small miracles
When I talk about our plans to gut and then rebuild our main floor before getting married during the school year, most people look at me like I (and by extension Jake as well) are completely insane. 'Maybe get married before hand,' they advise. 'Might want to hold off on too many non-refundable deposits for the wedding,' they caution.
Yes, I admit, we have created a busy year for ourselves (thus the title of this blog). We have jammed some major life events into a pretty short time span. We are blithely taking on the challenge of living through a major renovation while planning a wedding. Both of these projects often are the demise of couples. However, I have no doubts.
One of the first things Jake and I have had to do as a couple is learn how to work together - not an easy task for two people who are used to and like being independent and doing things on their own. Further complicating matters is that I am a bit of a 'measure naught, cut 8 times' kind of worker, whereas Jake is a 'measure 8 times, cut once' kind of worker. I'm the one to grab the hammer and start swinging, while Jake will sit and think about WHERE to swing the hammer for maximum impact and least amount of mess. Not gonna lie, there have been some tense moments when we have tried to collaborate on certain jobs. Jake would cringe as I made 3 cuts to get the board the right length, and I would stew deeper into frustration as he talked out the process yet again of how exactly he was going to trim out the window (nothing is easy in an old house, in case that seems like a silly thing to have to think about - sometimes you have to strap out the frame, sometimes the walls aren't plumb, in which case you have to cheat the trim to make it LOOK level, when really it isn't - and there are a million other contingencies).
Thankfully, we have found a way to work with our differences. Mostly it translates to each of us doing separate jobs at the same time, thereby being available for the other to help rip wood on the table saw or hold a tape measure.
The other saving grace of all of this project-ness is that Jake LOVES this stuff. When I want to just sit down and watch tv or read a book, he wants to take down wainscotting, or start experimenting with how the mantle is going to come off the fireplace. This would be a problem if he always expected me to work when he works, BUT HE DOESN"T!!!! It's the way he relaxes. Isn't that incredible!? This is what I mean by small miracles.
We both feel very adamant about not taking each other for granted and ALSO contributing equally to the household, and so far things are going swimmingly. I am supremely confident that all of this will work out - not to say there won't be rough patches, I'm not ACTUALLY loony - but overall, I think we are going to kick this renovation's butt.
It also helps that we both love camping - which is pretty much what we're going to be doing, especially in terms of the kitchen, for 3 or 4 months.
Jaker, thank you for being so wonderful.
Yes, I admit, we have created a busy year for ourselves (thus the title of this blog). We have jammed some major life events into a pretty short time span. We are blithely taking on the challenge of living through a major renovation while planning a wedding. Both of these projects often are the demise of couples. However, I have no doubts.
One of the first things Jake and I have had to do as a couple is learn how to work together - not an easy task for two people who are used to and like being independent and doing things on their own. Further complicating matters is that I am a bit of a 'measure naught, cut 8 times' kind of worker, whereas Jake is a 'measure 8 times, cut once' kind of worker. I'm the one to grab the hammer and start swinging, while Jake will sit and think about WHERE to swing the hammer for maximum impact and least amount of mess. Not gonna lie, there have been some tense moments when we have tried to collaborate on certain jobs. Jake would cringe as I made 3 cuts to get the board the right length, and I would stew deeper into frustration as he talked out the process yet again of how exactly he was going to trim out the window (nothing is easy in an old house, in case that seems like a silly thing to have to think about - sometimes you have to strap out the frame, sometimes the walls aren't plumb, in which case you have to cheat the trim to make it LOOK level, when really it isn't - and there are a million other contingencies).
Thankfully, we have found a way to work with our differences. Mostly it translates to each of us doing separate jobs at the same time, thereby being available for the other to help rip wood on the table saw or hold a tape measure.
The other saving grace of all of this project-ness is that Jake LOVES this stuff. When I want to just sit down and watch tv or read a book, he wants to take down wainscotting, or start experimenting with how the mantle is going to come off the fireplace. This would be a problem if he always expected me to work when he works, BUT HE DOESN"T!!!! It's the way he relaxes. Isn't that incredible!? This is what I mean by small miracles.
We both feel very adamant about not taking each other for granted and ALSO contributing equally to the household, and so far things are going swimmingly. I am supremely confident that all of this will work out - not to say there won't be rough patches, I'm not ACTUALLY loony - but overall, I think we are going to kick this renovation's butt.
It also helps that we both love camping - which is pretty much what we're going to be doing, especially in terms of the kitchen, for 3 or 4 months.
Jaker, thank you for being so wonderful.
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