Chapter 79: First Furniture Delivery

Today was a day of deliveries at our house, even though the contractors aren't quite finished with all of the interior work. Small details, like the moldings and the finishings on the spiral staircase, have yet to be done. We have been told that the interior should be complete by this weekend!


Our first delivery, the mattress, arrived at 8:45 AM. We felt bad for the men who had to carry the mattress up the stairs - they described it as a "wet noodle" because of how much it bent. We had an hour break before our next delivery, so we walked to the grocery store (about a 10 minute walk) to get a newspaper and some magazines for entertainment. When we got back we had about a half hour wait before the bed frame came. The men assembled it and we were able to put the mattress on it too (still in plastic wrap). Just as the mattress truck left, our last delivery pulled in! They dropped off a round, swivel chair on the second floor and the couch for the first floor. It was a successful day!

Chapter 78: Marathon

My friend and bridesmaid, Suzi, has convinced me to run the Las Vegas Marathon with her. We started training 5 weeks ago - Suzi found a training schedule that we have been strictly following. We started out running 13 miles the first week and we have slowly increased to running 17 miles (eventually we will be running 38 miles in 1 week!).

Last night we registered for the marathon, making it official - there is no backing down now! So far the running has been good for me - keeping me in shape and relieving wedding planning stress. Joe is supportive of the marathon training, probably because it gives him an excuse to go back to Vegas! :)

Chapter 77: More house pictures

The contractors getting close to finishing the house (at least the inside work)! Here are some picture messages that were sent to me today. We'll see it in person on Wednesday and we are very excited to do so!

Chapter 76: House pictures

Joe had a couple of meetings in Pittsburgh yesterday and stopped by the house to see what had been done since we had been there 24 hours earlier. Carpet is almost in and the plumbers have started to install the hardware:

Chapter 75: 2 Day Recap

Over the past two days, Joe and I have been very busy. On Monday, we drove to Pittsburgh to check out the progress on the house, as well as drop off some light fixtures we had purchased at Lowe's. We were happy to see that the house was full of workers. The molding was up on the 2nd and 3rd floors and many of the interior doors were up (or at least the hinges were screwed on and ready for a door). The carpeting will be put down tomorrow and the granite for the kitchen, along with all of the plumbing, should be done Thursday or Friday. Joe and I have a couch, chair and bed frame being delivered on next Wednesday. We can't wait!

Today, Joe and I brought our Moms with us to Pittsburgh for some wedding meetings. We went to All Occasions and saw the full table set up. We had the votives, plates, silverware put in place on top of our linens. The florist even brought flowers for the centerpiece so that we could get the full effect of how the reception tables will be. Next, we went to Phipps so Linda, the florist, could walk through the area with us and discuss some questions she had. Lastly, we went to Rania's Catering to have our tasting. We were all very hungry. We tried the salad, each entree and the cake. All of it was very good and we were very full afterwards!

These past two days have made us very excited about the next few months. Both the completion of our house and our wedding day are approaching fast!

Chapter 74: We have kitchen cabinets!

Joe had some errands to run in Pittsburgh yesterday and he decided to stop by the house. He was happy to see the following:

Chapter 73: Invitations!

We are going to get the invitations today! The woman we have been working with told us she has assembled 40 of them and is going to finish the rest today (she also said "they look fabulous" and we hope to agree!). I am going to pick up the 40 that are done this morning so that I can take it to the post office and get the correct postage. Then we will start putting them in the envelopes and putting the stamps on! We're very excited!

Also, our photographers, from [The Brand Studio], sent us a guest book that they made. It has our engagement pictures along with space for guests to sign - it looks great!

Chapter 72: House Pictures!

Joe and I visited the house yesterday to check on the progress that had been made while we were in Vegas. Here are the pictures:

The master bath with the vanity! The plumbers should come soon to add the hardware to it.

The hardwood floor and wall color on the first floor.

The office fireplace with floor moldings and part of a new door!

The concrete for the driveway and the stairs has all been redone. The outside of the house is looking good and the inside is not too far behind.

Chapter 71: Jay Leno

We are headed home from Vegas today. To celebrate our last night, we went to dinner and then went to see Jay Leno who is performing at the Mirage this weekend only! The show was opened by a doo-wop group called The Alley Cats. They were very talented and made for a good opening act. Jay Leno was very funny. His act was very much like his opening monologue on his show. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a good way to end the trip!

Chapter 70: Madame Tussauds

Yesterday Joe and I went to Madame Tussauds! Here are some of the pictures we took on Joe's iPhone (quality isn't the best).

Joe and President Bush.

Angelina Jolie is behind me but I think Brad and I would make a better couple!

Joe giving Tiger some advice on a tough putt.

George Clooney and I eloped!

Chapter 69: Granite

We did not receive pictures of the house so I guess it will all just be a big surprise when we get back from Vegas. However, here is a picture of the slab of granite that should be installed in the next week or two:


Also, unfortunately, Joe, Joe's dad and Bob all got busted out of the WSOP main event yesterday. Maybe next year...

Chapter 68: House Progress

We received an update on our house! A lot has been accomplished since we visited the house last week. The painting has been completed on all the floors, the hardwood has been installed on the first floor, and all the concrete work is finished outside. The plumbers are coming tomorrow, the molding on floor and doors should be put in this week, as well as the inside doors. We should be getting some pictures of the progress later today. We'll be sure to post them!

Also, Joe resumes his World Series of Poker play today. Good Luck.

Chapter 67: Main Event Update

All three made it through the first day! Although none of them are very happy with their chip stack. Everyone starts the day with 20,000 chips and by the end of the day this is how they each stood:

• Joe - 10,000
• Joe's Dad - 18,000
• Bob - 11,000

They will play again (Day 2) on Tuesday. A double up or two will put them in a much better position. If they can make it through Day 2 with a decent stack size, then they should have a good chance of making the money.

Chapter 66: WSOP Main Event

Joe, his Dad, and friend, Bob Preston (of Preston Auto) all headed to the Rio today for the start of the World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold'em event. This is the main event of World Series of Poker (WSOP) and there should be a large field of players (around 6,000 people). Last year, Bob did well enough to cash in this event. We hope that all three will be able to just as well, if not better, this year.

Happy 4th of July!

Chapter 65: House Disappointment

Yesterday, Joe and I made another trip to Pittsburgh to see the progress of the house one last time before heading to Vegas. Unfortunately, after our usual walk through we realized nothing had changed since the previous Monday when we last visited. There wasn't a speck of paint on the walls (let alone flooring), and the only thing that had changed was the fire boxes being placed in their appropriate positions.

We were very disappointed that the painting hadn't started; we had really wanted to see some good progress before leaving. We found out that the reason things had not gotten done was because the wet and humid weather was delaying the drywalling. So, the scheduled finish date may be pushed back a week and might not be done until a week or so after July 13th...