More Photos

Gary O'Brien, a photographer for the Charlotte Observer, got some great shots of yesterday's demolition on the set of Extreme Makeover: Home Editon.

Can you find me and Toby? (Hint: I'm wearing Toby's diaper bag and have freshly-cut and expensively-washed hair...)

Rib, one of the designers for Extreme Makeover, came by to talk with our new friend Marsha and her nephew Brandon. Check out more of Gary's photos here.

Demolition Day!

Exactly two weeks ago, I mentioned that one of my favorite shows, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, was coming to Charlotte, NC to help a family in need.

Ty and the crew surprised the King family on Monday, July 28th with the news that their mold-infested home would be demolished and a new one would be built in its place (read more about the family here and here). Today was demolition day, and I decided to take Toby out to enjoy the action. Little boys love bulldozers, firetrucks, policemen, and construction workers, right?

After dropping Sam off at camp, we parked at Eastland Mall and were instructed to take the city bus to the King's home (less than a mile away). We met two very nice ladies who were riding the bus to the demolition site, as well...so we became fast friends and talked about everything from photography to children to how cool it would be to meet Ty Pennington :)

When we turned off the main road, it looked like we were entering Hollywood instead of a neighborhood. As I was drooling over the cameras (still and video!) Toby was babbling about the trucks and tractors. We found a spot right across the street from the King's house and waited for the action to begin.

We watched the designers and volunteers film a few different takes before the demolition began (you know...the crowd screaming, Ty running around like a chicken with its head cut off, 'before' shots of the house before it became a pile of rubble...). There were only about 50 spectators plus 100 volunteers there, so we had a great view of everything.

As the two bulldozers began to move towards the house, the crowd screamed louder and the jaws of the huge machines dove into the roof of the King's home. The entire house was a pile of wood and bricks in a matter of minutes.

It was an incredible sight to watch.

I'm sure the Kings made lots of memories in that house in the past...but it's exciting to think about how many more memories they'll make in their new home in the future. It'll be a clean and healthy place where Alisha and Curtis King can continue to raise their children and the children from their community. I'm so excited for them!

After the demolition was complete, we were hoping to get a visit from Ty. We got into a coversation with a photographer who had been with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for the past 6 rennovations and he said that Ty probably wouldn't be able to come over and visit - not because he didn't want to, but because the directors always kept him so busy. This particular photographer had never seen Ty "walk the line" of spectators to sign autographs or take pictures after a demolition.

Well, there's a first time for everything.

Ty came by to visit with us for a few minutes and, obviously, we were able to get a photo with him! Toby wasn't very excited, but I was! He's such a super-nice guy. Thanks, Ty (and thanks to my new friend Barbara for taking this photo of us!).

Stay updated on what's happening at the construction site this week by going to extrememakeovercharlotte.com.

Not Just A Haircut

I absolutely love getting my hair cut.

For me, it's not just a haircut. Going to the salon is a 45 minute time slot when I get to take care of myself, enjoy a stress-relief treatment (quick shoulder and scalp massages!), reap the benefits of the rediculously expensive shampoo and conditioner Anthony uses on my hair, and get a top-notch cut. It's simply marvelous.

As many of you ladies know, it takes a lot of time and effort to find a stylist worth keeping around. Anthony (at Planet 21 Salon) has been cutting my hair for almost a year now...and since I've found him, I'd never dream of letting anyone else touch my hair. I love listening to Anthony talk about his wife and kids, telling him about the adventures Aaron and I get ourselves into, and always discussing the possibility of coloring my hair for the first time ever (even though I'm too frivolous to actually do it). Anthony even takes extra time to hairspray my grey hairs down so I won't spot them and pluck them out. He's the best.

If you're in need of a fabulous new 'do, give Planet 21 Salon a call and set up an appointment with Anthony. You'll be glad you did.

What A Way to Start the Day...

I heard Coldplay's newest song "Viva la Vida" on the radio while I was driving to work this morning. I think I'll add that one to my workout play list...

Aaron and I were watching the 2008 MTV Movie Awards a few weeks ago when the band performed "Viva la Vida" in front of a crowd for the first time ever. It was incredible.

Check it out:

Updates

Over the past few weeks, I've had some requests for updates on 2 things:

1. The current health (or lack thereof) of our Bonsai tree
   
2. Photos of our home
   

Let's start with the Bonsai tree (click here to get the background story). We found out that our friend Mani sent the tree to us as a housewarming gift (so thoughful of you, Mani!). He comes over to our house a few times each week and we wanted to show him that we were really appreciative of his gift by keeping it alive.

Here's what the Bonsai looked like in March:

And here's what the Bonsai tree looks like after 5 months in our care:

Oops.

We tried to keep the tree alive! I swear...we really did. I don't know what happened. We watered it, put it in the sunshine, pruned it, and loved it...but to no avail.

After many of the needles began to fall off, Aaron decided to prune the entire thing and force it into a "false winter" (something he learned about on an online forum). As much as I hate to say it, I think our Bonsai tree is a goner. For obvious reasons, I'm too embarrassed to take it to a nursery to see if it's truly dead. Why couldn't I have inherited my parents' green thumbs?

Let's move on to something I've been more successful at - decorating my home. I took a few photos this morning after the furniture repair guy left (another post entirely).

*The following photos were taken with a 16mm fisheye lens (which is why they're all skewed around the edges). The fisheye is the only lens I have that allowed me to photograph an entire room at once.

This is where I spend most of my time when I'm home! I love my kitchen because it has plenty of room for me to move around and lots of cabinet space. I would eventually like to purchase this island (which doubles as a breakfast nook) and place it in front of the windows (left of the pantry door) to add more seating and increase my amount of counter space.

This is our dining room. The table is a hand-me-down from my parents (thank you, Mama and Daddy!). Since the floor plan is so open, we decided to paint the dining room and living room walls the same shade of brown. We painted the beams a darker shade of brown to help separate the two rooms a bit. I look forward to eventually putting up light-colored curtains and unique artwork to brighten up the walls.

This is what you see when you walk through our front door. I love the amount of natural light that comes through our windows!

This is our master bedroom. We chose to paint the walls a beautiful shade of blue (and we painted the tray ceiling an even lighter shade of the blue on the walls). I love how open our room is and how relaxed it makes me feel.

This is the green guest bedroom (and the only room in the house sporting curtains!) I love how bright and girlie this room is. Sometimes I just sit and read in here because it's so inviting and homey. I want to paint four 8x8 canvasses and place them in a square above the bed to finish up the decorations in this room.

Thanks to our wonderful friend Courtney for helping us choose paint colors! We still have a lot of decorating to do, but it's fun to do it piece by piece. I'll post pictures of the other rooms when they're a little more complete. I hope you've enjoyed the updates!

**After reading back through this post, I realized that this past Thursday, July 24th marked exactly six months that Aaron and I have been official homeowners :) We are truly blessed!

This Weekend

This evening, Aaron and I are driving down to Charleston to spend the weekend with my family. I can't wait to:

• go to the beach!
• spend quality time with my parents
• goof off with my brother and his girlfriend
• catch up with my best friend from high school
• eat some of Mama's famous shrimp and rice :)
• watch Hobbes play with my parents' dog and 3 cats
• RELAX!

Have a fabulous weekend! I know we will...

Chased by the "Cups"

I pick Sam up from camp every afternoon at 12:45. This is the conversation we had when I pulled up to the carpool line today:

(Brittany, Sam's favorite camp counselor, opens Sam's car door and helps him into his seat.)
Sam: Mrs. Allison! I got chased by the cups today!!!
Me: Oh! You got chased by what?
(Brittany and I look at each other and giggle.)
Sam: The cups! My friend Brandon was a police officer and he chased me around but I ran away from him. I ran away from the cups!
Me: Do you mean you ran away from the cops?
Sam: No...the CUPS!

He's the funniest kid in the whole white world.