What a Difference a Year Can Make...

Today marks the one year anniversary of when I decided to take exercising to the next level, to get serious, to make a lifestyle change. I'd joined Knoxville Beauty Hunters seven months prior at the time, and I wanted faster results, I wanted to be stronger, I wanted to have something to show for all my hard work besides the body weight resistance. I wanted weights. Bring on the muscle, bring on the dumb bells and barbells, the medicine and bosu balls, bring on the cardio and the never ending sweat. So on August 1 of last year, I took the leap and decided to "try out" a personal training session with Sarah (Beauty Hunter queen, soccer extraordinaire, leader of a local and free boot camp trying to redefine what's beautiful, and oh, also happens to be a personal trainer). I say "try out," because I knew at the time it was opening the door to an addiction. It's funny how before every class I still have 100 pulse rate because of how anxious I am about the coming workout. I cannot express how big of a difference I've seen over the last year when it comes to my strength and endurance. When I started KBH in January 2013, I remember my goal was to do an unassisted sit-up. Just one. Sarah recorded the first time I was able to it, about 2 months later (and I did four in a row - see video below!). My next goal was to do push-ups from my feet (not knees). That didn't happen for a few months after that. Now, I can do more push-ups and sit-ups than I can comprehend. I still hate plank and always will, but my point is hard work pays off. It shows. You can actually measure it. If you decide to stick to something, get rid of all the excuses, and actually refuse to take NO for an answer then it will happen. Yes, it takes time, but most things take time if they're worth it. It's been twenty months since the start of this journey and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Oh, and I gained a great friend who's changed my life in more ways than just physically. And, you know I just had to include photos :) ***Video might only work from a computer :(

Pre-KBH workouts showing arms and back

Early KBH days, upstairs in FUSE

Sept/Oct 2013 (Ooooo look at those arms and legs!)

October 2013 (Sarah posted my progress)

July 2014

Today :)

Had to include my Sarah!!

If you've ever considered making a lifestyle change, it all starts with one step. If you're in Knoxville, join KBH and Sarah's personal training classes. More info can be found HERE!!

Building a Raised Planter Box: 101

Since Rob and I can't just relax and enjoy our home, we decided to finally get around to building a raised planter bed in our backyard. We want to grow as many fruits, vegetables and herbs as possible to reduce our spending at the grocery store, so we packed them into an 8 X 4 foot area. First, we had to decide on the location. Most fruits and vegetables require at least 6+ hours of sunlight to thrive, so we chose the sunniest and most level area of the yard.

Potential area for planter box

Perfect spot!

Second, we bought all the plants, soil and lumbar needed to build it from scratch. We bought four 4X12' cedar deck planks, one 4"X4" for the posts, four 2"X2" stakes for the caging support, a package of 25' chicken wire to keep the rabbits away, a 50' soaker hose, ground liner, five bags of Miracle-Gro vegetable soil and twenty-five bags of topsoil. We started by cutting the 4X12' plank into 8' and 4' sections, and the 4"X4" into four equal sections for the corner supports. We dug 6-9 inches into the ground to bury our posts and drilled the boards into the 4"X4" corners. We laid the ground liner to keep out weeds, and staple-gunned it to the interior walls of the bed to keep it in place. Third, we drilled a hole into the planter wall and fed the soaker hose into the lined box. Now, the soaker hose can easily be hooked up to our expandable garden hose for easy watering. Next, we filled the planter bed with a mixture of topsoil and Miracle-Gro. Finally, we attached the stakes and chicken wire to deter rodents and pests from taking our bounty.

Lastly, we organized the fruits, vegetables and herbs into sections based on growing similarities. We also added a shepherds hook to hold tomato and strawberry topsy-turvies for added garden space. The result is a beautiful garden with a huge variety of produce, including cabbage, onions, broccoli, green beans, peppers (red, orange and green), cucumbers, zucchini, squash, an assortment of various tomatoes (Big Boy and cherry), strawberries, cantaloupe, chives, basil, parsley and cilantro. 

Before and after pic of the same area

Organized rows of produce

Variety of herbs

If you're looking to build your own raised vegetable garden, ours turned out fantastic! Can't wait to start harvesting!!

The Great Flood of 2014: Part Three

It took 50 days for our home to return to normal after our house flooded from a burst pipe in the ceiling. New floors and cabinets had to be installed, and the walls, ceilings, baseboards and trim had to be repainted. Finally all of our belongings had to be unpacked back into the kitchen, garage, dining and living rooms. I have to say, this experience had a silver lining to it, although living in a construction zone was very stressful. The overall atmosphere downstairs has transformed from a basic and dated approach into a modern, sleek and stylish area. The first photo below is of the original kitchen when we bought the house. After we moved in, we painted the cabinets and bought new handles. The final photographs are the current state of the entire downstairs.

Original kitchen when we moved in 

After we painted the cabinets (note linoleum "tile" floor, dated appliances, bulkhead in the ceiling, fluorescent overhead lighting)

Updated kitchen
(Bulkhead removed, new custom cabinets installed to the ceiling, hardwood floors throughout downstairs, can lights, new stainless steel appliances, pendant light)

Sleek and stylish kitchen! (stove was upgraded to gas, cabinet height and storage is considerably upgraded, original quartz counters were reused)

Butlers pantry

New hand-scraped engineered hardwood floors installed throughout

Powder room upgrades

New modern vanity installed

Dinet area

Living room (Yes, Rob is playing on his new Xbox1)

Dining Room

Wine bar in Dining room

A flood sensor has also been installed in the kitchen area to help keep an eye on the place while we are away from the home. Hopefully no more water damage from here on out! :) Thank goodness for insurance :) Hope you've enjoyed reading all about the Great Flood of 2014 as this completes the three part installment. Check back soon to see what landscaping we attempt this season.

The Great Flood of 2014: Part Two

On Friday, January 10 we awoke at 4:15am to catch our early-bird flight out of Knoxville. We barricaded our cats up in the master bedroom, and said adieu to war-zone downstairs. We arrived in Fort Lauderdale to board the Celebrity Equinox (same ship as our honeymoon) and learned our room had been complimentary upgraded from a window to a balcony room. We couldn’t have been more ecstatic! The next ten days were filled with sleeping-in, room service, beachfront naps, massages and tropical drinks. We still kept in touch with events and decisions being made back at home, but really enjoyed ourselves while we were away. The contractor and workers had started piecing our house back together from the day we left, so great progress was made in those ten days.

 

St. Thomas, USVI

Barbados

Champagne Coral Reef

Champagne Coral Reef snorkeling in Dominica

Hot Springs at Trafalgar Falls, Dominica

Dinner date with my love

When we arrived home on Monday, January 20^th, nothing could prepare us for what we saw as we walked in the door. The walls had been torn down to the studs, insulation was removed, and plastic was hanging everywhere. We were literally living in a construction zone, and still are! In the meantime, they’ve insulated and hung new drywall, replaced all baseboards, and painted all walls, baseboards, crown molding and trim. The new flooring has been acclimating inside for a week and they begin that project on Monday. We went shopping for all new appliances, and purchased items to be delivered next weekend. Lastly, new custom cabinets won’t be in for a few weeks, so this project will ‘be continued’ until I can unveil official ‘Before and After’ pictures. It’s been stressful planning a complete redo of your entire downstairs, but all-in-all it has a silver lining to the entire fiasco. Our insurance company, American National Property & Collision (ANPAC), has been awesome throughout this entire experience, and I can’t say enough positive things about the way everything has been handled. Afterall, we’ve only been homeowners for six months and now we will have a completely renovated downstairs. The first three photos are before the disaster, and can be read about here. Here’s some photos taken while we were gone and also the progress made this past week:

Note location of kitchen window as reference guide. To the very right of the photo is the back patio french door.

Butlers Pantry across from dishwasher

Long view of kitchen. To the left of the fridge is the garage door. Note fridge location (this is where the leak occurred in the ceiling/wall)

Studs and concrete slab floor exposed  (note window and french door location)

Kitchen window and looking where the stove should be

When we arrived home, drywall had been put up and the entire bulkhead removed (YAY!). You're looking at the garage door, and to the left the hallway containing the laundry closet and half bath.

Butler's pantry location (left door is the pantry and right door is the half bath)

Current living room view (old fridge and stove under plastic). Note new baseboards, newly painted walls and molding.

Kitchen window and french door

Kitchen view with garage door

Butler's pantry

Hallway into dining room

Half bath

View from dining room back into kitchen (Jack is very unhappy with the renovations)

Dining Room (new flooring in the boxes)

In living room looking toward front door and dining room

Reesie is also very unhappy with the current accommodations 

Stay tuned for the final installment, The Great Flood of 2014: Part Three!!

The Great Flood of 2014: Part One

Ok, I may be exaggerating using the term “Great Flood” to describe what occurred in the Westerling Residence on Tuesday, January 7, 2014, but it certainly was a great disaster of chaos. An arctic blast cold front had moved into much of the country, and Knoxville was hit with near record-low temperatures of negative degrees with wind-chill. I arrived home at 6pm from a severely exhausting arm-day at a personal training session to open my garage door and see a waterfall springing from my attic. It was picturesque, and as I sat in my car for a whole minute my brain tried to comprehend “Is this a joke?” and “why is it raining inside?”. When my wits finally returned, I tried calling my husband over the Bluetooth system in my car, but apparently the kind, female, robotic operator can’t understand the voice of a frantic woman! I reach over to start dialing the numbers manually into my phone (like some kind of animal!) only to cry out in pain from my sore, debilitating, T-Rex arms. I unlock the screen and start randomly pressing different apps (Facebook, Instagram – why won’t my fingers press the correct buttons?! Weather Channel, Photostream – I just wanna make a phone call!!!). Here’s where I’d say I must’ve been in shock, because for the life of me I couldn’t make myself unlock the phone and call Rob. I felt trapped with no way of communicating, putzing around while my garage continued to pour in water by the gallon. THINK MICHELE! I was finally able to select Rob and the phone began ringing…

View from my car (I still hadn't gotten out to see all the damage yet)

“How’s my sexy wife doing?” Rob exclaims as he answers the telephone. “Drop everything and GET HOME NOW!” I frantically yell. “Did a pipe burst?” he calmly asks, as if he can already see the terror through my eyes. “I’ll be home in 5 minutes, I don’t know how to explain to you where the water shut-off valve is,” he states, and then he’s hung up before I can say another word. Five or so agonizing minutes pass by, and I’m still sitting in my car twiddling my thumbs. Gah, at least it’s contained to the garage I think to myself as Rob pulls into the driveway. We both rush through the garage shower and open the door to the inside of the house, but nothing could prepare us for the horror awaiting us...

Collapsed ceiling and attic insulation

A shower was spewing water from the ceiling in the kitchen like some kind of geyser, and there was two inches of water pooling on the downstairs floor like an ice-cold water park. Utter chaos and shock as we waded through to the water heater closet to try and cut the water off to the house. As I squeezed myself into the too-tiny closet to reach the knob, Rob ran outside with a wrench and tools to turn off the water at the street. Once the water was off at both locations and it quit dripping from the bulkhead, we made sure the cats were ok (hiding upstairs and meowing like broken records, but safe). The entire first floor of our house was completely and absolutely flooded with at least two inches of pooling water; everything from furniture to area rugs was waterlogged. The house was built on a concrete slab, and this caused the water to have no escape to the outside. We stood there in absolute dismay as thoughts of who to call first passed through our minds. We divided and conquered like the great team we are J Rob called his mom and they worked on getting a restoration company to come and clean up the mess that evening. I called my parents and told them to rent a U-Haul so we could get all of our furniture out of the downstairs part of the house (maybe it could be saved!). Then, I called our insurance agent to relay the news. Lastly, I called every nearby friend I could think of to come and help us with all the work.

Hard to see, but lots of water!

Soaked rugs/floor

 Long story short, Reynold’s Restoration and Cleaning (RR&C) is the best company on the planet. Not only did they make a special trip for our house (Thanks to Nancy’s connections), but they got there quickly and started the cleanup process of taking up flooring, helping move furniture, and beginning the dry-out process. The RR&C team was timely, professional and courteous, and I would most definitely recommend them to anyone needing their services in the future. Wonderful friends and family also showed up to help move odds and ends into the moving truck and into safe territory upstairs. RR&C didn’t leave until midnight, and our house had transformed into a construction zone in just a few hours. Turns out the ice-maker pipe burst in the ceiling above the garage/fridge area and it kept dispensing water the whole day...

Flooring pulled up and commercial grade dehumidifiers turned on

Kitchen MESS

Floor being pulled up

Garage ceiling

Living room view with fans galore

Dining room

Reynolds Restoration & Cleaning

The funny part of this story is Rob and I were set to leave in just 3 short days for a non-refundable ten-day Caribbean cruise vacation. Great timing! In our final days before the trip, we scrambled to pick out new flooring and cabinet color (left cabinet style and other renovating details to Rob’s parents). We said BonVoyage! that Friday and left the winter turmoil for blue skies and beach!

Stay tuned for The Great Flood of 2014: Part Two!