I must say that going to the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show can be well, overwhelming, if you are a “newbie” like I was.  The convention was held in Chicago, Illinois which has to be one of my favorite cities. When Matty asked if I wanted to go how could I say no! We had one day to conquer the “floor” and Matty had a very wise plan to tackle the massive task, take in row by row!

Where to begin?

Cambria is one product that we all cannot stop talking about. Cambria is a family based company that manufactures quartz countertops in northern Minnesota. Quartz countertops are made of engineered stones that are uniform in appearance. The mineral quartz is mixed with resins and binders. Color is added to achieve the desired look. A sample that you see in a showroom should be similar to what is installed.  Cambria has taken quartz countertops to a new level with their unsurpassed color innovation.  They are producing new slabs that do not compare to what other companies produce.
Ladies watch out! The glitter and sparkle will make you think that there are diamonds in the slab. Some of our favorite colors were: New Quay, Praa Sands and Waterford. For more information about Cambria and there selection of awesome selection check out their website www.cambriausa.com.

Lustrolite is another product that we are supper stoked about! Lustrolite is a unique blend of polymer manufactured to deliver a high gloss decorative panel for bathrooms and showers. It can be used as a floor, tub surround, shower walls just about anywhere you can use tile. This company offers unique color options that can jazz up any bathroom from the walls to the floors. It is easy to clean and will not scratch or lose its color over time. It can also be installed onsite with typical wood cutting tools. Colors can vary from neutral beige to a vibrant red and a glacier teal. This unique product is something that we are excited to use in the right space! For more information and pictures check out their website at www.lustrolite.com.

In the plumbing this year we noticed a trend in Matte Black finishes. Kohler, Brizo, Moen, Delta and American Standard all provide the Matte Black finish in just about every style. From modern to traditional, if you want a Matte Black plumbing fixture there is one out there for you!

Laminate has always been a more affordable option for countertops and surfaces. One problem manufactures have had in the past is in the edging where the laminate crates a seam. Well this year we noticed more than one manufacture showed a new style of edging to help reduce this seam. Formica is calling it the Ideal Edging, offering two styles an ogee and bluenose edge.

There was a lot to see at KBIS this year. From plumbing to solid surfaces and I cannot wait to see what the industry comes up with next.

2012 International Builders Show – Sunny Orlando, FL.

Mike Criswell and I walked the floor for 3 days searching for the best new products on the market to use in our new custom homes. Our main goal was to find better products, new tools, and to get a fresh perspective from suppliers on the use of these products that would help our homes become even better! Mission accomplished. Here’s some of the best of the best that we’re excited to use in the near future:

• WinDoor & Windows – hi-end sliding glass doors. Great for hurricane & severe weather markets.
• CAMO Quick Fasteners – the name says it all.
• CIRRUS Ventilation Systems – modern & almost invisible solution to your kitchen vent hood.

I’ve realized that the passion and excitement for custom building still burns strong within the TEAM!!!

Porter, my dog, and I have a great love for the beach, he likes to chase birds, play with other dogs, dig and will chew just about anything! I like the ability to enjoy both my passion for the beach as well as my puppy Porter. We live in an area that surprisingly to me, has no dog parks. There are so many rules and regulations about when and where we are allowed to have ours dogs, that when we are allowed on the beach we take advantage. October 1^st is the first day of the “off-season” that we are allowed to have our dogs on the beach any time of day.  In Rehoboth however, your furry friend still has to be on a leash. If you go to Dewey, your dog does NOT have to be on a leash. I do not live “in-town” Rehoboth, so I drive to the end of the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk (Prospect Street) and walk into Dewey (to the right).  During the week I am usually on the beach after 5:30 pm, but on the weekends I am there by 8:00 am.  In the “off-season” it is easy to find a parking spot, but “in-season” (May 1^st to September 30^th) if you do not have a Rehoboth Beach Parking Permit, make sure you are off Prospect Street by 9:30 am or you will be ticketed! Also, in the “off-season” you can pull up let your dog out unleashed and walk to the beach, not the case during the “in-season”. In the mornings there is usually a Police Officer that sits at the end of the Boardwalk to make sure that your dog is leashed and that you walk TOWARDS Dewey beach. Rehoboth Beach law says your dog has to be leashed and curbed at all times, no matter what season it is.

Sometimes we like to take Porter other places around town that we can enjoy him “off leash”. One place that we found that is completely gated is the Little League Fields, off Holland Glade Road. Not all dogs can go off leash and come back on command. The Little League Fields allow Porter and his friends to play off leash, in a safe enclosed environment for them. If you do go to the fields just make sure to clean up after your dogs. There is more than one field there, so we try to stay on the back field that is not used as much as the front two. We also try not to use the fields when there is a game going on. We try to get there early in the morning when the fields are not in use.

There is one more place where you might find Porter and me, which is Rehoboth Elementary School. They also have multiple closed in fields that we can use. Once again, I do not use them when kids are in school using them. When they are not in use I use them as well as during the summer months. However, there are other leagues that like to use the fields as well. I try to make sure that there is nothing going on when I am there with Porter and his friends. Just make sure you clean up after your furry friends!

There are other places that Porter and I like to go, but we need to stay on leash. One that is convenient to me is the Junction and Breakwater Trail; this is a bike path that connects Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. This is a trail that is considered a state park, and your dog must be on a leash unless otherwise specified. There are areas in the state parks that allow dogs off leash. There will be specific signs that say where and when you’re allowed.

There are few places we can go and enjoy our furry friends; if you do go to these places make sure you clean up after your pet. If we do not take care of these places we will not be able to use them.

I have long admired the quaint story book homes big and small in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.  So last Sunday I  jumped at the opportunity to spy inside a few on a neighborhood tour.

The 8 houses ranged in age from the early 1900’s to the late 1950’s.  Architecturally they ran the gamut from Spanish and Georgian Revival, English, Victorian and Craftsman, but by far the most exciting stop on the tour for me was a home designed by modernist architect Richard Neutra in 1959.

Over the past 5 years, the house has gone through a major renovation to restore as many of its original features as possible.  A labor of love, the current owners have done extensive research to help aid them in their quest.  Nestled in a secluded, wooded area just steps from the local University, the Hassrick house is an excellent example of the International Style Neutra is so famous for.

From street view the house appears as an unassuming solid blocked massing similar to that assembled by a child with wooden blocks.  It is this simplicity that makes the modern style of this home so appealing. Neutra’s thoughtful design sensibility creates a flowing open floor plan.  A quick tour around the perimeter of the home reveals the architects goal of blending interior living spaces with the natural setting while retaining  the privacy of the inhabitants. Neutra used the term “biorealism” to describe his work, emphasizing the relationship between man and nature.  The rear private elevation of the home is created by a floor to ceiling 40’ wide monumental sliding window, opening seamlessly to blur the lines between inside and  out.  This theme is repeated in the bedrooms lining the rear of the structure.  Though a home like this is not for everyone, you can’t help but admire the bold choices the architect made and the trust the homeowner placed in him to create the design. As you walk around the natural setting it is hard to believe the hustle and bustle of center city Philadelphia is just a short 10 minute drive away.

It was interesting to note and hard to ignore on this beautiful Fall day, though all the homes on the tour were unique in their own ways, nature was important to each and every one of them.  From small postage size patios on the traditional Philadelphia row homes to the sprawling private back yard oasis of the Hassrick house, one cannot deny the importance of having an outdoor space to call your own.

I can’t think of a better way to spend a crisp beautiful October day.

Last week my husband and I discovered this beautiful nature trail right at sunset.

Overlooking Gordon’s Pond. If you look closely you can see the towers on the beach.

The view from the look out platform. At Sunset this is the perfect spot to see the Atlantic. This is also a favorite to bird watchers!

Looking west toward Cape Henlopen State Park the sun goes in for the evening.

As we were leaving the ducks were enjoying themselves in the twilight colors of the sunset.

I just got back from another 10 days in Nicaragua. It felt good to be back in a country that I really have started to love. The atmosphere alone is worth the trip. I almost always travel with my brother (Joel) as well as our good friend Paul. When I arrive in the capital city of Managua I stepped off of the plane into an instant wall of heat. Since we traveled in May I hadn’t experienced much heat yet on the East Coast so it is always an adjustment to step into 90 degree humid air straight off of the plane. I welcome the temporary thermal shock though. The Managua airport is small despite being the main airport for the country. I am always greeted with pleasant faces of the local people and am glad to see things similar to when I last visited.

I had a driver meet us at the airport to take us to our final destination, Playa Santana. Its about a 3 hour drive from the Managua airport and I couldn’t imagine trying to navigate some of those roads on my own. A good portion of the drive is on dirt roads and through undeveloped green rolling hills so it is great scenery along the way.

This is the first time staying at this particular “hotel” and the location couldn’t be better. I could throw a stick from the restaurant (that is part of where we are staying) and hit the water. Our room is 14 dollars per night after splitting it three ways. The accommodations aren’t the cleanest I’ve ever stayed at but the location certainly made up for it. I put hotel in quotes simply because this building started out as a local farmers house and they have simply added on to it so that they could rent it out to surfers that travel here.

We stayed there for 8 straight days and never really left the immediate area. Honestly we didn’t really have a reason to. We surfed 3 times a day, ate incredible meals and slept in hammocks next to the ocean every single day. As always, it was just what was needed.

Part of the reason that I visit out of the way destinations is because I appreciate being fully disconnected there. There is no cell phone service, Cable TV or anything to connect with the outside world that we so easily are connected with in our everyday lives. To me this time of disconnect enables me to get refreshed for my return when I will be instantly back on the treadmill and it enables me to perform that much better in my daily life.

When I got back I was thrilled to see my family. I wish they could have been there with me (that was the only real downside to this trip). My wife did an amazing job of juggling all of the family duties but was definitely grateful to have me back in the picture to help out. My daughter was awake and waiting for me when I got home at 3 in the morning. I loved seeing both of their faces as I walked in the front door.

I’m sure I’ll be back again soon and I look forward to another visit to the beautiful Playa Santana.

I spent the first week in St. John, USVI to celebrate the wedding of my best friend Chad and his lovely wife Alena.  I was honored to serve as best man.  There were over 30 people from Rehoboth Beach there for the wedding.  With a group that large we took over any spot we went to and we had a great time!  We spent one day boating throughout the British Virgin Islands including a trip to the Baths in Virgin Gorda.  One of the most fun and relaxing vacations in years!

The Wedding Party

Bride & Groom

Groomsmen

St. John

2010 Lifesaving World Championships were held in Mamora Beach, Egypt. I was honored and proud to be one of the twelve selected to represent for the United States in this year’s worlds championship. The Lifesaving World Championships consist of beach and pool events. My main events are on the beach. I compete in beach flags, the open 90, the 4×100 relay, rescue race and taplin race.

Out of 72 competitors in the beach flag competition, I placed 5th in the world. I was very excited about this accomplishment.

Me & my trainer Harrison

The USA National Team

Winning a flag

In the heat

Dana, Harrison and me

The rescue race

The pool

The medal winners

Egypt was truly an amazing experience. I was glad to see that part of the world. Even though my favorite part about this trip was the competition, visiting the pyramids was breathtaking.

I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to compete and build friendships throughout the world. Being part of the US team over the years has allowed me to see the world, experience different cultures and find life long friends.

Holding the Pyramids

Just another day at pyramid

Me at the Pyramids

My buddy Rayli from South Africa

Palace street

The camel

Our tour guide

Beautiful sunset