Well, the kitchen remodel is allmost done. We are not totally done with the remodel yet but it’s getting there. It feels great to be able to use the kitchen again! It took about 5 months but I think it was worth it. I love the new kitchen! It has been a test of patience and tolerance (for dirt/dust/chaos) for the last 5 months …
For the kitchen, we went with stainless steel appliances and KraftMaid cherry cabinets (cabernet stain). We went with Kitchenaid for the refrigerator (42′’) , Bosch for the diswasher, GE for the trash compactor and Kitchenaid for the microwave/oven. I choose the convection/microwave option so that I can also use the microwave for baking. I thought about getting a warming drawer but in the end, decided not to get one (mostly due to $$ constraints and I dont think I really need it). For the stove, we went with Thermador (gas) and Zephyr for the island vent hood. We thougt about getting the professional version of the Thermador gas stove but it was getting really pricey and we would also need a stronger hood, so decided not to get it). The stove is in an island with the vent hood. I was a little skeptical about this setup but now, I really like it. It makes cooking and interacting with the people around you very efficient! I must admit, this is my favorite part of the kitchen. We went with granite countertops and I am really happy with it. We used the following vendors:
Western Appliance in Fremont - bought all our appliances there - we dealt w/ Renato, he was great!
Home Depot in Milpitas (Great Mall) - got our kitchen cabinets there (i dont remember the person I talked to - but she was very
helpful)
Best Tiles in Sunnyvale - we bought all our tiles there - i liked their selections
JerongMarble (http://www.jerongmarble.com/company.asp) - we bought all our granite slabs there - they sell slabs that have already been bullnosed
Beacon Lighting in Mathilda, Sunnyvale - bought allmost all our light fixtures there (chandeliers/etc).
Kelly Moore/Home Depot - bought our paints there
Lowes - bought the faucets/sinks/front entry door (pella)/pantry door there - very helpful personnel and overall I’m happy with them
Bay Windows in Fremont- we bought all our windows/french door from them - we’re very happy with their service
Home Depot (various locations) - bought misc stuff there (fairly happy with the service).
The remaining items that need to get done is the stairs and the floor. We are tearing down the stairs and making it curve and then enclose it so that there will be some storage underneath. I think it would look really nice! This has been a learning experience for me … watching the framers create the stair frame. The stairs will be all wood and we picked a dark stain. So, basically, the framers had to build the frame for the stairs, then have it inspected. If inspection passes, another set of guys come in and build the finished stairs. These set of guys specializes in building the stairs since everything is custom. So, depending on how elaborate the stairs, this can get pretty pricey. The stairs that we have is not very elaborate but it is still pricey 
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Gabby made it to the 2008 National Judges Cup in San Diego! She will be competing in the weekend of 1/5-1/6/08. I am so proud of her. She has worked so hard and I am very happy that she made it. Go Gabby!