A real welcome home treat!

Since the marathon, I have been very busy, so busy that I haven't ran since my little burst of energy on Election Day. I have missed the running quite a bit, but have created my very own masterpiece. While Josh was gone last year (2007) during one of his training sessions, a little idea popped into my head. I was cleaning the downstairs, annoyed because we always let that be the last area that got cleaned, but more so because I didn't think we actually utilized the space - just plain off white walls, with a lot of usable space! We had a futon, a couple of bookshelves, and a TV hooked up to a VCR and DVD player, but not to cable. The wheels started to turn...

I knew I wanted to do something special for his birthday, being that he was away, it was his 33rd and his birthday is on Veterans Day. So, how about a new TV...

I have always wanted a fireplace, so my parents bought this for our Christmas gift.

I decided I wanted to get rid of the futon and buy a real couch.

Of course, I couldn't have just a couch and I fell in love with this chair at Babies 'R Us on one of my shopping adventures.

Now that you have seen all of the "key pieces", here are some shots of the entire room, paint colors, and everything put together... Remember just off white walls before, no chair rail, no built-in!

Here are some pictures of the office...

The bathroom even got a fresh look...

As for Josh's reaction... Well, I scheduled this post to appear today. Hopefully, I got some great shots of his reaction and I will post those as soon as I can! Check back later...