Hi there to all who made it to New Year’s Eve of 2020! Let’s just say it was grueling to say the least. All the more reason to gladly leave it behind and start something new!
Since this year has been pretty isolating for everyone, let’s pretend we’re having coffee together at our breakfast table (which happens to have tulip chairs, by the way…google them if you don’t know what they are). I miss having coffee with people and sharing the little “nothing” details of life, so here goes. I’m having an eggnog latte, which I make with just a little eggnog and a lot of nutmeg to get the flavor but only half of the pounds (some pound gainage is a given if you’re into eggnog). The mug is from the 1940s.
Real quick…since we’re having coffee, you have to see how Clark is sitting on the stairs:
Anyway, it was an interesting year. On Christmas Day in Nashville, there was a bombing that knocked out all AT&T customers’ communication for three days, which meant that those of us with AT&T didn’t get to communicate with anyone at all unless they were already in our house or wandering around on the street nearby. My family is in Washington State, so I got to experience how much far-away family actually does count as family by sadly not being able to talk to or text them. Thankfully, our nearby kitchen showroom/design studio has Comcast, so when AT&T wasn’t restored by Christmas night, we found out we could call from the landline there.
Zoom became a bigger part of our lives, which is one part amazing and the other part cursed. By “cursed” I mean that it only works when I really don’t need it to. All the other times, a variety of new problems arise, making it difficult to communicate details with clients and frustrating for all. I even got a new computer with more power just to handle Zoom and our 3D drawings. The styling on this new laptop is way too manly and fierce, but I’m sure it’s appealing to the average gamer who likes to feel unstoppable. For me, I prefer the design to be a little less harsh and red and zig-zaggy.
Anyway, while on an important Zoom call recently, my super-high-powered fancy super-laptop succumbed to a freak internet outage (nothing to do with AT&T whatsoever) and dropped our call anyway. Here I am with its dragon-esque styling, before I knew it would ruin my call:
Zoom also has been fun for connecting with out-of-town family, which was, sadly, not possible over Christmas weekend.
In other news, business has been booming, thanks to the general public being forced to stare at their design problems and take steps to fix them. I think that’s a really good thing. I think home should be an enjoyable place for whoever lives there. Creating multiple enjoyable spaces within a home allows a person to not get tired of being home so quickly. In the event that we are all forced to not go anywhere in the future, it helps to have a home with multiple “zones”, where you can enjoy good lighting and comfortable seating; good workspaces and useful storage; enjoyable kid spaces in the event that you find your offspring home 24/7.
In order to manage multiple projects at one time, Dave and I have been spending a lot of time at different jobsites. We enjoy our dates in the car and our frequent stops at Starbucks (which is actually on my bad list because of their discontinuation of the gingerbread latte…shame, shame, SHAME). Our showroom has been mostly open by appointment, but we are also there frequently to work on things and to meet with clients.
This is me trying to get a good picture of my favorite Schumacher wallpaper, and for reference so we could plan the curtains for a bit later. The empty spot is getting a custom coffee bar made of alder. Schumacher wallpaper is so special and pricey that we didn’t want to put it behind the coffee bar/hutch area where it wouldn’t show! This picture was taken right before the rest of the kitchen was torn out. The cabinetry install is in progress as we speak (hence not getting any days off between last summer and now). This is going to be one of my favorite kitchens ever.
Our kids help us sometimes, too: this is our oldest, Judah. He’s 6 feet tall and 14, and loves getting paid for construction-related jobs. Here he’s throwing construction trash in the dump, which looks fun for a kid but he said it was actually smelly and disgusting.
This is Bennett, our 12-year-old daughter who adores cats and is a surprisingly great photographer. She’s also part monkey, and loves climbing trees and doorways. She and Judah both got braces this year, which is fun for any parent. Who doesn’t want to drop thousands of dollars in orthodontia all at once?
The Thompson kids are growing up. Bennett is just two inches shorter than me, Judah is just an inch shorter than Dave, and Deacon, who just turned 10, is over 5 feet tall now. It was only a few short years ago that they looked like this:
I really can’t believe they ever looked like that. Now, at 14, 12, and 10, they are almost adult-sized.
I should probably show them in their cute Christmas sweaters, though. If you’re a Thompson, you’re going to be wearing a Christmas sweater at some point.
Dave and I have them, too, but he wasn’t wearing his on Christmas Day:
They also got pink bunny slippers on Christmas Eve to make their holiday more festive (and we watched A Christmas Story to boot).
Oh yeah…and the biggest thing…I turned 40. I thought that was for old people but I have officially joined the club. I’ve heard I might as well enjoy it because it’ll only be downhill from here! Yikes!
I think that’ll be all for now.
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