July 27th, 2017

Finally the POD arrived.  Tim wisely hired 3 very strong young men to help with this task.  It was a miserably hot and humid day but they cheerfully and quickly brought everything in.  All I had to do was point where things needed to go and it was done.  We sold most of our furniture and a lot of other items before we left Colorado so I was surprised at how much stuff we still had to move.  We didn't bother to unpack much right away, some clothes and bare essentials.

  But there was no place to sit other than our bed so we bought a table and chairs.  The first furniture in our new home. Yay!  Otherwise it was a house a boxes and suitcases. For months it was like camping in.  I referred to us a squatters. Other than Tim's barebones office set up, it was just a maze of stuff everywhere. No point unpacking with no place to put anything.

And then the kitchen reno began. Right now it's all a blur of months of tarps and noise and daily cleaning and a lot of decisions.  But it was totally worth it because I love the result.  It sometimes felt as if it was going to go on forever, but of course eventually the day came when it was done and I almost cried. I remember nodding a lot because I couldn't even talk.  Can't help it, kitchens make me emotional.

Since then we've done some painting, put up some expensive fancy-assed blinds, bought actual furniture, tore out the disgustingly filthy and gross built in desk and cabinets from the utility room,  hung a few pictures, had the entire house replumbed, repaired the patio from that project, re-arranged furniture and a myriad of  other projects.  And of course  I have cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.

But I've also cooked and baked with such joy and experimented with new recipes and had great fun rediscovering old recipes and then of course there was "the incident".  I  accidentally set a fire in my beautiful new kitchen. (melting shortening in a pan and it caught fire - that is a story for another day - suffice it to say that I cried a lot but everything is fine)

Next month the bathrooms both get actual floors.  Right now it's just concrete and we are down to one functional bathroom.  After the new floors are done, we will have two functional bathrooms again hurrah.  Hopefully next year we will finish the full bathroom reno's.  And of course we have plans that extend far beyond that.

See that's the thing about a house. It's never really done. We always have plans for something more, even if it's something small like hanging a picture or painting a room or buying new towels or throw pillows or just the usual maintenance.  There is always something more to do to make a home more your own.

We have entertained guests and been through all of the seasons, all of the birthdays and all of the anniversaries.  It is my belief that a person cannot really feel fully at home in a new place until one year has passed.  I have to have a memory to stand a new memory against.  This Christmas we can remember what we did last Christmas and it will have been here in this house.

Happy house-iversary to us!