad we got to see the whole race it was lots of fun, to be cheering them on at every start and finish.

Working on Drew's room.

Here's the first look at Drew's room. Disgusting carpet.

This is where Drew is sleeping right now while we work on his bedroom. So, much for having the living room done.

The sanded the floors.

The new closet, with a cool shelf space above it.

Drew muded and sanded the drywall, four times. Tough work.

The new door into the new door way. Looking into what will some day be out third bedroom, but right now is the tool room.

The floor with a dark mahogany stain. We have bought the paint. So, hopefully Drew will be out of the living room and back into his bedroom this week.

Living in the construction zone.

Well, living in the construction zone has been harder than working on it for the week or a weekend and going back to Alpharetta to a "done" place. Robert has tried to make it live-able with organizing boxes and working on the kitchen. He has had to repair the place in the living room floor where there used to be stairs, by cutting pine floors out of the bathroom and adding them to the living room. The kitchen is almost done. Robert put in the tile floor last week and the counter tops were installed on Monday. Now he says the painting of the walls and the ceiling tiles are all up to me. So, I'd better get busy.

Beginning of the stair repair and a practice run for setting the tile on point.

Megan and Tallulah trying out the first couple of rows of tile. Even when there is not really a kitchen we all still gather there.

Almost there. I love the tile set on point like this.

Okay this is all you get to see until I get the painting done.

The first couple of weeks in Augusta.

Closing on the house in Alpharetta went well. The movers got to the house around 10:00a.m. and finished unloading in Augusta about 9:00p.m. Once the closing was done, I was only able to go back into the house once. Then, I just had to stay outside and wait. We did manage to get beds set up and all fall into them about midnight.

We have a mostly functioning kitchen. The fridge works and the stove is hooked up. So, some simple meals are a possibility...

If you don't mind the clean up being in the master bathroom.

Well, as we have been saying we have air conditioning, and hot water, and electricity, so it is a step above camping.

Urban dogs.

I thought one of the hardest things about moving here would be the dogs. They went from having a dog door to a large fenced backyard to no yard at all. They and we had to learn to have urban dogs. Our dogs have never really had to do their business while on a leash. The first time we brought them to Augusta it was 12 hours before the did any duty while on the leash. After all that is private. But, as it turns out they have adapted and so have we. Now they are as urban as the little chihuahua and the boxer that we see in the mornings. This is a picture of Greene St. We walk down here every day. It is only a block from our place.

The last two Sundays, we have become the people that I complain about. The ones that walk their dogs everywhere. We walked 11 blocks to The Pizza Joint where they have a dog friendly patio and had dinner. They funny thing is they brought water out to the dogs before they brought water to us. Tallulah being tired from the walk did really well. Sabueso, was a little bit of a chicken. After all he had never been allowed to do anything like this before and who knows if the water was really safe to drink. ;-)

The new perch to look out the window to Telfair St.

A new bathroom.

This is a look at what was the closet in Drew's room. It will be torn out and a bathroom will be added.

The closet being torn down.

The frame work begins.

A tub is a good sign.

Getting closer...

The finished bathroom.

Woo Hoo!

Very honorable mention.

Thanks to Megan for going to get lunch, feeding us dinner and letting us shower at her place before we had hot water of our own.

Thanks to Pat for helping me paint the bathroom, even though she had hired painters to paint at her house.

And thanks to Katelyn and Beth for painting the hallway, and living room after I had a meltdown and had turned in for the night.

You guys are the best!!!!!!

With a little help from our friends and family.

Jeremy and Adam, Megan's friends and 2nd year med. students pulling the plywood off to uncover the pine floors in the living room.

Michael (Megan's boyfriend). Not sure what he has gotten himself into.


Now he knows that with a hammer and a slim jim there is no stopping him getting that plywood up!

Drew demo-ing the downstairs.

What a way to spend spring break!

Don Leonard our friend and accountant precisely hanging insulation.
Don helping to support the support beam.

Will it hold?
YES!



Beth Leonard and Kathy taking down disgusting ceiling tiles and demo-ing the downstairs, to fill our third dumpster.

The downstairs minus the orange tables, half wall and ceiling tiles! We are woman hear us roar. (or is it groan)
Don and Michael measuring, cutting ,











and hanging drywall.










Beth and Kathy mudding drywall.



And each other.

















Now that's a lot of drywall.



We sanded and sanded and sanded, just wait 'til you see the floors finished.

Now for the floor

You guessed it, The floor was not even, so once Robert got started he had to tear out he whole thing and start over. Hmmm, I'm seeing a theme.

Yes, folks you are looking through the floor to the "shop" area below.

Building the floor back, with Drew "testing" it for stability.

Even more floor.

So, one week and two trips to the E.R. (one for a tetanus shot for Drew and the other for a contussi0n for Robert) we have a level floor.