The Finished Project

Is a project ever really finished?  The basement is basically, except maybe framing the bathroom mirror, installing drawers in the vanity, and hanging a few pictures. Now I'd like to get my hands on the the upstairs and change out the floors and countertops.  All in good time!

Christmas and New Year's 2013

Christmas day was a quiet affair with just Clay, Penny, Casey, Chris and Cheryl.  We opened gifts, walked in the snow, and got silly making e-cards on jib-jab.  The day before, we had Brandon and Jenn's family here for our traditional soup and reading of the Christmas story.
Ethan Ormsby and family came up on the night of the 23rd and worked through the wee hours finishing the bunk room.  It came out great!
Just before New Year's, things began to pick up when Chelsea and Russell came in from New York and Brooke came in from Chicago.  Brooke almost didn't make it because she lost her license just before flying but was able to sneak through security. Chelsea almost didn't make it because her ticket said "Parrish" but she hadn't legally changed her name yet.
On the 29th, Russell got up and did yoga with us, went snowshoeing, then snowmobiling, then came home and made dinner for 12, then had family night, then finally said he wasn't feeling well and went to bed early.  A little later Chelsea said she was worried about him because his stomach was hurting and he had a slight fever.  Clay gave him a blessing wherein he blessed him that they would take him to the right facility where he would be seen by the right doctor and diagnosed and made well.  I was surprised because usually these kinds of illnesses work out fine with a little Pepto Bismo and some sleep.  After the blessing, he took Russell down to the hospital in Heber and he was diagnosed with appendicitis!  He had surgery that night and was released the next day.

Summer and Fall

We had a lot of fun even before we finished building out the cabin.  In the summer and fall we went on a lot of hikes.  We saw deer, moose, a fox and a porcupine.  We also explored our neighborhood and beyond with the Razor.

 Here's Wyatt looking so baby GQ.

And here's Brooke and Chris trying to look GQ.  Fail.

The Hales family spent countless hours helping us build the basement.  We're so grateful!  We could have never done it without Greg's expertise (and tools!)

The Uglies

Before we even gained possession of the cabin, I took a photo that I had captured

earlier in the summer and used Photoshop Elements to turn it into an oil painting.  When I picked it up from Pro Digital, I was disappointed how digitally it looked.  I framed it anyway and set it on the mantle in the empty cabin.  When Clay came in for the first time, he took one look at the picture and said, "Oh, did they leave that here?  You probably want to get rid of that, don't you?"  I decided that if I put it up high it wouldn't look so bad.  This is me standing on the table top over the yawning stairwell, hanging the picture.

Here are some "before" shots of the basement.  I guess they're actually "in the middle" shots because the framing and most of the insulation is in.

Little Cabin in the Woods

Every since I was young, I've always wanted a cabin.  A quiet place to retreat from the world to enjoy nature, family and friends. We bought this cabin just before our anniversary in July of 2013.  Since then, with the help of many friends and family, we've finished the basement and made a cozy little nest. Our hope is that all who stay here will find respite and peace and maybe a little adventure as well.  Feel free to add to out family blog and share your experiences!