Home Improvements ~ June 2009

When Steve and I bought our 1921 Lakewood colonial in April 2004, we put a lot of time and energy into painting, carpeting and upgrading our new home. We had a lot of help from our family, but it was still stressful and a lot of hard work. In the end, we were extremely happy with the result. Consequently, over the past five years, we have simply maintained.

Until now…

Fast forward five years to June 2009…during the entire month we were either watching other people fix up the exterior of our house or fixing it up ourselves. It’s hard to believe all of the work we had done and the list seems to never end…our old asbestos siding was covered with new vinyl siding, the original wood windows & screens were replaced with new white vinyl windows, new gutters, new shutters, new garage door, new porch screens, a freshly scraped, sanded & painted porch and fence, fresh mulch…am I missing anything?? Yes! The little details that go into finishing a project like this is a bit overwhelming, but with a lot of hard work, determination and long days, we got it all done! We couldn’t be happier.

Here is a picture of the house when they first got started with the siding. Notice the tree branches in the front of the house...those eventually disappear with help from Rich & the siding crew.

Stephen & I started scraping and sanding the porch on Memorial Day and we finished about 1 1/2 weeks later. It was quite a task, but the end result was very nice. Thanks to Sean & Alex for their help!

This is a view of the siding. It's almost complete at this point. Notice, we still haven't finished sanding...

We primed the porch (with Sean & Alex's help) and then I painted the porch. While I painted, Stephen & Rich completed a variety of tasks around the house. The following day, we installed the porch screens. We love having a screened-in porch so this was a priority for us...it was an annoying, but necessary task. Overall, it was a very productive weekend.

Here is a picture of the house with the newly installed windows.

Our Garage ~ Before

Our Garage ~ After!!

The Front Porch

Done! This is the new house we get to come home to...

We are so very, very happy!

Rite Aid Cleveland 10K ~ May 17, 2009

On May 17, 2009 I ran the Rite Aid Cleveland 10K. It was my first race in several years and I was a little nervous. I run a lot and knew that I could get through 6.2 miles without a problem, but there was just something that made my stomach turn. Anyway, my mom wanted to support me so she signed up to walk the course.

Here we are before the race. It was really cold (46 degrees, ??? with the windchill) and really early. I hadn't slept much so I just wanted to get started.

Steve & Rich were there to cheer as we passed by. You can see the back of me here in the blue shorts and black shirt. Steve said he couldn't get a good shot because I was running so fast :) Yeah right!

Steve found me after the race and took a picture by the finish line. I finished in 1:07:17, which was a little slower than I had hoped, but I was happy to be able to run the entire distance and without injury. There's always next year!

Here is my mom in the final stretch. She encountered some long lines at the port-a-potty so it set her back a little while (not a surprise to anyone who knows my mom!). She finished in 2:07:32.

Here is a picture of my mom and I after the race. It was a really nice morning, but it was about time to head home and take a nap!

2009 NBA Playoffs

The 2008-09 NBA season is one that will be hard to forget! There were many ups and downs and although the Cavs eventually lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, it is still a season worth remembering. Our beloved Cleveland Cavaliers posted a league-best 66-16 record, earning them a #1 seed and home court advantage throughout the Playoffs. What makes this even more special is that Steve and I have a history with the Cavaliers. Of course, I was raised a Cavs fan and basketball has been a love of mine for many years, but when you live and breathe with a team, it becomes so much more than a hobby…it becomes an obsession. Steve began working for the Cavs during the 1995-96 season and hasn’t left! Quicken Loans Arena (a.k.a. Gund Arena) is also where Steve and I met in the summer of 2000 when he hired me to be his intern in Cavs PR. I returned to work for Cavs & Rockers PR for a few years after I graduated from college while Steve moved departments and to his current position in IT. Several years have passed and many things have changed. Instead of the pathetic 30 win, 29 win and 17 win seasons, the 2008-09 season had us enthusiastic about record-breaking statistics and record-breaking performances. We had so much to cheer for with the league’s MVP leading the way.

The Cavs Playoff atmosphere is like no other sports experience I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, Steve has to work all of the home games, but I have great friends and family that I was able to share this incredible journey with.

Liberty in front of Quicken Loans Arena

2009 Cavalier Playoffs

Round One vs. Detroit ~ SWEEP!!

4/18 Game One @ Cleveland ~ W 102-84
4/21 Game Two @ Cleveland ~ W 94-82
4/24 Game Three @ Detroit ~ W 79-68
4/26 Game Four @ Detroit ~ W 99-78

Liberty & Shannon ~ Round One, Game One

Player Introductions

Cavs Win ~ 102-84

Liberty & Shannon ~ Round One, Game Two

Cavs Win ~ 94-82

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals vs. Atlanta ~ SWEEP!!

5/5 Game One @ Cleveland ~ W 99-72
5/7 Game Two @ Cleveland ~ W 105-85
5/9 Game Three @ Atlanta ~ W 97-82
5/11 Game Four @ Atlanta ~ W 84-74

LeBron James is crowned NBA MVP

Sean & Shannon ~ Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Game One

Cavaliers Win ~ 99-72

Steve's longtime friend (Eric Hodge) was visiting Cleveland on business during the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals so he was able to attend the game with me. Here we are prior to the game at The Harry Buffalo...Mom, Eric, Shannon & Liberty

Eric & Shannon ~ Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Game Two

Steve & Eric

Cavaliers Win ~ 105-85

Eastern Conference Finals vs. Orlando

5/20 Game One @ Cleveland ~ L 107-106
5/22 Game Two @ Cleveland ~ W 96-95
5/24 Game Three @ Orlando ~ L 99-89
5/26 Game Four @ Orlando ~ L 116-114 (OT)
5/28 Game Five @ Cleveland ~ W 112-102
5/30 Game Six @ Orlando ~ L 103-90

Sean & Shannon ~ Eastern Conference Finals, Game One

Orlando Wins ~ 107-106

Shannon & Steve the morning of Game Two...We both put on the same shirt without realizing it :)

Shannon & Sean ~ Eastern Conference Finals, Game Two...This picture was taken right after LeBron hit the game-winning three with 1.0 second remaining. It was awesome!!

Cavaliers Win ~ 96-95

Sean & Shannon ~ Eastern Conference Finals, Game Five

Cavaliers Win ~ 112-102

It’s been 13 years since Steve Schur came from Connecticut via South Carolina to Cleveland and this was finally the year where the Cavs gave us a great chance at an NBA Championship. It's really too bad that this great season had to come to an end so soon, but there's always next year!

2009 Men's Final Four ~ Detroit, MI ~ April 3-7, 2009

On April 3rd. Steve and I took the 3 hour drive to Detroit, MI to attend our first (and hopefully not our last!) Men’s Final Four. The anticipation was a little overwhelming and we couldn’t wait to see Steve’s beloved UConn Huskies face-off against Michigan State on Saturday night…

Prior to our departure, Paul & Sue stopped by for a few hours on their way to the Women's Final Four in St. Louis, MO (Go Huskies!!). It is because of them that we had this awesome opportunity (and new sweatshirts!), so they took a picture of us with our tickets.

On Saturday morning we headed to downtown Detroit. As usual, I planned a mini pub crawl during our stay...I figure it's a great way to see the city :) Here's Steve with a Bloody Mary at our first stop, The Sweetwater Tavern. It was a very impressive drink with an even more impressive garnish.

I led us around town with my bar/city map. We met some North Carolina fans (Matt & Tony) and they tagged along with us throughout the day. The Hard Rock Cafe was our third stop and our new friends took this picture of us.

We were surrounded by Michigan State fans all day, but as we approached Ford Field it didn't matter. The experience was awesome! Steve and I absolutely LOVE the NCAA Tournament and to be there was surreal.

Here we are inside of Ford Field.

The banners within Ford Field had all 65 teams from the tournament. Coincidently (or alphabetically!) Cleveland State & UConn were next to each other...Clemson too :)

Additional banners for each of the Final Four teams were hung displaying the distance traveled to Detroit. Here are the UConn (746 miles) & MSU (92 miles) banners...I think the mileage differential explains the overwhelming number of Spartan fans :)

The end result of Saturday's game was not what we were hoping for as we saw UConn fall to Michigan State 82-73. In the second game, we watched North Carolina defeat Villanova 83-69.

On Monday we did a lot of the same. We toured the city on our own and visited more bars & restaurants. Our first stop was the Westin to get lunch at Michael Symon's restaurant, Roast. Steve and I are fans of Symon's Cleveland restaurants, Lola & Lolita, so when we were headed to Detroit, I knew we had to make a stop at the Iron Chef's newest establishment. We had an awesome lunch and a Great Lakes Dortmunder...ahhh, just like home.

Here we are at the Detroit Brewing Company with our new friends Tony & Matt. We really had a lot of fun with these guys.

Unbeknownst to us, Michael Jordan was being inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday so he was in attendance for the National Championship game. It looks like we'll have to make another stop in Springfield!!

Monday's championship game had North Carolina facing off against Michigan State. Although the Tar Heels led for the entire game and won 89-72, we had a great time and really enjoyed the entire experience.



One of the many highlights of our trip was on Sunday when we stopped at the Windsor Casino to gamble a few dollars away. I was playing the penny slots and actually hit the jackpot! My $5 bill became $1,200. You really can win that much on the penny slots! We were a little too excited to remember to take a picture when it happened so we returned to the scene on Tuesday to take one of me in front of the winning machine :)

On a final note, "One Shining Moment" is one of the most riveting elements of the NCAA Tournament. This year was particularly special for us both. As if being there to see the Huskies play in the Final Four wasn't enough! Cleveland State also made the tournament for the first time in 23 years and pulled off an upset win against Wake Forest. Also...the Dayton Flyers, my alma mater, made their first NCAA appearance since 2004 and advanced to the Second Round for the first time in 19 years! 2009 is a tournament year that I will never forget. Here it is...One Shining Moment!

Once again, Steve and I traveled and experienced something that we've never done before. We will relish the memories for a lifetime! We truly appreciate every opportunity that we have to experience new places and encounters, while also taking sheer pleasure in visiting the same places over and over again. We always try to remember to enjoy the moment and have a lot of fun while doing it!

Next Stop...Myrtle Beach, SC for my 30th birthday celebration

July 4-12, 2009