Author: Conrad
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Sharing
Violeta and I have been planning this move in differing degrees of seriousness for the last seven years. We’ve only began to be really serious about it about a year ago, when we planned the apartment-buying trip. All of the other events in our lives, looking back, have contributed to this leap and have helped…
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The best laid plans…
from “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns (1785) … But Mousie, thou art no thy lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy! Still thou are blest, compared wi’ me! The present only toucheth thee:…
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Apartment Prep
Well the kitchen’s done! After many emails back and forth to the contractors, the counter people and Dan, Vio’s brother, who oversaw the whole thing, it has come together. All of the appliances are installed, the water runs both hot and cold, and the cabinets are all the same color. We really couldn’t have stayed…
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Pinnacles
Well, we made it back from camping in one piece. Aside from the oppression of bugs and heat, I’m convinced that you need more than one night for a proper “reset” (without the former of course). Regardless, we had a good time and it was an experience we’ll remember… The scenery was dramatic and the…
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The Calm
There is a sort of surreal quietness to our daily lives these days. I mean, once you remove the inherent stress of working jobs, financial obligations and family; those will always be around. I mean, the underlying rhythm of life as it stands at the moment. We enjoy (and are even spoiled) by the weather…
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Camping
Tomorrow we will be driving down to Pinnacles National Park to go camping. We both love to be in the outdoors, but have not made the time to really take time off to enjoy camping more than a couple of times since we were married in 2007. It’s really a great way for us both…
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What If
I’ve never thought of myself as necessarily insecure. I’ve rarely second-guessed myself in my adult life, even if my choices have sometimes ended negatively. If they do, I try to roll with it and learn from my own mistakes. But recently, my mind has been mired down with thoughts of “what if”. I’ve let them…
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The Kitchen
We’ve finally gotten an update from the apartment. The cabinet maker has been working away at installing the “furniture” or framework for the cabinets and we have pictures! The fronts and sides of the cabinets will be birch veneer, the countertop (image below) will be a dark brown marble with white accents, which we hope…
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Oakwald, Canandaigua & Irondequoit
Some selections from our trip. Beautiful memories and new friendships forged.
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Conclusion & Beginning
We just returned from my grandfather’s memorial service and wake. It was an emotional time for many of us. Heinz Conrad had few friends, but steadfast ones, and reconnecting with them, my cousins and my great uncle Conrad’s family was the highlight of the trip. I had met “the other” Conrad Altmann only once, when…
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Garage Sale
We’ve tackled a lot of large and difficult decisions in the last few months: Deciding to pursue adoption, deciding to spend all of our money on an apartment half a world away, leaving that apartment less than two weeks after purchasing it and leaving much of the work to be done sans us. As the…