Being Grateful During the Hustle

This post has taken so long to come to fruition because we’ve been so busy lately! Like many of you can appreciate, life can be hectic for a number of reasons. You might be running kids around, studying for tests, working overtime to make the proverbial ends meet, or staying up late to binge-watch Netflix. I’ve been in the study section during the last 21 years of my life, with the last two years being the most intense. Luckily, the studying has paid off – I’m proud to announce I’ve passed my PANCE and I’m now a Certified Physician Assistant! The real reason for this post isn’t to toot my own horn, but to take some time to say thanks to our family, who have made any achievements possible.

For me, (Alex) my parents sacrificed their time and energy running me to some kind of sporting event every weekend all my life. Sometimes, they even coached the team and had an positive impact on the other kids. They somehow found time while working full time to give us a great childhood filled with memories of tubing on the boat, cross country road trips or flights to Florida, and Thanksgivings and Christmas’s with the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. Probably more important than the fun stuff, they helped me deal with difficult times, they taught me how to handle adversity (somethings I still haven’t finished learning). My mom has proofread approximately 100 papers between my brother and I, and that might not be hyperbole. In addition, to all the feel good love and support, they have financially, for a lack of a better term, supported my ass. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them, and I’m grateful and proud of all they have done for me! One of the major accomplishments they have helped me achieve is to start Dharma Dwellings – specifically making Betty’s Bungalow a reality.

The actual renovation part

After all that sappy feel-goodness thats the theme of today’s post, heres the part you’re probably looking for! Below is the priming and painting of the main room and kitchen. Like everything about the renovation of Betty’s it was a team effort. My Mom and Dad came over most weekends during this time. They focused on painting the inside of the cabinets, and other miscellaneous things around the house.  The real star of the painting show was Jene, Emily’s mom. She primed and painted all of the cabinets after my Dad and I sanded them, for what felt like an eternity, down. She did a great job and the kitchen turned out beautifully. In addition, Jene sanded all of the wood paneling. They are so smooth you could lean against them and take a nap. Overall, at this point in the project we finally felt like we were making some headway!

    

    

 

 

Celebrating our work

After all the weekend working hours, with occasional pauses on Sundays for me to swear about this dismal Packer season (and Keith, Emily’s dad to cheer about the Vikings) we would head out to dinner to celebrate. Food is one of our favorite things, and spending it with family allowed for us to have some time to reflect on what we had accomplished and where we were going. My parents love when I take photos of them, and they will love that I’m posting them on here even more (*insert sarcasm here*)! It’s just my way of saying I appreciate you! We were out at the Redwood Room during this photo op, our favorite place in town!

Back to our Theme

Before I close this post up, I wanted to tie things back together. I hope this post reminds all of you to appreciate those people in your life and show them gratitude more often! So many times we get caught up grinding away at work or social commitments that we forget to take some time to actually say thanks to everyone who supports us. Take a minute to be grateful for all the things you have in life, even if its a rough patch right now. If that patch seems too rough, reach out to those who support you in life, because there is always someone who cares deeply about you. Sometimes showing appreciation is the best way to start a conversation if you’ve fallen out of touch!

Meeting the Poodle Quota

As promised, we leave you with a picture of our Princess Aurora. We had to dress her up to answer the door during Halloween! Since I finally know that I passed my boards but yet am still unemployed, look forward to more of these posts in the near future! Stay tuned for our newest addition to the Doodle brigade!