Cindy and Ava’s dog passed away recently. Here is a picture of Simon, taken the night before.
Simon Hurlbert
10/23/1998 – 8/27/2012
“Simey” lost use of his hind legs about 10 years ago, but that never stopped him from scooting around and being very active. He was and will always remain a cherished part of the family.
Our hearts go out to Cindy and Ava for their loss.
We almost didn’t go, as Papa Ken was having surgery, but as his recovery went well, we decided to continue with our plans.
We drove to Pasadena on the day after Independence Day, and had a great visit with Papa Gale and Grandma Cindy. Hope got to experiment—and climb, jump and crawl around—at the Children’s Science Museum near the Rose Bowl. That night we went out for teppanyaki.
The following day, Saturday, Lisa, Hope and Kane visited Disneyland and California Adventure. We had an awesome day, it was busy, but not too busy, and we got to ride most of the kiddie rides. Hope fell asleep in the stroller for about two hours, and then got her second wind.
Thanks to Gale and Cindy for everything!
Yes, as many of you may already know, we bought a house in South Scottsdale last August. It is in a beautiful and established neighborhood, single-story, built in the mid-sixties, very near downtown Scottsdale. Aside from all the amenities of being near it all, we were lucky to find a home on a cul-de-sac: a very important factor when you have a three year old. It has a pool, a fireplace, a large stand-alone garage facing the back alley, and a car-port facing the front (which we have closed off and are converting into a laundry area, a playroom and an office).
It’s an older home, and needed some work. We converted the yard from rock to grass, added trees, a box garden, and a sprinkler system. Lisa’s dad Ken has been invaluable in the renovation. We have opened up the interior, added all new fixtures throughout, new cabinets, vanities, a totally new kitchen with all new appliances, and we removed the carpet and old tile and replaced the flooring with new tile and wood. Ken expanded the master bath—which was a plumbing challenge only he could have done—so we have the modern luxury of twin sinks and a large beautifully tiled shower.
When all is said and done, we will be in our dream home.
We will have a play room for Hope, a kitchen with granite counters and an island for Lisa, an office for Kane, and a guest room for visitors.
Other News
· Oma Tahoe is turning 90 this year, and it looks like a big shindig is building up for the Davis family to celebrate in Tahoe late this summer.
· Kane’s parents visited Arizona last November, and we had a great time. We were hoping the home renovation would have been finished by then, but, as things like that go, it was still very much in progress. Gisela and Gary visited first, then a week later Gale and Cindy dropped by. They both got to see what our vision is for the new house. And they both got to spend time with us and lil’ Hope.
· Special Thanks to all that have helped in our home renovation: Ken the Contractor; Barb the Advisor and Landscape expert; Teresa, Cindy and Laurel for babysitting Hope many, many times; Kane’s parents for financial advice and assistance; Tom for all his handy-work; and Michael for, well, being Michael.
I just want to post an update on what Lisa, Hope and myself have been doing lately:
As you may know, we did finally buy a house here in Scottsdale, a nice older home in a great, established neighborhood. It has a pool, a garage facing a back alley, a carport in front (which we are closing off to make into a playroom and office) and it is on a very quiet cul-de-sac. We are less than a mile away from Lisa’s sister Teresa and about a mile or two from her brother Bart’s family. It is a great location for being central to so much activity, parks, downtown Scottsdale, Fashion Square, the Civic Center, etc.
We have been renovating it over the last two months and will likely move in November. We are doing a lot of changes to both the interior and the yard: opening up the kitchen / living area, expanding the master bathroom, all new fixtures, cabinets, granite counters, tile and wood flooring. We are closing the carport to make an office, a playroom, and laundry area. The gravel has been removed (whew!) and we will add grass to the front and back, as well as some trees and a small garden.
Lisa’s dad Ken has been really instrumental as our contractor, and her mom Barb has been a great adviser. When all is done, I am sure we will have the home of our dreams.
I will keep you all updated as time goes on!