White Elephant?

Oh, how I love my birthday. It's proof that I'm alive and that's cause enough to celebrate in my book! Inspired by our creative friends and the desire to pass on the belief that one (wo)man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure, we celebrated my 32 years of life white elephant style.

I'm convinced that some of our friends did not understand the rules. Since when did Waterford crystal and a growler of Kuhnhenn beer become white elephants? (Did my birthday presents end up on the white elephant table, perhaps?)

Some of the favorite white elephants were (in no particular order): a moldy hot pink bedazzled pillow, the Virgin Mary (or some other saint, as Matt would argue), a fabric goose that was a veteran of six other white elephant soirees, a left-handed beer mug with the sounds of a bike bell attached to it (as in RING! RING! I'm out of beer!) with a growler of beer.

Click on this slide show to check out some fancy photojournalism. Note that the Virgin gets around as the evening progresses. No big surprise there.

Want to rent a house?

Chris and I are now on month three of renovating our Redford rental house for new tenants. (Know anyone who wants to rent a house?) The joys of home ownership multiply when you have more than one residence, as many of you, I'm sure, can attest. In our rental history, we've had the joy of non-payers, smokers, dirty hippies, screaming families and retirees. If it's not asking too much, we're looking for someone neat and quiet who can pay the rent. I'm tired of our former neighbor Kim bitching about the noise level of the tenants.


In the past, we've been able to go in, clean, touch up the paint and rerent. This time whistled a different, more demanding kind of tune. The house wanted refinished hardwood floors, modern but subdued paint throughout, new curtains, an updated bath and a brand new kitchen. This house must be a woman!

We painted the basement from head to toe to make a great space to hang out, installed brand new kitchen cabinets, countertops, and flooring, put ourselves at risk for lung cancer determined to continue to work and not lose those three days it takes to finish the floors, caulked the top, hung a new medicine cabinet, replaced the toilet, paid a plumber, washed windows, cleaned out the garage, painted the closets, installed new drapery hardware, suspended roman shades, dangled shiny chandeliers...I'm about ready to move in and file for bankruptcy at the same time. It's amazing how easy it is to renovate a house when you're not living in in. We're closing in on five years in our current house and though we've made great strides, we have a rocky, windy, but yellow-bricked road ahead of us.

Before finishing up the kitchen floor, Chris must solve the mystery of the leak under the kitchen sink. This very leak lead to the demise of the former kitchen, and we refuse to let it ruin this one. If he can't figure it out, we're planning just to light the house aflame.

Stuck on a deserted island

This NYE, Chris and I played course marshalls for the 39th annual Belle Isle New Year's Eve Run. With beers in our pockets and our hats pulled low, we nearly froze to death in the biting wind and dropping temps at the mile and a half mark. Considering all of the races I do, paying it back was the least I could do. Just as the last runner passed, a car did too, with the window down. The woman driving was in a panic. "I'm lost and I'm trying to get to Ohio!" she exclaimed. "I'm following my compass south but the roads around here just keep changing directions!" For a moment I thought she was messing with us. Chris and I tried not to snicker and put on our Mr. and Mrs. Serious masks. "Well," I began, trying not to lose it, "you're on an island right now---could explain the curvy roads."