Our Empty Nest Renovation & 6 Months in Seattle

empty nest renovation - Glen Summer House
The renovation of our empty nester fixer-upper will begin in September.

The last time I wrote about the empty nest renovation was clear back in January. It has been quite the roller coaster ride with so many details, so many decisions, so many ups and downs.

A quick review:

Craig and I decided to sell our home, downsize and leave our beach community of Laguna Niguel after 27 years. We left our dear friends, daily routine, and a house full of memories. Not an easy decision.

We purchased a much smaller, 1937 Spanish Colonial fixer-upper home on a quaint, tree-lined street in Pasadena, CA in order to live closer to our family and my Dad who is fighting cancer.

With so many adjustments and challenges, these past seven months have been really difficult and exhausting, however the quality time I have been able to spend with my Dad has been priceless. The move was truly worth every single minute of heartache or discomfort.

We hired an amazing architect, a well recommended contractor and were finally given approval by the city to begin. Truthfully, we have delayed the start a couple of months because of Dad’s illness. He is an inspiration and has suffered more than any person should ever have to. Dad is still outrunning it and plans to continue on this path!

We have chosen fixtures, tile, marble, granite, appliances and floor coverings. The decision making is overwhelming, but exciting. So… now we needed to find a place to live while the house was under construction. The renovation will include every room and every crevice and to live there was just not feasible.

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~ Travel Quotes Can Be Inspiring ~

Thank you to Teri Walker from 1802 House Bed and Breakfast, Kennebunkport, Maine for this travel quote.  ”A tourist experiences disconnected sights and sounds and enjoys them without drawing meaning. A traveler roams the earth, digests what he sees and hears, and collects them in a framework of understanding which he both brings to his travels …

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Two Generations, One Music Festival: Outside Lands

Outside Lands
Two Generations Enjoying Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco~ Craig, 55 – Suzanne, 54 – Clint (our nephew) 21, – Alexandra (our daughter) 27- Nick (our son) 22- Alec (our son’s best friend) 22

 

Outside Lands reigns supreme in my new world of music festivals. A three day, thoroughly engaging, eclectic, excessively HUGE, outstanding music festival for all ages. Who knew that two people in their mid-fifties could mix and mingle successfully with the hipsters, hippies and young music lovers in their 20’s and 30’s? Designed to showcase over 100 bands and offer headliners like Elton John, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Sam Smith and even Billy Idol. I expected to like it, but I honestly loved every morsel.

Elton John - Still fabulous
Elton John – Still fabulous

I went to Outside Lands for three reasons:

To Experience:

To gain entry into the world of my twenty-something children and experience their passion for music from the inside. It was so special to see how by teaching and sharing his passion for music, my husband fueled the musical interests of our children. From the time they could talk, Craig would quiz them, share stories and play all kinds of music for them.

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Traveling With Our Adult Children, A New Adventure

A brilliant plan… I think. Inviting our adult children to join us on a vacation in Napa Valley and San Francisco takes quite a bit of planning. Four schedules to contend with and four strong opinions,(as well as enthusiasm) were all considered and a plan was created. The truth is that the kids and Craig truly …

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100 Things I Love About Summer ~ By Kim

100 things I love about summer

100 things I love about summer

I started to write a post about what I love about summer and then I read this clever one from Kim Tackett, who writes an amazing blog called Tour of No Regrets. She captured the essence of summer perfectly and I wanted to share her thoughts with you. I bet you will agree with her list! ~Suzanne


Thanks Kim!

Most people know I am not a fan of the heat. Therefore, it would make sense that I’m not a fan of summer. I presumed this was true, and started a 10 Things I Hate About Summer post. But the fact is, once I listed “the way the sweat drips down your back at 6:30 in the morning” and “the way your skins sticks to the car seat” I didn’t have much. As a lark I retitled this 100 Things I Love About Summer, and imagined I could muster up 10. Not only did I get to 10, but 100 was pretty easy. Go figure. I told Steve what I did, and even he didn’t believe me…but I did, I do, and here it is.

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Three Ways to EAT: Food Markets in New York City

There is never a shortage of amazing food markets in New York City. Picking a favorite is like choosing which of your friends you like best..impossible! Just like with the number of friends, the more markets the better! When we travel, one of our favorite activities (besides eating) is to visit local and specialty markets in …

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The Parenting Wisdom of an “Older” Mom

parenting wisdom

  Yes, I went and did it, I used he “O” word. No, not “Oprah”…“Old”. Old seems like it would be a derogatory description, but honestly it doesn’t have to be, it can be a badge of honor. Parenting wisdom is attained through maturation, trial and error and countless other components. It is staggering what important parental …

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An Amazing Mountain Climbing Adventure for Empty Nesters

Please welcome our newest Guest Adventurer Liz Reiman from Jacksonville, Florida. Liz and her husband Jim, met in college at Wake Forest University in 1980. Thirty plus years later they are still happily married with four grown children Rob (26) third-year medical student in Brooklyn, Chris (25) business exec in Dallas, Jack (23) starting new job at Wal-Mart …

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Enjoy the Simple Things ~ Dad’s Vegetable Garden

Do you have a vegetable garden? To witness the joy my father receives from creating and tending to his vegetable garden warms my heart. He spends time creating traps and concocting methods to out smart the varmints in the yard. The damn squirrels ate the cucumbers and the bunnies are nasty too. Dad and his wife …

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