This weekend marks the last of our big events before the BIG event (ie the upcoming birth). This weekend, we are hosting a birthday party for my big 3-0. I was decidedly against this party, which Barney has been pushing on me for literally months. I kept thinking he would give into my logic, but for some reason, he was very insistent on getting to host some kind of shindig to commemorate the big occasion. I have never seen him so persistent on a topic, so I finally gave in, but I only agreed to have family. So, we are expecting about 20 people in all to come over on Sunday for burgers, brats, and hot dogs. While all of my family has seen the house before, this will be the first time that anyone from Barney's side of the family (outside of Marshall) has seen the house. (And speaking of Marshall, he and his family are spending the whole weekend here in order to get some quality brother time in, seeing as how Marshall is moving several states away in just a couple of months).
So, we are trying to get all of the house stuff done that we possibly can in preparation for this party. We have been unpacked for a while, and our house has been mostly in order. But, there are lots of little projects that we have set to tackle this week, like hanging pictures, cleaning out the garage, putting together some new outdoor chairs, etc. It has been a time of great teamwork, and we are both getting to see our pet projects being taken care of. Barney has a brand new lawn mower and weed eater, and he has been very excited to put both to good use over the last couple of days. I have been working on as much indoor stuff as possible, and we are collaborating well on the projects that require both of our participation.
The house still has a few bigger projects that we are dealing with either due to needing our builder to finish up his end of the bargain or due to the flood (and in one case, due to a case of horrible customer service from a rather reputable store), but overall, things are starting to come together, and we are now taking several steps forward for each step back. The house won't be perfectly finished before the little guy gets here, but it's going to be close. Things don't feel so hectic anymore, and I think that both Barney and I are feeling the relief of it. In fact, right now it feels like taking care of a newborn (even with two other little ones) will be a piece of cake compared to everything we've been having to deal with.
After baseball practice tonight, we swung by our old house to pick up some mail, and it was a very surreal experience. It seems like a lifetime ago that we were living there and dealing with the stresses of trying to sell the house, house showings, and then packing up the house. It has literally been less than six weeks but it feels like a whole different era in our lives. We are so glad that we moved. We really do love our house; we love our neighbors, and we love the area. Despite everything, our home feels like home. It's where we belong, and we are finally starting to get to enjoy that feeling as a family. It might have been a rough six weeks, but it feels like the whole experience has ultimately drawn Barney and I closer together, though there were certainly moments during the last six weeks where I felt the opposite was true. Now though, it feels like we have gotten in and used our own hands, hard work, and sweat to create a space where we can really grow together as a family. Maybe it feels like home because we worked so hard to get there. If it had been easy, the pride of ownership that we take now would have been diminished.
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