I'm not sure how many GRMers out there have been paying attention, but Ive been borderline absent over the last 7 weeks or so…Life has been crazy. Not sure why I think this is threadworthy, but I'm going to go ahead and post it anyway – I do what I want.
So, we had been in the process of building a house, in one form or another, for the better part of the last 5 years – whether acquiring the land, saving dough, interviewing builders, designing the floorplan, picking materials and finishes, selling our current home, renovating a rental to make it livable in the interim, or otherwise engaged in some kind of home-building-ish-ey endeavor. Its been crazy, and exciting, and humbling, and exhausting, but in the end, its definitely worth it – pro tip: really, REALLY be diligent with selecting a builder – the quality of your builders construction, and their organization/communication will make or break your experience.
We moved in about 6 weeks ago. That was pretty awesome – making a grilled cheese in the kitchen of your dreams, which until the day before had been just a dream, tastes a lot like winning. Also, we have a much larger garage (almost 3 cars wide), with a 50A 220 line in it, which is pretty sweet, and will have a dedicated workshop space in the basement, until the detatched 2 car workshop is built (hopefully in the next 2 years or so). I'm pretty stoked to have all this space! But, there is a dark cloud in every silver lining. Building the house is just step one, now comes the part where I have to live in it and pay for it.
Since we moved in, I’ve installed 2 garage door openers (note: the first time a garage door opener that you installed lifts and lowers the door without any unexpected loud noises, or parts falling off, is a wonderful moment indeed), 16 blinds, 8 functional shutters, 3 sets of steel shelves, 2 outdoor lights, a TV mount, a TV, and a partridge in a pear tree. We hosted Thanksgiving with her folks, Christmas for mine, a New Years eve event, and a sleepover for our nephew…the place is getting broken in correctly. Still on the radar is a backsplash in the kitchen, landscaping the entire outside, including growing a lawn, and building an outdoor firepit/place…oh well, I pretty much have carte blanche with regards to acquiring a new power tool whenever a big project is undertaken, and Daddy needs a new tablesaw! That’s the living in it part
The paying for it part is me getting a new job, I start on Monday. My current gig, which I actually like a lot, unfortunately offers zero chance for advancement – I hate stagnation. After 3.5 years, I pulled the plug, took the dive, and am (hopefully) off for greener pastures…lets hope the grass doesn’t just appear greener over there. I'm pretty excited, but have the nerves a new job always brings with it. Wish me luck. The upside is that the new gig will require a good bit of regional driving (no more than maybe 3 hours one way), and while I do get paid for mileage, I dont get a company car, so its looking like a new whip is in order. I was able to locate a 2014 Cruze Eco – turbo I4/6spd manual at a good price a few dozen miles away. Bonus, its in the charcoal grey I want. “Excalibur!!! It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine!”. Makes me sad, I will probably have to turn in my 99 G20 in trade(boo). Initially, we had thought about keeping it as a backup beater (read: slow-moving project car), but unfortunately, the new job is accelerating the new-car timeline, which had originally been slated for sometime after the new workshop was built, which would have provided a home for my precious gdub. Alas, it was not meant to be. Que Sera, Sera I suppose...
So, in a nutshell, things are crazy, but I'm back...that announcement implies I was missed lol. I did however miss you guys a lot. Looking forward to getting back into the swing of things here at GRM.
