The First Week

Well, we did it! We finally moved to Smithville! Murphy is still riding shot gun implementing Murphy’s Law on everything.  

The Crazy: 

We moved on Monday (a week ago, not this past Monday) and finally got water turned on Friday – meaning that we stretched a water hose from our new neighbor’s place (with their permission, of course) to shower and wash dishes for nearly the entire first week. The electricity was flipped on the Monday that we moved but wiring out the rest of the shop has been – in short – a process.  

Due to unforeseen events, my husband had to move his whole shop to the new location this past weekend. Yes, we moved huge cabinet equipment to a shop that was not yet wired for it. Andy has been working hard to finish wiring the shop ever since and, as of yesterday, got all his equipment operational.  

Temped in, but it’s looking like a real shop in here!

Even more wild, we moved before we had the chance to finish patching the roof. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law arrived this past Monday to help, and, thankfully, that task was completed before any weather whipped through to damage equipment. We couldn’t save some of our personal furniture from mold caused by undiscovered leaks, however. I’m still sorting through that, but so far, we’ve lost a dresser, a coffee table, Keira’s play pen, and some of Keira’s toys – unless I can effectively remove the mold.  

But the hardest part of all this is, due to the electrical crazy, I haven’t had a washing machine in over a week. With two adults and one wild toddler, there is SOO MUCH dirty laundry. As of late last night though, Andy got the washer and dryer turned on! I have been doing load after load today – gleefully. I was almost starting to miss the laundromat.  

The Positive: 

As promised at New Year’s Eve, I am working on finding something positive to focus on every day. (#4 on my Promises for the New Year list)  

We FINALLY made it to Smithville! (#1 on my Promises for the New Year list) And, though earlier than planned, we – for once – have our home and our business on the same property. This is huge! This is the dream! Andy works a lot of hours and, now that his work is so close, we get to see him more often. So far this week, I’ve enjoyed just poking my head out to say hi or having him pop in for lunch and a quick kiss. 

Another positive: I made progress on fixing up our room! There is a 500 sqft office existing inside the shop. It’s rough, but we plan to fix it up as a living space, so we don’t all have to crowd into the RV for the next year.  

I got much of the painting done over the weekend.   

It’s honestly putting lipstick on a pig, but at least it’s a pretty shade of lipstick. I should have it wrapped up and ready to move into next weekend. Then we will only need the RV as a bathroom, kitchen, and guest room until we build our home. I am looking forward to Keira sleeping in her own bed again!

In non-Smithville related news, #’s 3 & 4 on my Promises for the New Year list are off to a great start. I’ve been doing Whole 30 as a reboot all January and I’m to the stage where I feel great. The first few weeks were beyond rough since my eating had gotten so unhealthy, but I’m feeling back on track! And the Spring semester kicked off yesterday. I’m actually excited to have homework. It still seems unfathomable, but I’ll have a college degree by the end of the year. I’ve been wanting to complete my degree since first beginning college in 2008 – and now, 14 years later, it will finally happen. It’s going to be a great year! 

For those wanting an update on Keira. She is 15 months old, and she is walking, running, eating everything, and even talking! Her favorite words are Daddy, Mommy, Apple, Diaper, Yeah, Hey, Bye-Bye, Gigi, Me, Baby, and Yucky. I am one proud mama!