On The Way to Naples!

I'm not sure how I committed to this trip, during the craziest and perfectly intense time of my retail year...but here we are, heading to Naples, Florida.

I've been designing and working on a whole-house project for a client in Naples for the past 6-8 months and the final installation marathon is about to begin! Mercy! Hours and hours of design, project management, and accessory gathering has gone into this. When the time finally comes to put it all together and reap the rewards of the intense design process, it's a mixed bag of excitement, stress, and exhaustion. Fun, too! And stressful. Rewarding, yes. And stressful. Great anticipation, yes. And stressful.

Will the pieces that I've selected fit he space as I have planned and imagined? Will everything arrive in time for the final curtain call? Will that 9' tall, 9' wide piece be the statement that you really expect? (Will it really fit up the stairs?!!) Will everything that you did not ship ahead fit in the van? All these thoughts and more are foremost in your mind and anxiety takes a bit off the edge of the excitement.

I thought I'd share some of the process with you from beginning to end.

We shipped all the furniture, lighting, mirrors, rugs, and custom bedding over the past 6 months...and this is what I still had to fit in my van for the two day trip!

All through the packing process, Sneelock kept telling me that it would never fit...

A little reorganizing, with some key cargo on top the car helped...

View from the side door. I think this helps to visualize just how packed in we were!

We made a quick stop along Highway 85 near Charlotte, NC, to meet up with good friend, CFO, and co-designer for the project, Linda! (It was quite an incentive to gain another vehicle, as well.)
This is the view of the passenger side with limited foot room! Well, I was sure that I could gain a little time for computer work, email catchup, and fashion review along the way!). I always get loads done in the long car trip on the way to N.C....no naps today!

Linda and I took one of her cars, and Sneelock took over the van. Just a bit into the second leg of the trip, he phoned us with this report! Spontaneously, the rear sliding passenger window exploded and blew out! What?! Just a minor set-back. After a quick stop at the first Home Depot, some cardboard and duct tape put us back in motion again. A few calls to the dealership and insurance company, and a new window was to be waiting us in Naples for the next day.

Serious excitement!

Arrangements had been made to stay on the job site for the week, but alas, upon arriving at our destination at the late hour of 11:30pm, we discovered that a serious accident had impacted the natural gas lines of Naples. No hot water, and limited services around the entire city for most, if not all, restaurants. Mercy!

After trying several hotels for availability, we were directed to this haven only another half hour down the road...hot water was available! Clean beds, yes. We turned in for the night about 2:00am.

Tomorrow, bright and early,we meet the delivery service for the kick-0ff!