2012 End of Year Blog

Since I missed the annual Holiday blog, I thought I would make this a recap of another amazing year of my life. Where to begin...... 2012 was another incredibly busy year for me. Swimming, work, friends, family and more has kept me happy and challenged this year.
I completed my 8th year as one of the Wayzata girls swim coaches. As always there is drama with the girls, but this year we marched on and were able to finish our season with a 2nd place finish in the state. The highest ever during my coaching career. We were thrilled but even more excited about the young talent we saw emerge for us this past season. Year nine looks like it will be a good one.
Work is work, what can I say. People know my passion i have in all I do, and that goes for my work as well. This year saw some great advancements for me and my team at work, and at the end of the year I was able to earn another role and get back to working with some of our best product. I cannot wait for the new challenge, and to get back to some amazing rides around the US and hopefully more.
My friends and family continue to grow and challenge me to grow. I was able to spend a week with Sara, Dom, Adam and Henry this past spring. It was a great trip to just relax, see a beautiful place, and catch up with my California family. My family closer to home grew a lot this year as well, mainly Myles and Gwyneth. They are not 3 and 1 years old and are so fun to watch over the year.
The other special people in my life are still there, and I struggle as life and everything else get too busy to make sure I stay in touch with those people. In 2013 I will make an effort to reconnect or stay connected with those who are so special to me.
In conclusion, I have never been happier. I am fulfilled in so many areas of my life and am truly blessed by the gifts I have been given and the people who have been brought into my life. I hope I can stay healthy, driven and as happy as I move into the new year.
Happy new year everyone and hope your 2013 is a wonderful year for you.

Progress....

June 20, 2012- One wall done, two to go! Grout is up in the shower and I should finish the rest tonight and tomorrow night. Vanity and linen closet are being installed as I type, and plumbing will be done on this wall below today! Look for more updates later today.

The Tiling is Done! Now the Fun Part...

June 13, 2012- After a night of attempting to tile my shower, quickly came to two realizations.

1. I had some big-a$$ tile and it was not cooperating with me at all!

2. I was not going to risk messing up such a major part of my bathroom, so in came my new buddy, Ross the tile guy.

Today Ross spent just over 6 hours tiling the shower, with my NEW tile I picked out. Check it out, I think it looks great. Now the fun part, grouting. got some pointers from Ross and will tackle that project Sunday.

Last night I was also able to finish the painting and switching out my fan in the bathroom. I installed a new fan/light combo and it turned out great!

Now I am on to the finishing phase. The vanity and linen closet will be installed next week. Plumbing will be finished in one week. Trim will get done tonight (maybe).

The end is in sight! Check back soon.

We Have a Finished Floor!

May 23, 2012- The grout is in! Last night I was able to grout the entire floor. It is coming along nicely. I am really happy with the look of it. Tonight or tomorrow I will seal the grout lines, then call it done. Next up is painting, some trim work and then tiling the shower. Vanity and linen closet are in the works and will be installed in about 3 weeks. Then another two weeks for the countertop and sink to be installed. Progress, while slow, is still progress!

We Have a Floor!

May 22, 2012- A couple weeks ago I started by laying the orange subfloor. That was a super easy process and I didn't have to worry about having a perfectly level floor. Since then, it has taken a few evening to get the rest of the tile cut and laid. Last night I put the last pieces in place.

Straight lines so far!

The final pieces are in place!

Tonight will be the grouting of the entire floor, and then on to the shower!

Almost Ready to Tile

May 7, 2012- This past weekend saw some great progress. The entire room is mudded, sanded and now primed. Last night I cut the subfloor material I will be using under the floor tile. Now tonight I need to mix up some thinset, mud the floor and apply the material. Should be a fun, hopefully non-messy project. Then it is time to tile the floor so the cabinet maker can get in and measure what he needs to.

I am having a painter come in to paint the ceiling and do a knock down finish. Need to get that done soon so I can move to tiling the shower once the floor is done.

Progress... as slow as it may be is still progress.

My archenemy has returned..... Drywall.

May 4, 2012- Well, it's time of the project again. Mood swings, sweats, some cramping (in the hands), and ibuprofen needed at the end of the night, yes, it's time to drywall, mud and tape!! I don't know what else you would have thought I was talking about. This week has been about drywall. I got the wall up and 3 new walls covered, and finally last night was able to patch the ceiling. After multiple trips into the attic, it looks pretty good after the first coat of mud.

Ceiling patched and first round of mud.

Popcorn all down and ready for mud and priming.

New wall up, ready for some primer and paint!

Next steps are to sand, touch up and last minute areas and get priming. I hope to start tiling the floor this weekend so i can get the cabinet guy in to measure next week and start building those.

Good progress, but slow as always. Check back soon for more. Have a great weekend!!

We Have Walls!!

May 1, 2012- So after finishing the floors over the weekend, the plumber was in on Friday and roughed-in all the plumbing and installed the tub! Mom and dad came down over the weekend to help with the next phase.

Insulation and ply went in on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday, cement board went up inside the tub- thank you Jamie!!

Monday, drywall was put up to finish off the walls.

Now on to mud, tape and finishing the corners.

Tile showed up Monday as well. Lots of small steps to go, but things are coming along nicely.

Moving Along....

April 30, 2012- Progress is happening, but slower than I would like. What has happened since we last touched base:

Old floor was tore up and revealed rotten part of the floor. I cut out the bad spot and patched it up with new plywood.

I tore out the toilet and vanity and that let me get rid of all the scrap material in a couple days. Full demo only took about a week total. I ordered a Waste Management Bagster. All flooring, walls, vanity, toilet, sink, shower, tub, etc. fit in the bag. I filled it. They picked it up. Awesome product. Saved me a few trips to the local dump or filling my garbage can for the next 2 months.

So now that the floor and room is cleared, I started to lay in the next layer of flooring. I needed to add a 1/2" plywood to support my tile floor. Thanks to Kate for helping me with the flooring!

More progress made today and last weekend. Look for those updates later this week!

Why Is Destroying Stuff so Fun??

April, 2012- Let the demolition begin! I started tearing into my upstairs bathroom last week. Didn't take long to have it down to the studs and floor. Thanks to my trusty Sawzall and some pent up aggression, the bathroom came apart quite nicely. Minor setbacks along the way are to be expected, but so far, all is off to a great start. Below are some pictures of the demo and current state.

Plumbing out. Ready to Destroy it!

Sawzall makes it easy! And quite enjoyable, but watch out for that electrical...

Getting there.....

Oops.... Seems we have an issue here.

Time to cut out some floor and patch it up.

Electric and plumbing are going in today. Tile arrives next week. This thing is moving! Check back for more updates soon.

Fourth Annual Holiday Blog is HERE!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. As I sit back and look back on the past year that is a blur, I can only smile as I think about the blessings this year bestowed on me. I have again been blessed with a new edition to the family, Gwyneth. To say she is one of the best babies I have ever seen would be an understatement. She is my kind of gal. Stay quiet, whine a little if you are hungry, and sleep whenever you feel like it! We get along just fine me and Gwyn.

This year was another one for some fun trips. I started out 2011 in Rome with Katie and Kelly. Had a wonderful 2 weeks in Europe to start the year. I returned to take on a new role at work. I have never been so challenged, frustrated or proud of the work I have done. I guess that’s really all one can ask for. I am truly blessed by the talent I am surrounded with and am thankful the opportunities they have afforded me. But we all know work is just work and life is the bigger picture.

I was fortunate to get to see my California family earlier this year. The boys are growing so fast. I surprised them with a visit and loved their faces when they realized Aunt Beth was there. I miss them and hope their family has a tremendous Holiday season as well.

This fall I had one of the most enjoyable weekends that I’ve had in a long time. Sara was inducted into the UW-Eau Claire athletic hall of fame. I was so proud of her. But the best part of the weekend was having our immediate family together. I cannot remember the last time it was just 5 of us. It was such a treat to simply make fun of each other, laugh and love all weekend. Truly blessed.

For the end of the year, I had one more big trip planned. Mom and I had talked a few years ago about doing a trip to London one day. This year we made it happen. Over Thanksgiving we spent 10 days in London, Paris and Scotland. It was an amazing trip. Mom and I are awesome travel companions and the places we saw were truly spectacular. I had never been to Scotland and already have the bug to go back someday. Thanks mom for taking the time and travelling with me, could not have had a better way to wrap up the year.

Along with an amazing family, I am blessed with some pretty amazing friends. This year I got to see Emily, Lars and meet Kaia. I always have the great friends who are close to home who keep me sane most of the year. I cannot thank all of them enough for what they add to my life.
So as I look back at 2011, I can only sit and smile with contentment. Life is good. My wish for all of you is that yours is the same. I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas season with your friends and family. 2012 will be a new adventure, and I welcome it with open arms.
Love to all.
Beth

Newest Shimanski!

October 19, 2011- Gwyneth Louise was born a little over a week ago. Steve, Gretchen, Myles and Gwyneth are all doing great. I was able to get over there the first two nights at the hospital to meet the little lady. She was born with a full head of dark hair. I spent one day this weekend hanging with their family and had a blast. Gwyneth was sweet, slept a lot and never fussed. Myles was in his own world and I had a lot of fun playing with him. He is talking more and more and is so entertaining. Check out some pictures and a video of Myles singing and dancing.

London BABY!!

This was my second trip to London. I loved my first trip and could not wait to see the city again and explore some new areas. We were also very excited to have tickets for one of our favorite musicals, Wicked. Kelly had never seen it but it was my 4th time and Katie's 3rd. Just as good this time around. But enough about that, let's get to the highlights!!


We started out with a traditional pub close to our hotel. It was awesome. Last time I was in London I was solo so I did not venture out much at night or visit any pubs. So this trip was really cool to get to experience the British Pub. We each started with our version of what the experience should be. Katie and I, fish and chips and peas with a pint of English beer. Kelly, what else, Guinness. It was a cute joint and a great way to start our time in London.

The next day we were off for some sightseeing. We started at the Tower of London. The Beefeater gave us a great tour and history of the place. Such a rich history in one area. I loved it, especially the Traitor's Gate and tyring to picture Anne Boleyn or some prisoner's being brought into the fortress from the Thames River. I am kind of a dork for stuff like that, plus I got hooked on the Tudor's series so it was pretty cool for me.

Then we hiked along the river for an hour past the Globe Theatre and eventually ended at Big Ben. Then we grabbed some lunch and rested up for our night out at Wicked. I could see that musical every day!! it was incredible.

The next day we were off for Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath. A trip that took almost 12 hours. It was a great day, some good sights and great adventures.

When in Rome....

From Barcelona we headed to Rome for 3 nights. It was our First full day in Rome was New Year's Eve. The city was alive with tourists and people celebrating the new year. We started our day by taking the subway to the Coliseum stop. Walking up the stairs to the street, we literally walked out at the doorstep of the Coliseum. I walked across the street in awe staring up at the massive structure.


After touring the Coliseum we walked through the ancient ruins, strolled through town and made our way to some great Italian pizza! We sat next to the woodfire stove so we got our za's hot and fresh.


From there we went to the Pantheon, some amazing squares, Trevvi Fountain and finally the Spanish steps. We decided to go back to our apartment, rest and head back out for dinner in a couple hours.


When we got back downtown Rome for our New Year's Eve dinner, we realized the chore we had ahead of us. The crowds were large, but that wasn't the biggest concern. Once we started to look at menus and prices, we realized that all of the restaurants jacked up their prices 200-300% for the night! So after 45 minutes of searching, we found our spot. Katie and I sat and had dinner, while Kelly decided she would rather drink her dinner than pay outrageous prices. So as we enjoyed our great dinner, she searched the Spanish Steps and came back with some bubbly for us to share. All in all, it was a really cool night.


Our last full day in Rome Katie and I headed for the Vatican and St. Peter's Square. The Pope was holding mass so we could not get into the cathedral, and as it was a public holiday the Vatican was closed. Guess that means we have another reason to hit Rome again!

Then we wandered around Rome all day and even hit some favorite spots again our last night in town. The best and last thing we did, of course, the best gelato we could find.

Off to London!!

Barcelona!!

Sorry for delay in posting, life gets crazy once in a while. Any way, after our initial tooling around Germany and France, we were off to Spain!!

After some fun with luggage weight at the airport, we finally got on board and were off to some fun in the sun. We landed and hopped on a bus to the city. By 2pm we were checked in and back out the hotel for some lunch and sightseeing. We hit the major shopping street, the main square and some amazing architecture.

Katie and Kelly actually ate this!! I was too scared :)

Day two we went to go see Sagrada Familia, the amazing Gaudi cathedral that is still being built. We spent time at Park Guell and then some great little shops along our walk. We toured a couple other churches, attended a choir concert in Santa Maria Del Mar, and found some good beer in an Irish Pub.

Park Guell's entrance, two Gingerbread Houses desgined by Gaudi

Sagrada Familia

A great market with fresh seafood, fruit and meats

All in all, Barcelona was a beautiful city. Right on the sea, sunny, and amazing buildings and history. We enjoyed our 4 days there and were ready to tackle the next city, Rome.

Let the Trip Begin

Well, Katie and I made it back safely, although both got our butts kicked by jet lag. But the trip was amazing and after looking through the pictures, it is apparent this will take a few blogs to get you all caught up on what we did.

We landed Christmas morning and spent a couple hours driving to Katie's sister's house outside of Frankfurt.

We drove to Strasbourg, France- Christmas Capital of the World

I bought the biggest gingerbread cookie I could find. It was great!

The market was full of stands and people.
It was a great way to spend Christmas day.

Off to the Air Force Base:
I asked for a plane ride but got denied. Katie's sister is stationed here and took us to the base to do some shopping and try some great German pastry and coffee.

From here we took off for our ten day journey. We would spend hours travelling and even more hours walking around the streets of Barcelona, Rome and London. Many more pictures to share.