"Project Basement"...CAUTION: long blog!

So I just have to say that I am so very thankful for family! Caleb's grandma has been letting us live in her basement for over 2 years now. She has also let us make some pretty big changes! We are so, so, so grateful for her kindness. She is a HUGE blessing!! I am not sure where we would be right now if she and grandpa hadn't taken us in....probably in a box on the side of the road - ok that might be a bit dramatic but we seriously would be in an interesting situation! God always provides though. I am also so, so, so thankful for my hubs, my father-in-law (Gregg), my mom (Sharon) and everyone else who has been helping us with this basement makeover! It has given me something to do and look forward to! And it has given us a comfortable place to live. The pictures below do not give justice to the amount of work that was put in. I wish I had more "before" pictures...let's just say when we first moved in there was just enough room to walk in and out of the front door. Then again, we were only planning on living here for 6 months...oh, funny how God works. His ways are truly so much better than mine!! After being here for a month, I was DYING to move. I got pretty depressed when the 6th month rolled around and I realized we weren't going anywhere on my small income. Praise the Lord I listened to the Spirit and "hung around." So many times I wanted to walk out the door, walk out of this life, walk out of everything I thought was so terrible. I was looking past all the blessings in my life...my husband included. As I've said in my previous blog, its easy to get caught up in the depression...but when you do, you are blinded by Satan's lies.

I never thought I'd say this, but I don't mind living here and I am willing to stay here as long as it takes. Only God can provide a peace that I now have...I thought I'd never be able to get out of my pit. So, thank you all who have been an encouragement to Caleb and me these past years...really, since day one of our marriage. It's not been an easy road...not even close, but how would we realize how blessed we are if we had an easy way out? How many times have I been drawn literally to my knees, humbled and broken only to be drawn to the cross?! So many...and so many more times to come...because I am a Christ follower. Not just a Christian, but a lover of Jesus.

With all that said, enjoy the few pics we have and many more to come as the adventures continue with our "Project Basement"!

This was December 2009...this is way better than December 2008...just pretend a huge pool table (which is in the back in this picture with all the "junk" on top) right smack in the middle of the room. Convenient for the Louvier kids as they grew up so they could play pool and ping pong...but where were Caleb and I going to put our couch? Where would we lounge? How could we have visitors? So the cleaning began....

This is rather blurry, but notice how the pool table is gone along with the junk on top...I was surprised to find a built in book shelf (in the far left corner in the picture) which was perfect for all our textbooks etc from all the years! There's also a functioning fireplace!!!! I was stoked (ha ha, pun not intended)!! Well...its not functioning quite yet...it hasn't been used in years!

The end result after all the random cabinets and junk got moved! Woohoo! We have living room space! Thanks Tim and Jane for the entertainment center!

My mom came up and made pillow covers (from curtain fabric...curtains seen in pictures below), and helped me find that awesome rug! The curtain fabric, table and rug are all from Ikea (thanks Nate and Jen for giving us that table! It's perfect!); the couch (given to us from my dad, thanks dad!) is from Crate and Barrel, and the super soft white pillows are from Costco! Some people like to know where things come from, so for those of you who were curious...there you go!

Ok, so this is kind of a random picture of me opening presents on my birthday after work in July 2009. But if you look behind me you notice the two oval pictures on the wall, the stairs and part of the kitchen...remember those details



Another seemingly random picture...but notice the large tan desk (its a goner now...or at least out of the basement; I threatened to throw that thing into the lake countless times...just ask Caleb) and where the garbage cans are there is soon going to be a new wall...



This was part of the kitchen remodel! The picture on the bottom shows the two wall structures that Gregg and Caleb built and painted (they stayed up for HOURS on end to finish when Caleb was on winter break); and some of the new cabinets are installed.

The result: New and improved kitchen with new curtains my mom helped pick out and hem (Ikea), bamboo shades (super discounted at Lowes), a HUGE new sink, a lazy susan (not pictured; it was given to us but from Ikea), new counter tops with formica, a new drop light (Ikea) and new cabinets (given to us from Gregg's former employer)!!!!

Marsha and Gregg gave us their stove (which I LOVE!) because they got a new one! The cabinets and counter top are all new...oh and the painted wall too!

Remember the two oval pictures from the above picture of me opening presents? Those are now replaced with a pic of us (taken by Olan Mills when we got our church directory pics taken...yay for a free copy!) and letters that spell "LIVE" that Caleb made and spray-painted...I hung them with ribbon. The mirror I got a few years ago at Pier one and it is mounted on our new wall (which is painted deep barn red!)


This is the view looking out of our bathroom...pictures of our cruise with Lindsay and Mark! Truly a fun and memorable time! Can't remember where I got the candle mount but you can find them at Khol's or pretty much any department store for pretty cheap.

This is the bathroom...well what I'm willing to show of it! Mom helped me again with the curtain (which is from Ikea), the framed mirrors are also from Ikea, the wall clock was a wedding gift from Target (thanks Shauna and Jon!), the vase I got on clearance at JoAnn's in Salem, the cabinet is from Ikea but we got it from one of my past co-workers who were moving (yay for discount!), the letters were made by Caleb and spell laugh...

Up close of "LAUGH" and picture frame holding snapshots of our adorable nieces and nephews!!

Whew! That was a lot! Not sure if anyone actually read all of this, but I thought it was important to share what was happening in the basement!

Couple questions I could see arising from this:

Why is there a LIVE and LAUGH?
Answer: It is part of the LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE theme...the LOVE is in our bedroom...but there will be no pictures of our bedroom until we do a bit of a makeover!! That's on the list!

This might lead to another question...what else is on the to-do list?
Answer:
1. Flooring in the kitchen (its just concrete like the rest of the basement) and carpet (to cover the concrete in the living/resting spaces).
2. Fireplace screen...and a working fireplace! :o)
3. Lighting for the kitchen
4. Many more "little details" that may or may not happen while we're here!

Stay tuned for more pics/details about "Project Basement!!!!!"

Life...it's about Jesus

So, lately I've been feeling discouraged to write anything on this blog...obviously its been awhile and I tried to commit myself to posting more! I don't have anything very exciting to write about. We don't have kids. Caleb's in Physical Therapy school full time and I work as a personal trainer...that about sums everything up. Frustrating thing is I LOVE adventure and right now I feel like to experience anything new/exciting is "not allowed." I'd love to write about something funny our kids do or about a great escape my hubby and I go on. But there is nothing. So on goes my life: day in, day out. How depressing right?! Sounds depressing because I MAKE it depressing...my life is truly not as dismal as this sounds. If I let Satan creep in and tell me all the lies and I believe them, then yes that is depressing. But I have Jesus...and let me tell you, life is an ongoing adventure! He teaches me something every day!

Here's 5 lessons I'm learning right now (believe me, there's a million more)...not in any particular order...
1. Be Patient! Wow...I really dislike this one, which is why I know I am being taught it.
2. Do not get caught up in the THINGS of this world! Sheesh...I LOVE "things!" Things are fun to buy and have, but they can become idols so quickly and avert the focus on what's important
3. Accept and cherish the here and now! You can never repeat a day/hour/minute. Once its passed, its gone for good. Being an impatient person, I tend to focus on the days/years ahead and desire for time to speed by to get to the things I really want in life. But when looking at the bigger picture, I'm not enjoying the things in life right NOW that I've been waiting for in the past!! Wow, how selfish am I?? I guess I think I deserve everything...and I deserve it now! Oh how contrary...
4. Spend time with Jesus....I don't do this near enough. If you know me at all, you know I get stressed out often and over the dumbest things. Work becomes my focus. When I focus on Jesus, all stress dissipates and life becomes a joy!
5. Be grateful for what you have. Clearly I do not appreciate the MANY blessings God has given me....I don't deserve any of it. It's time to work on being more GRATEFUL!

I know I am going to continue to struggle with these, but I also know God is EXTREMELY merciful and will help me along if I ask. If you don't know Jesus, its never too late to start a relationship with him. He's already knocking on your heart wanting to be a part of your life...go ahead and open the door.....
believe me, it'll be the best decision you have ever made.

Here's one of my favorite songs to give you hope and a focus: Jesus.

Glorious Day (living He Loved Me) lyrics

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected

Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Life

Sometimes I just need to write (or in this case type) out my frustrations. Let me just say that I am SO anxious...I'm anxious to be done with things and anxious to start new things. We have been house sitting for another couple (friends) for the week...what a blessing! We have been able to come to this house every evening after work and just RELAX and watch some TV...this may not seem like a huge deal to most, but let me explain. We have been living in a basement for the past two years. I am not talking about a nice up-to-date basement, I'm talking about an old basement...oh and with no TV channels. There's many things I could complain about, but the biggest issue I am having is privacy and making the place my own. Unfortunately we are not in a financial place to live on our own and are not sure when we will be. I remind myself DAILY that I should be very thankful that we have a roof over our heads, and for Caleb's grandparents letting us stay there! Right now Caleb really feels like we need to stay there not only for fanancial reasons but because of grandpa's health. Caleb has been a huge help! He is definitely a servant...and a humble one at that. I definitely need to work on this...

Other things I'm so anxious and excited for:
*Caleb to have a job and be done with school! Unfortunately he still has two full years left.
*KIDS! I have ALWAYS wanted to be a stay-at-home mom....my mom was amazing and I LOVED the fact that she was always there for me. I want to do the same for my kids.
*Working part-time on my own schedule. I honestly didn't want to go to college, but my mom encouraged me to go just in case my future spouse passed and I needed a job. I'm glad I went, but in some ways I feel like it was a waste of money. In other ways I feel like should go back to school to get a masters...or even a PhD...even though I really don't want to!
*Having a job that pays every hour I'm there!
*A home of our own.
*Being close to family. My heart aches regularly because of the distance in our family. My brother and sister live in different states...and now my mom too. I pray that one day we will all be in the same state again and live within a 20 mile radius of each other. My sister and I have always wanted to raise our kids together just like my mom and aunt raised us cousins together.

Even though life is difficult right now, there are so many little blessings that feel HUGE to me and help me get through the day-to-day...being able to house-sit (we are house-sitting for 3 couples within a month's time period. BLESSING!), having a great boss who allows me to take numerous family vacations over the summer even though I do not have paid time off, having a wonderful hubby (he does so much it would take me years to write it all! He is such an amazing man), having family next door, literally, it's great having Caleb's family close even though it makes me yearn for mine at times; I am also thankful for the wonderful church full of wonderful people and a wonderful pastor!

I am praying for a more positive attitude about life. I have to work at it daily. But thankfully God is walking right by my side through everything. I've fallen a lot over the past couple years, but He is always there to pick me up and help me get on my feet again. But you know, I always need to hold His hand and thankfully He never wants to let go even if I try.

Rock N Roll

Have you ever had a dream about doing something but thought it would never happen because you thought it would be virtually impossible?

I have...in fact I have a few of those dreams. But yesterday, June 26th 2010, one of those dreams was fulfilled. I completed my first half marathon! It was such a surreal experience...it was amazing! I couldn't believe I actually signed up to do it and thought I would never go through with it...especially after I injured myself taking me out of the last 3 weeks of training. But I did it. Actually, WE did it. I felt peace...which definitely could have only come from God...and I had an amazing running buddy to keep me going. Thank you Linds...you don't know how much this meant to me. I feel SO accomplished! I had never run more than 4 miles before this year....and to think I would run 13.1 before the end of it! If you have a dream...chase it. It may not be an enjoyable experience getting there, but when you fulfill that dream everything you went through to get it is worth it.

Linds and I with our medals after the race:

Fitness Idea #3:

Check your shoes!! How old are your sneakers? If you can't remember the last time your got them, it's time to switch. If you use them for running make sure to get one size bigger to allow those toes to spread!

Family Reunion

We just returned from a fabulous family reunion in Scottsdale, AZ! We had so much fun catching up with family...I haven't seen most of them in 10 years plus and Caleb hadn't met the majority of them!! There were about 15 of us cousins, 6 official/unofficial new members (spouses/significant others), 5 newest additions (kids), 7 uncles and aunts, 1 grandma and her new husband and his family! The whole gathering was put on by grandma as a celebration of her new marriage! It was wonderful!

Cousin time: I love Jaci! She lives in IN...hadn't seen her in almost 4 years!

Love these next two: Levi enjoying some swim time in the 100 degree weather!

Luke and I had a blast playing in the water! He had no fear! By the end of the trip he was trying to swim on his own without a life vest!
The trip was way too short...we only had 2 full days in AZ. But it was TOTALLY worth it! I am so excited for the next reunion!

RANDOM:

I had to put these flowers in here...I love Gerber daisies. These are from a super sweet co-worker and friend of mine. Thank you for brightening my day Sally! These are still alive...I'm loving them! I see them every time I walk down from my car!

Fitness Idea #2:

Enhance your stretching with a massage! This helps with injury prevention. This is a great tool to use in addition to the foam roller. I just bought this exact one at the Rock N Roll Marathon Expo.

Craft Idea #2:

Make your own block letters! This does take time and a scroll saw which I know a lot of people don't have. All you have to do is print off a font you want in the size of letter you want, lightly glue it onto some cheap wood or partical board, cut it out with the saw, sand down, spray paint, then drill a hole in the back so you can hang!

There's always more...

So I may be going a bit overboard with this blog ordeal! Yikes! Well, I realized I have not updated anything about this month, June...

I went to a fun Mariner's game with my friend Kristin and a friend of hers. Kristin has some connections so we had SWEET seats in the 100 level! Even though the good 'ole Mariners lost, we still had a blast!

Favorite player:

Sweet view:

Great company!

We also had a couple fun days with our nieces!

New golfer of the family:

Walking before we know it!

Next scrapbooker of the fam:

Nilla enjoys craft time too!

Oh...and extremely important news...I am now a GOLD STAR MEMBER with Starbucks...oh geez. Just what I need: more incentive to blow money on expensive caffeinated beverages!

I just deleted a ton of pictures I was going to use for this post...I searched for hours for the PERFECT pix, but I then realized that there were WAY too many! So, instead of posting ALL of those pix of the past 2 years how about I explain what has happend!

2008
August: We moved up to Seatac and moved in with Caleb's grandparents

September: I started my first training job as a ladies outdoor fitness instructor!

October: My nephew's 1st birthday! It was a farm themed celebration! No pix of the birthday but look at this progression over the last couple years of the little buddy (Luke):

November: Ran my first 5k, The Turkey Trot! Go here to look at my race pix: http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=583&bibnumber=545cerresults3.php?raceid=583&bibnumber=545

December: First cruise for Caleb, 3rd for me! (can't find my pix but there are some on facebook!)

2009
January: Can't think of anything exciting, other than the introduction of 2009!

February: My oldest niece Baylee turned 2! Theme was Elmo/Sesame Street but again no pictures...but here are some cute ones of her! (the first pic is Luke and Baylee with Auntie steph and Uncle Caleb, Christmas 2007)



March: Caleb turned 23...and got accepted to both grad schools he applied for: UW and UPS (He chose UPS)

April: I started working for 24 hour fitness as a personal trainer.

May: Got to see my friend Ashlie for her birthday! We went to a Mariner's game! Unfortunately I can't find my pix.

June: Not sure what happened this month...

July: I turned 23! I didn't feel well most of the day...go figure...but a group of friends and family took me out to BJ's for dinner! I love that restaurant! Here's a pic of me after work enjoying gifts sent from mom!

Also in July we celebrated our 3rd Anniversary in Seattle! We went to Pike's Place and the Melting Pot...Yum!

August: Allie Rae was born! She had Uncle Caleb wrapped around her little finger from the moment he laid eyes on her. These pictures were taken in February 2010.

September: Nick's 28th bday...wasn't there to celebrate with him though :o(

October: Nephew Luke turns 2! Theme was Cars...he was adorable! I wish I had pictures of the party.

November: Happy Thanksgiving! No Turkey Trot this year...actually I had to work! 24 hour Fitness is open EVERY day of the year except Christmas Day...great for those who like to workout 364 days of the year, not-so-great for those who don't want to work on major holidays.

December: Mom got married in Portland! I got to witness it along with Sophie and Blake (Troy's kids) and a few other family memebers. Then Caleb and I celebrated Christmas in California with my sister and her family, Dad and Nick! Pictures are of the wedding day!

2010
January: Yay for 2010!

February: Baylee turns 3! Themed birthday was Ariel/Little Mermaid.
Baylee Joy the Pretty Princess and Allie Rae the Sleeping Beauty:

March: Caleb turned 24! Lots of family met up with us at Red Robin to celebrate and surprise him with the gift of money to get a PS3 (which he is currently playing as I type this!)

Also in March, my nephew Levi was born:


April: We surprised my sister-in-law for her birthday by making her a big scrapbook full of pictures and letters from friends and fam!!

May: We went cruisin' with Carnival! Caleb's 2nd and my 4th! There are lots of pictures on facebook!

Whew...that was way too much. I have decided that with each post I am going to share a fitness idea and a craft idea...okay maybe not with EVERY post, but I will do my best!

Fitness idea #1: STRETCH! If you do not have a regular stretching routine, make one. If you do not have a foam roller, purchase one! If you do not know how to use one, ask someone who does or go online and look how to use it! It's important to stay limber to avoid injury!!

Craft Idea #1: Make a diaper cake...there are plenty of babies being born! This is a great gift idea...it can get pricey so maybe go in on the items with a few people. Here is one I made for a shower:

Made of NB diapers, receiving blankets, monkey with velcro hands, baby soaps/lotions (inside the cake too), bath cloths (to make the flowers in the front), wooden letters (for the name), and pins to hold it all together!