Feels Good to Be Back In!

It's the day after Christmas, and we are BACK IN OUR HOUSE. We have working heat now, we have some electricity, and we now have running water!

Yesterday, Christmas morning, we got the best present Trent and I could have imagined. We were able to take a hot shower in our own house.

We moved back in on Saturday, the 22nd, after 2 months of living across the street at Trent's aunt and uncle's during the renovations. We had some heat in the house, but no water yet. On Sunday, we went to my mom's family Christmas in Iowa City (still no water, and had to shower across the street). Monday, Christmas Eve, Trent had to work, and our contractor came over to get the water working. He wasn't successful. He couldn't get the copper pipes to connect and broke one of the fittings. He left and told us he'd be back Wednesday to run new lines.

So Trent got new fittings while he was working, came home Monday evening, and was able to get the cold water line working! We had cold water in the faucet! Christmas Eve night we went to Trent's brother's house to celebrate with their family.

Yesterday morning on Christmas, Trent went back down and was able to get the hot water line working to the shower. He was only one fitting short of getting the hot water to the bathroom faucet, so he is picking that one up today when he gets home. We were finally able to shower in our own house and enjoy Christmas with our families yesterday! Who would have thought just getting running water in our house again would feel so satisfying!

Status of the House

I thought I would write a house-related post today, since with all of the traveling and stuff we've had going on this summer, it's been a while since we've been able to really do any home renovation projects. So I think our little house deserves a "Status of the House" post.

Our house, fall 2016

For years now, and even before I started this blog, we've had a huge list of things we've wanted to get done with this house, and we're probably not even halfway through that list. It's true that while we've done a lot with the house so far, we're not nearly as far as what we envision the end result to be in our heads.

We've made it comfortable for us for the time being, though. Comfortable enough for everyday life to take place and not have to worry too much about the house on a day to day basis. But there are so many more projects that need to happen, namely structural projects, that we're just trying to find the time to fit in with our everyday lives.

When I look back at the time of my first blog posts here, especially when I first moved in, we were thinking about the house constantly. The living room and bedroom were both in a state of renovation, and we wanted to get those projects done as soon as we could in order to live comfortably in our home.

Trent working away on the hallway floor

Now, in recent years, we've taken things a lot slower than when we first started. This has allowed us to not only live in the house and really think about what we want to do with it, but we've also been able to just experience things without worrying as much about what we need to do with the house. We've been able to fit in small, and slightly larger projects, here and there, while still being able to make memories, get married, travel, and work along the way.

So many memories in recent years!

Even though this means things may not get done as quickly as we like, we have at least been able to live in the moment and not be focused on the house 24/7, which I think is what you should do to stay sane!

So, what does the future hold for our little house? Maybe a few small house projects before the year ends, maybe a big project..we're not quite sure yet. I've been itching to start another big reno project, though. I just need to get Trent on board. ;)