Muellers Home

Nick & I are waiting for the tip off for the Grizzlies home opener! Floor seats rock.

Lynette & I are waiting at the Memphis Orpheum waiting for Avenue Q to start!

We did a family project in early August to add stadium seating in the media room. This consisted of removing the carpet, building a riser (details later), putting in new carpet, then adding two rows of 4 Berkline theater chairs.

This really was a pretty fun family project. Nicholas and Danielle helped (yes, Lynette did too!). Here is a shot of Nicholas and me getting ready to start the project.

We were good and followed the rule of measure twice and cut once. It served us well.

RISER CONSTRUCTION:

The riser was constructed from 2X8s — just like building a wall with 16″ centers. The width was about 11 feet wide and the depth about 7 feet. To eliminate any issue with feedback from the three powered subwoofers spiked into the floor, I insulated it so there were no air gaps. I ran out of insulation at the very end, so I just took some carpet padding that was going to be thrown away anyway and filled in the gaps.

The next step was to add two sheets of 3/4 plywood on top of the riser. The plywood was glued down to the 2×8 studs, then screwed in to eliminate any future squeaking issues. If you look closely at the edge, you can see I added a 1.5 inch overhang to dress it up a bit.

In addition to helping to measure, cut, carry (in 100 degree heat) the wood from the garage upstairs to the media room, Danielle & Nicholas were a great help to clean up our construction mess.

Below are a few shots of the remodel project. First is a photo with no furniture and the new carpet. Then you’ll see the room in a couple of different angles with the black Berkline theater chairs installed.

If you have any question on how it was made, just let me know by adding to the comments. There are some great resources on the Internet — just search on Google. This was a great project and one that will provide countless hours of enjoyment!

Lynette & I are waiting for Alton Brown in the Celebrity Chef Series at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

Got in to Nashville last night and found our hotel room has a view of the football stadium. This is a quick shot (poor) of fireworks from the hotel room using the iPhone.

Lunch at Frontera Grill in Chicago! We had a delightful time in Chicago. Can’t wait to go back.

The Topolo margargita is just awesome.

This is a test from the iPhone.

Our wonderful Bailey died today. Her battle with cancer is over and she is at peace. More details later.

We spent July 4th in Ames, Iowa celebrating my parents 50th anniversary. The day was completed with a great fireworks display near the Iowa State stadium. Below are 4 of 206 photos I took at the fireworks. Click on the photo and you can see a larger version.

Our wonderful dog Bailey’s absolute favorite activity is taking a walk. After work, we’d come home and after dinner take a walk in the spectacular weather we’ve been having in the Memphis area (although admittedly hot and humid for a Sheltie). Bailey likes walks so much we’d have to spell the work W-A-L-K, because when we said that word, she would get all excited and would find her leash.

Unfortunately, in a really heart wrenching change, Bailey does still get excited if you ask her to if she wants to go on a walk. The bad thing is that at best, she makes it to the end of the patio or driveway. Then, she just looks up at us with sad eyes as if to say, “Mom, Dad, the thing I want most in this world is to go on this walk with you. But I just can’t. I hope you understand, and I’m glad you asked.” We still take walks, but somehow there is a serious void without Bailey.

Our only consolation is that Bailey’s next favorite thing to do is go on a family road trip with us. When it’s time to stop for fuel and a rest room break, she is the first to get out and absolutely pulls you back to the vehicle. No way is she being left behind! We have an upcoming trip to Minneapolis for our nephew’s wedding and Dean’s parents 50th wedding anniversary in central Iowa. We are looking forward to taking Bailey on that trip, with the knowledge it will likely be her last as the cancer appears to be advancing once again.

The other thing that has signaled a change is that Bailey often is walking and her legs simply give out. The phone rings, or the door bell rings, and in the past she could just run up a storm. Now, it is common where she gets excited and starts running, then her legs give out and she desperately tries to regain normalcy. While her past youthful spring is gone, we continue to be grateful that overall her quality of life seems to be good. She does have difficulty breathing, yet she is a happy dog and a happy part of our family. What more can we ask?

I can’t help thinking that while she is just a dog, Bailey could teach humans a thing or two about loyalty, unconditional love, and doing the best with what you’ve got. Seems to me, the world could be a better place if we’d learn some canine tricks.