Week 41 - Getting Ready for the Big Game

In Arizona, the best that football has to offer is getting ready for the biggest show of the year. The cables are getting run, the grass is freshly mowed, and the media frenzy is reaching a fever pitch. The Big Game is but a week away!

Here at St. Stan's, we know the feeling. It's nearly time to show off the fruits of our labor, and we're just as excited! Plans are being made, the last of the furniture and fixtures are heading into place (see the album for examples), and the intensity is running high.

In just one week, it's showtime!!

I'll have the official details of the Open House very soon, so stay tuned!

Week 40 - Finishing Touches

If you're a person who likes to watch home improvement shows, or even cooking shows, you understand the importance of the "finishing touch" -- the last few details added right near the end that really help make a design or a recipe look complete. Whether it's a throw pillow, a painting hung in just the right spot, a little bit of landscaping, or a garnish alongside the entree, these finishing touches add excitement and anticipation for the finished product.

This week, just as the Parish was putting the finishing touches on the Christmas season, the crew was busy adding finishing touches to the building, in the form of bathroom accessories, final cabinetry, wall sconces, and a good thorough cleaning of the entire building.

All of these help add to the finished look of the building, but none more so than the stained glass windows, which were installed this week. The original windows from the Blessed Angela Room have gotten a facelift, having been repaired and expanded to fit the building. A full set of pictures, including the stained glass, are available in the photo album.

While we're not quite done yet (there's still some trim, a few accessories, and some touch up work to be completed), we're getting close. Before long we'll be able to "Move that Bus!" and open the doors to reveal our Extreme Makeover: Parish Center Edition!

Week 39 - Labor Pains

If you're an expectant mother, Week 39 is an exciting week, because your baby can arrive any time. Even though you know there's going to be some discomfort and some screaming involved, you're on the verge of something great.

As it turns out, Week 39 is also exciting if you're building a Parish Center. Our baby has been growing week by week, and it's just about to full term. You can see this week's sonograms in the photo album.

Of course, before we can share in the joy of the new addition to our Parish family, we have to get through the discomfort and screaming phase, which will come any time now (next week, actually) in the form of the "punch list" of wrap-up items for our contractor to address.

We're on the verge of something great too. And we won't even have to worry about midnight feedings!

Week 38 - Feedback can be Yummy!

I get a lot of comments about the blog, and all of them are appreciated. But the strangest has to be the one I received this week from the makers of Dove chocolate candies. I can only assume this candy wrapper is feedback from my Christmas post:

This week, we moved ever closer to the completion of the building with a lot of visible successes, as evidenced in our photo album. There's the installation of kitchen equipment. There's the flooring, which is almost 100% done. There's the arrival of the office furniture. There's the activation of our plumbing systems. Lastly, there's the completion of our front patio ceiling, which just got finished today.

In another week or so, we'll be having our punch list walk through, which means occupancy can't be too far away. I'm getting excited -- not just because I'm anxious to throw open the doors, but also because of what this building means for our parish. Still, it's worth taking the time to get things done right now.

If we didn't, I'd hear about it...probably from another piece of candy.