Our Life: Under Construction

Things don't always work out how you plan them to. Since Mike and I started our lives together our plans for the future have changed a few times. We've moved, changed jobs, launched various businesses, started our family... We aren't getting any younger, and we still haven't got it all figured it out. I know there are other people in the similar boats. But I hate feeling like I'm living in limbo. Most people at this stage in their lives have at least a few more of the big life decisions already made by now. Career path, house, at least a desired destination. It's not that we didn't have any dreams for our future - it's just that they mostly don't seem to be working out... Right now we are still living with my parents trying to save up for our own house, and trying to decide what to do and where to go next. I must admit -- sometimes it gives me something of an inferiority complex, but I couldn't be more grateful to be here right now, saving instead of incurring further debt, and able to be at home full time with our daughter. That's something I always dreamed of anyway! There are sacrifices - like not having my own bathroom...I could - but I won't go on.... With all the hard things about sharing a house, there are blessings too!

Anyway, we have been researching and praying about our future plans for a long time. Recently we both really felt like Mike needed to pursue art again. He hasn't painted since we moved back here. He just hasn't had a place to paint and has felt like he should spend all his efforts towards things that could support our family - pursuing art just didn't seem likely to do that. But drawing and painting has been such a big part of Mike's life since he was a little kid! It's a part of who he is. It's tough to make it, but if he could land a position where he could paint and we could have benefits and retirement how sweet that would be! He'd be a lot happier teaching and painting than doing anything else we can think of. My awesome-super-wonderful parents agreed to let us built a shed/studio on the side of the house so that he could have a place to paint. Our hope is that he will win a scholarship to grad school and become a professor, but even if he's just painting and entering shows again - I'm glad he'll be pursuing his talent. Mike talks about how he's not sure how he feels about painting again, but after my parents gave the OK he immediately started planning. It's obvious he's excited about it by how fast he's moved forward with this project!

The past month of our lives has been pandemonium as Mike - the one-man powerhouse - has almost single-handedly constructed a building in our backyard. I have to say I am pretty impressed by my husband. I knew he was a hard worker, and self-driven, but I know now he can be absolutely tenacious when he sets his mind to something! Even when I know he was dead-tired he would be out there pushing forward to get it done. He really wanted to make it look nice - for one so that my parents would be happy to have it in their backyard and use it after we leave, but also so that it would be a place he'd feel like going out and working in (probably after putting in a hard day's work already!). He's been racing to complete step after step so that the materials and parts he'd already built wouldn't be spoiled by bad weather. Mike is a very start to finish kind of guy so this project was driving him crazy. I think it would have taken most people much longer to pull off a project like this pretty much by themselves. Seriously - EVERY spare moment he was out building the studio, and Lily and I were doing our part to help whether it was chipping in or just staying out of his way... It's been a lot work and very little rest or play. Hence my serious lack of blogging lately. We are all so excited for the labor to be over, and the painting (artistic painting) to begin! As the last finishing touches are being completed I thought I'd take a little time to put together a photo-journal of this crazy time.

Our Life (literally) Under Construction:

Lego playing turned studio planning

Trying to imagine the amount of lighting it would get

Lily giving her 2 cents :)

Breaking ground to lay the foundation posts

Way to help with that tape measure little girl!

Helping mark the cutting lines

Building her own thing with some scrap wood

1st wall up! Thanks to help from our friend Mikey

A little more help from my dad as Mike gets the walls framed in.

A little extra help keeping out the little helper.

My hot construction man

A little tired of all this construction work

But not kept down for long :)

Working, working, working...

Framing the roof

All the walls up

Finishing the roof

Construction snack: One day when Mike took a break he grabbed a package of pop-tarts and called it a construction snack. Lily wanted in on that and started suggesting construction snacks a lot after that :) Kids and snacks. Here's a cute little video that shows how excited she was (she was actually making up a song about it):

Lily and her dad enjoying their construction snack outside

Lily fell in love with these goggles and the attention they got her and hammed it up!

Mike getting cheesy for the camera woman

Oh yeah! ;)

Installing the windows Mike got for a great deal off craigslist

The windows are in!

Ga ga over goggles

Putting in the door

Drywall and not in the mood for photos here, I think :) He hee

Helping Dad clean up

An artist should always sign his work - Lily and I were collaboraters.

Painting the inside

A master painter can continue to paint while simultaneously keeping a two-year old from getting paint on her clothes.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes like when you are using power tools,  sitting your kid in front of the television is a safer option. Lily enjoyed her My Little Pony movie and PB&J while mom helped dad lay the flooring and paint the trim.

The flooring Mike got for only $25!

It took longer than expected to get it in - Lily moved her shows into the finished corner when it started to get colder. It cracks me up how much she still laughs over Little Bear after seeing all these episodes so many times! (One of my favorite kids shows, too)

Finishing touches - the door frame, paint touch ups

 

Lily's had enough of all this constuction, but she loved playing pretend school in her little schoolhouse. She'll sit on the floor and I'll sit on the chair and she calls me teacher. She's been really into learning songs lately I will have to post some video's later!

The final stages - a front step and planting flowers!

Mike strikes a pose when he knows he's getting his picture taken. 

Can't have any normal photos :)

A row of pretty flowers

The Lily is the prettiest, I think.

And the silliest :)

Us looking pretty worn out, but the studio is finished!!! Hooray!

A look inside while it's still pristine...

All white and full of light

 The big wall like a blank canvas - ready for anything!