No. 27: There Will Still be Toothpaste on the Counter

a.k.a: a home renovation update with photos + a side of introspection

Since we started the renovation process of our new home, our deadline has been pushed not one, not two, but three times. 

I spend a good portion of every day designing and managing this project. Fireboxes, countertop overhangs, vanity designs, masonry paint application…I was warned by designers and casual home renovators alike not to underestimate the amount of time/energy/pennies/stress/effort/allthethings. I didn’t listen. And thus, this house has humbled me every stinkin’ day for two years.

Our most recent deadline—the warm sun on the horizon—was August first. That date became a beacon of light on grim days. When the AC in our rental broke during a 110° heatwave, I dragged an ice cube on my forehead and thought, “August first.” When the heat went out during an ice storm, I wrapped myself in a blanket and thought, “August first.” But suddenly, when my kids’ clothes were strewn across the floor and a pair of underwear hung from a ladder, I found my mind wandering to August first for hope. Same thing when I was scrubbing jam off the countertop and stepping over my own pile of clean laundry waiting to be put away. August first, August first. 

For reasons I’ll talk through some day, we watched the deadline of August first slip through our fingertips last month and it absolutely broke me. I of course wanted to move during the summer when I’m not homeschooling. And naturally, it makes sense to want to get settled before the hustle and bustle of fall. Everyone knows that the longer you’re in the renovation process, the more money you’re spending so it’s only human to want the end to be near. My response could look justified to the naked eye. Wise, even! But the way the loss of this deadline churned in my insides proved to me that this was something bigger.