HOME SWEET HOME

Hello All!!!

Well, we are in. Sort of. Day by day, more of our stuff comes in and makes this feel more and more like home. We still have a long way to go, but it is wonderful to finally be here. The wood stove keeps us insanely warm and works for reheating food... The view is incredible and waking up with the sun doesn't seem like a bad thing. Still trying to work out some kinks, but, we'll get there.

I had the joy of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the family. Aside from some slightly dry turkey, it was great. It was nice to be able to do it for the ones who have made this move possible. Enough said... More soon!

Big Love,

Sarah

FEELS LIKE HOME

Well, it looks as though we are destined to move in the cold. Andrew has been working his butt off to get this done. He has had to be carpenter, plumber, electrician and designer on this job. I will move in a blizzard to get into this house. The floor is done, most of the plumbing is done, the electric is in, most of the sheetrock is up. Ian's room is ready for painting and decorating. The rumor is that we will be hosting Thanksgiving here, but I don't see how. One thing about Andrew is that he has a tendency to get things done in the 11th hour. I love this house. I love the proximity to the nature around us and how close we are to Ian's grandparents. Every time I go to check on progress, I cry a little. My husband has built this house for us. Granted, he has had some help, but, mostly, he is there, alone, trying to get this done. For that, I am grateful. Thank you Bryan, Gene, Conlon, Tim, Nancy and Henry and everyone else for helping us get this far. My next post will be when we have moved in. In the meantime, I will be busy packing.

Big Love,

Sarah

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Well, the house is taking longer than expected. Big surprise? No. There is a lot that goes into building a house and Andrew is doing it all by himself. Plumbing, electrical, floor, windows, roof, etc...

The other thing he did by himself was a set of stairs. During our last conversation about how they should be, we had settled on something very simple and pretty boring. That's what I thought we were going with. I got a call the other day from Andrew saying that the stairs were done and did I want to come see. It was late in the day and I just wasn't that excited. I opted to go see them the following day. I brought my camera so I could take pics of another phase in construction. When I walked in, I saw this:

The stairs are made entirely from a fallen tree from the property. It was one he was going to use as a beam at one point. They are sturdy, comfortable and beautiful. The railing will be made out of recycled copper pipe. I have never seen a more beautiful set of stairs. Ever. I hope you all will get a chance to see them and use them. I never thought I would fall in love with a set of stairs. But can you blame me?

Big Love,

Sarah

RAISE THE ROOF!

Roof Guy. The panels are formed on site.

Halfway done and chimney in.

Hi Guys,

The roof has been completed since these shots were taken. Andrew says we will be ready to move in 2 weeks...

I'm having a hard time believing it. There is still a lot to do... but I know that when Andrew wants something to happen, it will get done... as long as we have the basics, the rest can be done while we live there... I'll do my best to keep up with pictures.

Big Love,

Sarah

A PERFECT DAY

Yesterday was a wonderfully perfect day. Coffee waiting for me when I got out of bed. Ian was in a fantastic mood as we had a special day planned. The roof was going up on our house and we had planned an afternoon at the beach. After puttering around in the morning, we went down to our house to watch the progress. There wasn't much as the metal roof guy showed up rather late. We got to see how the panels are formed from a giant spool of sheet metal. So cool. We left so the boys could get to work. Got home, had some lunch. Ian fell asleep for a little bit but woke up in time to get to the beach at the perfect time for full sun exposure without the fear of frying.
The beach is different here. In EH, you find your spot and guard it with your life. You don't talk to anyone unless you know them. Mothers are more interested in the ultimate tan than they are in making sure their kids aren't drowning. There is attitude. It's not the beach I grew up on where kids played with others and we played backgammon or made sandcastles or played kadima until it was time for dinner. Well, I have found that beach again.
Ian and I usually go to a little-known beach near Boothbay. It's a bay with tidal pools, rocks, creatures and enough sand to lay out a towel and spend the day. There are usually only a few people here. I forgot it was a holiday weekend. There were a lot of people there. I started to panic and almost turned around and went home. Then, I remembered we were in Maine. I was reminded of my youth on the beach. People were nice and friendly. Dogs were everywhere and not one was a nuisance. I sat in the sun and watched Ian play in the water, get completely sandy, make some new friends and it was good. It was very good. I look forward to spending days at the beach, now. Here, it's free, it's fun and it's fabulous. I miss the beach days of my youth. Now, I get to relive them through my son. I'm going to have to teach this kid to play backgammon, though.
Big Love and Happy Fourth!
Sarah

TIME FOR A QUICKIE...

Update, that is... Crazy time here. One house being renovated for the new owner. One house being finished for us to move into. One business started, and going well. Another venture on the horizon. Looks like I may be back in the leather business...Ian is great and continues to amaze me. Things are, well, nuts. Back later this week with a much, much longer post.
Big Love,
Sarah

Yeah....whatever

Okay...the road got longer, bumpier, icier....well, you get the idea. I wish I didn't preface every blog with, "I know it's been a long time..." As many of you already know, I got the axe from my job in Boston. It came just about a week after Ian told me that I shouldn't be working in that store. he said he didn't like it. Out of the mouths of babes...
So...now, I am back working for myself, though in a slightly different capacity. In the last few months of Maverick, a few designers really kept me going. Small, passionate, and incredibly talented. I have launched Rogue Representation and am working hard to get these guys in stores. I'm still selling the stuff I love, just without the overhead. It's been a little frustrating at times, but I see an insane amount of potential in this little venture. Andrew has been very supportive, as usual... Monetarily, I'm screwed, but this hasn't beaten me yet. As soon as deliveries are made, I get commission...
The wonderful part of this is that Ian and I are a team again. I missed him so much and was so consumed by that job, I really just put it all in the back of my head. We'll be moving out of the Hull apartment in April and really can't wait to be home. Andrew is busy getting the house ready to put on the market in the late spring. And then, we start finishing what will end up being our last house. At least for a while...
Andrew's dad has been through a lot and is home now and doing really, really well. This has been huge strain on every member of the family and it will be so wonderful to get back to the insane normalcy of the family VonFrank.
On that, I shall end. The shirt Ian is wearing above says it all. Prepare to be Humbled.
Big Love,
Sarah

IT'S BEEN A LONG HARD ROAD...

Well folks, here we go...
I have been MIA for a long time and, for that, I apologize. It has been an emotional and somewhat painful couple of months. After doing everything I could possibly do, I was forced to close Maverick in November. It was sucking me dry both emotionally and monetarily. I may never recoup the money I lost.. Maine is a very tough state to do business in and though the people and quality of life are both wonderful, that doesn't pay the rent. Or the creditcard bills, the gas, electricity, etc... So I was forced to try and get a job...
For any of you looking for a job out there and feeling like you are not getting anywhere, keep going. There were countless hours spent scouring craigslist, hotjobs, monster, linkedin, etc... I hadn't had to write a resume since I graduated college and hadn't been on a job interview in 20 years and I was SCARED! No one was responding. Long story short, I did end up getting a job. The problem was the location. I now find myself living in Boston.
The decision to move to Boston to work was hard, but the pay is so much better here and the jobs are out there if you look. We got a great apartment in Hull, which is about 30 minutes from the city. My job is great and being around people is exhilarating. I am managing a jewelry store in Copley Place. Not quite my thing, but I'm adapting.
The worst part of this whole move is that Andrew and Ian are still in Maine. The plan was that there would be a lot of back and forth on both parts and we'd keep it as "normal" as possible. Unfortunately, Andrew's dad ended up in the hospital with some major heart problems. Andrew and Ian stayed in Maine to care for the family and I went back as often as I could. Sometimes for less than a day. A month and a quadruple bypass later, Dad is back home and getting better every day. The boys came down to visit last week for a couple of days and now we can start figuring out a schedule. I miss my boys and am thankful that work is so busy that I am not allowed to think about Ian and how much I miss him for a period of time. He's been with me every day since he was born and that is the hardest part of this whole process. Thankfully he is with Andrew and Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Nancy and he's thriving and wonderful. Writing this is exhausting and I find myself missing Ian a ton. I will keep updating regularly and hope you are all well.
Big Love,
Sarah