One of my besties voxed me yesterday singing The Final Countdown and it could not have been more perfect. It's all go over here. Last week the Rv got egged, we found out our floor was back ordered til mid July and the painter backed out literally an hour before he was supposed to show up and start the job.
Eggs...
It was neighborhood kids, less than a dozen eggs, nothing crazy but it makes the list for dramatic effect.
Floor...
The guy who sold us the floor at Lowe's called and said it wouldn't get here in time for our RV adventure. I was touched that he remembered who we are, what we were doing. He was super nice about it all, really like that guy. I called all over town and found a place with cork in stock (super rare). Lumber Liquidators to the rescue. What was going to be a silvery cork is now a dark chocolate brown cork. It's called Barcelos and it sounds best if you say it with an Antonio Banderas accent.
Painter...
This one was a legit toughie. The painter we were going to use does super meticulous finish work. He texted an hour before he was supposed to show saying that his current job was running over and he was too busy. Wha? My actual text back to him was... SHIT! Yes, I'm very professional under stress. But really an hour before the appointment. COME ON! The painters we found to replace him did a piss poor job. When I say piss poor I mean over-spray on the screens and window frames and in the ceiling vent fans +++. Paint drips that are all globby and dried and several of the bottoms and insides of the cabinets didn't get painted. The good news is that the ceiling looks great and it was awesome to be able to deliver it back to our multipurpose-whiz-master Johnny with at least a coat of paint on her. We needed the RV to be painted in one day and they did. So, that's something.
The cabinet people wrapped up on Saturday. They replaced all the water damaged wood on the cabinetry, built a book case, created a shelf where the microwave used to be, and built two more cabinets in the very back above the bed where we ripped out the old cabinetry so that our Cal King mattress will fit. When he finished I said, "I'm going to hug you now!" and I gave him my best long Lacy hug and it was awesome. I'm going to have them build a cabinet around the bathroom sink once we are all moved in.
Cabinetry was completed and paint happened Saturday (21st). We dropped it off on Sunday (22nd) at Johnny's place which is an hour and a half away when there's no traffic. We're getting pretty good at making that drive. This guy is my hero at the moment. He's a referral from my dad (did lots of work on their home) and I will be sending him a Christmas card for the foreseeable future. He's full of CAN DO and does amazing work. He's putting the cabinets back in, installing the cork floor, putting in the pebbles in the bathroom, installing the bathroom sink and faucet, installing the kitchen counter top, sink, 2 burner stove top, faucet, adding tile backsplash, putting in all the trim, adding bead board to the bottom of the bed platform, doing all the electrical +++.
We are hoping to pick her up tomorrow all outfitted and we'll have this weekend to move into the RV and out of our rental. Mom will be sewing curtains while Mema is putting in shelf liner and I'm unpacking into the cabinets, organizing as we go. Cliff will be loading in everything that goes underneath and getting it all squared away like he wants it.
What I'm learning ::
- This whole thing feels like playing golf with your boss. She/He's looking to see how well you negotiate the game (especially when your ball flies into the woods). There have been some moments where I've calmly put down another ball and swung again (the floor) and there have been moments when I marched into the woods, curse words flying (the paint). I'm already laughing about it all so that's a good sign. It's pretty awesome observing myself. I'm pretty entertaining in all my humanness.
- Cliff and I are a super effective team. We're juggling work, this reno project, the move and we're still being super supportive + considerate of each other. There are piles and bins full of stuff in the living room but our evening routine of candle light, cup of something (red wine or tea, usually both in that order), soothy music and chatting about the day/ what's next is still happening. It's our soft place to land at the end of the day and it's awesome. Some days we have both used up what feels like our word allotment for the day so we just sit and sip and breathe.
- Money is energy. You can draw it to you or block it from flowing. I knew that before this project but I'm really feeling it now. I'm seeing how money flows in our life. How we really do always have everything we need. When we found the mold I thought it was a doomed budget buster. It's turned out to be such a gift. We will have a completely healthy and beautiful home now. Money has shown up in every way possible. There have been some really predictable ways via the garage sale + selling things on Craig's List. There have been some unexpected ways via donations (thank you!) and I got two checks in the mail from random refunds that I never even knew were on the radar. One of the affirmations I use often is All the money I spend and earn brings me joy. I'm not kidding when I say that beginning working with a new health coaching client and then ordering our composting toilet brought me immense joy! It should arrive on Monday.
Highlights of the week so far ::
- Mema showed up yesterday with all her cleaning supplies totally decked out. She knocked on the door really loudly and when I opened it she had her hip all cocked out leaning on the broom with her little ruffle apron dangling there! We both cracked up. She said she really wanted to have a cigarette hanging out of her mouth too. That women can clean anything within an inch of it's life. Seriously, you should see the fridge. It's sparkling.
- Mom came over after work to hug me. It was perfect.
- WE HAVE A LOGO! Angeles has done it again. She is a gift and I adore her. She creates from the center of love, always for the highest good. There was a moment maybe a year ago or more that I'll remember for a very long time... I was having one of those days where I felt very alone in my business. Like a solo-preneur on an island. I emailed Angeles and she said something so simple but so profound, "we're in this together." She's always been here with me from the beginning and I am deeply grateful. Is there a word more powerful than gratitude? If there is I'd like to use it for Angeles.
Thank you for everyone who's been holding the 27th in mind! All is looking good that we're going to be able to pull this off. Will be sharing updates on Instagram over the weekend as we're moving in.
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Off to pack! Lacy
