Break?

The layout and wall structure of the kitchen forced us to choose either (1) hanging a cabinet and the microwave from just a singular wall stud or (2) tearing out the wall and sistering a stud to give the cabinet and microwave a stronger hold. Not wanting to someday have to deal with falling cabinets and appliances, we chose to "do it right". (By the way, the line between doing something "right" and doing something "shoddy" is as blurry as ever. We're tired!)

Robyn's dad and I put up a microwave and 3 cabinets yesterday afternoon, and there was much pain, frustration, and cussing, followed by much rejoicing. Then Robyn and I put up 2 more last night, and there was only rejoicing, which was nice.

We're aiming to hang a couple more cabinets tonight, but if they don't go up, I won't be heartbroken. My body is very tired, not just from these last couple days, but from these last couple months. In all honesty, what we've done over the last 2 months is just stupid.

I took only 2 vacation days from the office (and missed nary a Sunday at church nor a Thursday night softball game) while rehabbing this house. Looking back at the last few fortnights, considering my wife and I are a couple of amateurs, the transformation of the house is unbelievable. Thank God for our families and friends who helped make it happen.

I swear, we're gonna take a break here... We know from the last place that there's no such thing as a real "break" when living in an old home. There's always something to do. But after 8 weeks of non-stop insanity, we need to at least catch our breath.

Last night, I mentioned to Robyn that "someday, I want to tear out this ugly tile (in the bathroom) and put in something nicer..." and she looked at me with murderous eyes. I didn't mean I wanted to do it next week... it's definitely NOT a 2007 project... just sayin'... it's gonna slow down alot. So, if you stop by and wonder why there are some finishing touches missing, check back sometime in 2008.

As far as living in the neighborhood goes, we're slowly meeting some folks from the block. Looks like there might be a few friends for The Tobe very nearby. All of whom we've met are nice folks, assuming they aren't the ones who dropped the ammo in my side yard. And I really hope the neighbor's pit bull stays in his yard. Looks like a relatively nice doggy, but I'm sure it could eat me for dinner if it wanted to. So let's hope it doesn't.