…no, No, NO!!! Not that overdue. Seriously people, how long have you been reading this blog?
Still barren as ever, but looking pretty fine these days if I do say so myself. L’Oreal’s Skin Genesis intensive night treatment, I swear, has taken a year or more of age off my face the past month or so. (L’Oreal if you’re listening, send a case my way!)
No, the overdue I’m referring to is the house project, which (not surprisingly) is also over budget. I know, I know — I was forewarned on both fronts.
On the plus side, the walls are now colorfully covered in cheerful and bold paint. The electrician and his motley crew are now crawling all around the house giving us light where once there was darkness and the new kitchen appliances arrived — not so conveniently in a huge downpour — but should be hooked up today. The hardwood floors took a beating in the remodel process so we needed to get out of town for a few days to let floor guys sand and apply the necessary (and noxious) chemicals.
Conveniently the messy floor job coincided with my anniversary last Friday to the.very.best.man.on.the.planet.bar.none!
Mr. PJ and I headed out for a romantic getaway to sunny Scottsdale, Arizona to celebrate number nine or 13 — it all depends on whether you count the legally-wed date or the fall-in-love date. We eloped, as I explained in this post, and have been living our honeymoon ever since.
Now back home and on the verge of bidding farewell to Julio, Edwin and the rest of the remodel crew, the latest questions dancing in my head are these: After initially buying our house for what we fully expected would be an expanding family, what will it be like to live in a newly tuned residence optimized for a family of two? Will there will be any PPD (post-project depression)?
Why the questions and why now? Well, have you ever noticed how when you’re in the throes of an all-consuming project there are all sorts of wonderful (and maddening) distractions and high expectations of what it will be like when the project is done and over with (e.g. fertility treatment comes to mind) … and then there’s the reality of no more distractions and you’re just done? While these questions, I admit, qualify as looking for trouble they aren’t completely out of bounds.
Fortunately, regardless of the answers, Mr. PJ and I now have a dreamy place to start our 10th/14th year of being BFF and the next phase of our lives.
February 24, 2009 1:34 am
Glad your remodel is done (almost done). That must be nice to not have things in a constant state of upheaval.
February 24, 2009 1:59 am
Have you considered putting in a sex dungeon? hahaha. Just kidding, I couldn’t resist. I think a meditation room would be more in line. I am toasting to you and your love for your husband and your new life in your newly created home! May it be filled with new dreams, more love and more room for Canadian visitors.
February 24, 2009 2:06 am
Visitors welcome! (I have a soft spot for Canadians….)
As for the meditation room, I have something very much approaching that. It’s the “green room” and has been designed complete with a sofa/chaise in celery … the perfect place to retreat with my favorite books or a delicious afternoon nap as the sun streams through the shutters …
February 24, 2009 3:26 am
Congratulations!! So happy for you and your husband! I haven’t said it before, but I love the way you write about your marriage and love for this man! You have obviously been through so much, but instead of tearing you apart you have allowed a childless life to become a forever honeymoon! I commend you for that!! I, too have been struggling with infertility for years, and my husband and I have grown closer and more in love than ever! We gave up last year. Got off the medical and emotional roller coaster and are now just basking in our honeymooners bliss!! Thanks for writing about that aspect of infertility!! You’re wonderful – enjoy your new “honeymoon cottage”!!!
February 24, 2009 1:07 pm
Happy anniversary, Mr and Mrs PJ!
Glad to hear that the renovations are nearly finished. I hope that you’ll both enjoy settling into your new, perfectly designed, living space – your ‘green room’ sounds especially lovely!
February 24, 2009 2:28 pm
It sounds lovely, PJ!
I understand though, as it’s often when the dust settles that we feel most contemplative.
February 24, 2009 2:50 pm
Happy anniversary! I’m sure it will feel a little weird once the workmen have (finally!!) cleared out & you & Mr. PJ are alone at last in your “new” home. But I’m willing to bet it will feel like home again before too long. Enjoy — you’ve earned it (in more ways than one!).
February 24, 2009 8:12 pm
Oooh, how exciting! I can’t say I’ve ever felt PPD. I think it’s going to one long kitchen-love-fest. I’m jealous in a very friendly way.
February 24, 2009 9:42 pm
Many happy returns to you both on your anniversary. Hope you have a wonderful getaway and return refreshed and rested to the beautiful oasis you’ve created. With the help of Julio and Edwin, of course!
February 24, 2009 10:02 pm
You deserve everything that home gives you – You give US so much.
February 25, 2009 4:16 am
It does sound dreamy… and if you two survived this AND IF… well, what more needs to be said there? Enjoy your new diggs!
February 25, 2009 4:48 am
Now that you have the remodel bug, you realize you won’t be able to stop? Just kidding. Maybe.
February 26, 2009 9:29 am
Hey what progress! How fun and exciting it is to remodel and then enjoy it. We are building a deck now in back, having 3 small kitchen windows made into one, and my house is a wreck too! I admire your mariage and I too have been married to the best guy for almost 13 years (15 if you count falling in love date). Don’t know if we will end child free, I hope not, but i know if we do, I hope to have the same courage and strength that you have and share with all of us my friend. p.s. Scottsdale is a special place to me…I’ll email you why.
February 27, 2009 5:41 am
*Sigh* I know this feeling. It’s a strange mix. Even though it’s change you’re worked so hard to achieve, it’s change nonetheless. You’re going to miss your crew. You’ve grown very accustomed to having them around, to making little decisions here and there, to watching the daily progress, etc. And now… it will be q-u-i-e-t.
Spring is the perfect time to gently commune with nature in a newly planted garden. Enjoy sharing the beauty of your hard work with your BFF.
March 1, 2009 1:16 am
Happy anniversary! I am hanging out to see this house finished up. I definitely think it could be a step in the process, too. I know another couple in real life who are in the process of resolving to live without children after many years of trying, and they have just moved into a killer apartment, which I am yet to see. So I have two great houses to look forward to.
Bea
March 2, 2009 9:12 pm
OMG I can NOT wait to see pictures!!!