Today we moved back into the house.  It’s been a long week.  Our puppies were kenneled separately, which meant the 12 year old Aramis was alone for the first time in his life.  Mowgli had to go to the vet since she is too young and doesn’t have her first full set of shots.  That wasn’t the plan but they seem to be ok. 

What caused us to be Marriott Courtyard residents for a week?  The first major house upgrade in preparation for sale; we had the floors refinished.  We had to move out because our entire first floor, minus the living room, has red oak floors.  We contracted with All About Hardwood based in Monroe, Ohio.  Other than a few minor issues, they did a absolutely wonderful job.  I would definitely recommend them.

The job took 6 days.  Day one was removal of quarter-round molding and carpet on the staircase and course sanding.  Day two was finish sanding.  Then a day for satin and two days for polyurethane.  Finally, a day of new shoe molding.  We have to wait 48 hours to move furniture onto the floor but its great to be back in the house and the floors look awesome. 

Reflecting on the week, there are a few items to reflect on.

Living in a hotel provides an easy opportunity to stray from effective routines.  I did get up only two out of four mornings to workout primarily due to lack of sleep.  I did not take time to meditate or organize my day.  It made the week somewhat chaotic and exhausting.  Maintaining my morning routine appears to be a really good idea. 

Although we stayed in a hotel, it wasn’t home, sleep did not come easy and, for what ever reason, the bar didn’t have Maker’s Mark for their Black Cherry Old Fashioned.  Yes, it was a sacrifice.  But seriously, goals and dreams require all kinds of effort and sacrifices, both large and small.  It isn’t always fun.  It isn’t always comfortable. Steadfast effort towards a goal requires focus, determination and always failing forward.  We have a long road to go before we are ready to move to NM.

Today I woke up early and got my walk in while distributing some political flyers.  We rescued Aramis from the kennel and took both puppies to Starbucks for some training.  Then we got their nails done at the PetSmart doggie spa and came home.  I trimmed some bushes and removed a rock pile from the back yard.  We also started to put the house back together.  17,679 steps today.  Not bad.

I will be posting more, hopefully nightly, to keep you apprised of progress toward the next phase.