We've taken on a lot, and somehow managed to stay in tact. Living life now as a family of 4!

This time in seven days the 'wedding' part of the wedding will be over, and all of the stuff I'm working on today will be in motion and there will be nothing I can do but enjoy it. Can't wait. For reals. I need a break from trouble-shooting, problem solving, organizing, and all of that jazz. Also, it is another gorgeous day and I am inside typing on the computer. boo-lame. Yesterday Jake and I did sneak away to Patricia Beach to take advantage of the 27 degree temps and to finally get some mental space to write our vows. We had tried before in the house, but there were always too many other things to do and it was hard to focus. However, sitting on the sand surrounded by fall foliage and water as far as they eye could see it was easy to figure it out. It was another lesson on how we really do work much better together than when we try to tackle things apart. We're close enough at to the wedding now that it's super-tempting to start checking the weather

One of the biggest, most surprising adjustments is getting used to all the new noises in the house. Every time the fridge makes ice, we think someone has been shot out in the street (it's not really that loud, but it still takes a second to remember what is making that sound). The stove sometimes turns its interior fan on for no apparent reason. The heat was working over time to catch up yesterday and the circulating pumps were making a constant high-pitched-ish noise. That was pretty annoying. Hopefully we get used to that. Sort of expected the heat to be silent since there are no rads to clang and the old boiler didn't make much noise. This one is so new and shiny and smart! It should also be silent! The floors really are warm, though, so we will forgive the circulating pumps.

Peeps! Sometimes, things just work out! Isn't that amazing? 1. Heat guy was here today to fix up the heat sitch, and now, a few hours later is almost 20 degrees in here and the FLOORS ARE ACTUALLY WARM!!!! What the what? So awesome! Our heat works! 2. The sink seems to have miraculously stopped leaking. Not sure how that happened, but it hasn't given us any trouble in the past few days. Likewise, the new faucet which cost more than the sink but looks damn fine, also stopped dripping. 3. The counter guys came and polished up the counters today, which we had previously stained with salad dressing and they look much better. Woot! 4. Jake got all the wine for the wedding, and labels are printed and are being cut as we speak (by Jeope and an x-acto knife - much more precise than Jake or I could ever hope to be.) So those are all good things. Very happy!

I was laying in my warm, cozy bed last night and it occurred to me that I should explain the count-down titles. Originally I think I was referring to the wedding (obviously), but now I think I'm mostly counting down to when this project-filled year will be 'done'. Just over a year ago Jake and I got engaged, and then we made serious plans to tear the house apart before the wedding. Here we are, almost on the other side of that, with a working kitchen and insulation, and 12 cases of wine in the sun room waiting for the party of the century in a couple weeks. It's mind boggling. Hasn't been without its hiccups, though, and although I don't want to complain, some of this is kind of funny, and some of it is the reality of renovating. Hiccup #1: Traditionally Jake and I were both the kinds of people that only turned the heat on at the end of September, regardless of the actual weather. When you live in houses sans insulation and with boilers from the &#

There are made-from-scratch enchilada's in the oven. Let's just take a moment to appreciate that statement. IN THE OVEN. Which means the oven is in its spot, instead of in the sun room. Which also means the counters are here, and they fit right snug against that oven, let me tell you. Which ALSO means the sink is in, and although it took us a week and we still aren't quite sure why it's leaking a little, it's plumbed so that not only do we have a working faucet, the water from that faucet GOES DOWN THE DRAIN, and not into a bucket. We have a working kitchen! With all the parts! It's a little unbelievable. Wanna see? Well, I know you would love to see, but blogger is being a stupid-face and won't let me upload them, so they will have to wait. Instead, I will just write more words. The good news is neither Jake nor I are (is? Reg? Which is it? I never know in that situation) stressed (much) about the wedding. At least, not on its own. The other g

So I just spent a few hours on the computer and phone while my mom and Addy cleaned 19 windows, inside and out. How kind is that? We are in wedding crunch mode, mostly because there is a lot of organizing to do (I was talking to my mom about it all and she was like 'this is why people hire this job out, you know') and because during the week we are so pooped by the time we get home that we basically fall into bed. Unfortunately, wedding prep isn't nearly as photogenic as renovating - unless you want a screen shot of the most massive spread sheet you've ever seen :) It is colour-coded rather nicely, if I do say so myself :) Mostly my task list is about talking to people and gathering their plans so we know how many people are going to be around when. It turns out we know a lot of people. It is so very exciting to think of all these people being around all weekend, hanging out, having fun, laughing - I am getting really pumped about it. As long as I have all my duck

You'd think that working full time (or more) all summer would mean that going back to paying full time work would be easier than in other years, right? Jake says it is for him. I am finding, however, that I am more tired now, after 3 days with kids, than I was after full days of working on the house. The other thing is there is no lead-up time at school. It is FULL STEAM AHEAD, right from day 1. This new resource position comes with a steep learning curve, and a lot of PD. I get handed a dozen sheets of paper a day with things on them that I need to attend to - messages, phone calls, follow ups - it's insane! Anyway, it'll all get figured out. You know, it's not that I don't like my job - I do like it. It's just that I like not-working more than working. I think that would be true of any job I had, to be honest. Every day this week Jake and I have basically been zombies when we get home from work - just make dinner, watch a few 'Justified's',

Every August I start to tell myself that I should start going to bed earlier and get up earlier so as to mitigate the sleep-hangover that hits with a regular routine in September. Also every August I tell myself that no matter what I do, getting used to going to work every day is going to be hard so maybe I should just enjoy not having a set sleeping schedule as long as possible. The second message usually wins. This summer we were (obviously) getting up a lot earlier on a regular basis, and working so hard that bedtime around 9 was not uncommon (by the way, going to bed when it is still light out makes you feel like you're 8 again). All that was for naught, however, after a few weeks of lighter workloads and 5 glorious wake-ups at the cabin where it mattered not a whit when we got up. Lately we've been watching 'Justified', which is a pretty great show (well written and acted, interesting story lines, but lots of shooting as I guess would be expected of a show that

School starts tomorrow. I'm tempted to say 'boo-lame' but it's not lame, exactly. I mean, obviously this job is why we could afford to do this renovation and indeed, can afford to do anything. And there are definitely days that add up to weeks where teaching is really fun and going to work is a joy. But getting up at 7 tomorrow is going to be quite painful. Actually, my job is quite a bit different this year than it was last year - I can't remember if I've written about that. I'm only teaching half-time (no science! Woot!) and the other half is 'Resource' - it's non-teaching, sort of a support role, but I'm not really 100% sure what that part will look like yet - especially now that I will be on crutches. So I'm pumped about not teaching science and hopefully I learn quickly about what 'Resource' is about and can do a good job of it. Ok, but really what I wanted to show you was a sneak-peak of the house and remind you (and me) w

Remember when I said we were going to the cabin for a week to let the floors cure? We did. It may have been the very best week of my life. We were fortunate to rent a cabin from the family of a friend of Jake's, and it was the very perfect situation. At the end of the road, during the week, not a ton of other cabins around. There was a cabin, a guest house, and the best part - a dock and a deck right on the lake. For the first 4 days, Jake and I relaxed to the point of barely being able to hold our heads up. In the mornings we went for a paddle or a little walk and then after lunch (and a few Corona's) we'd head down to the lake to sit in the zero-gravity chairs we brought from home (SO WORTH THE TRUNK SPACE!!!!) and read, doze, swim, and snack. We made a pact that we would not use that nasty word that haunted us all summer, that haunts everyone when they have things they need to do, but don't necessarily want to: SHOULD. We did what we wanted, when we wanted even