Tues. 1st--We were told yesterday that the carpet and flooring would be installed today and it takes three days. YAY!! We're getting even closer! After dinner, Jared and I ran over to see the progress on the flooring. I guess we shouldn't have been too surprised nothing had been done. When we asked Donell about it, she said winter weather is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday, so they decided to not even start the job. Figures.
Wed. 2nd--When I left for Ira this morning, it was starting to lightly snow. But mostly it was freezing rain, so it was a slow drive. As such, Snyder school district closed at noon and Ira dismissed at 12:30 so we could get safely off the roads. The bigger snow flurries and flakes didn't start to fall until later in the evening. But it was super cold! No one wanted to be on Rolo's potty duty. Haha!
*Kevin spoke in church on Sunday and during his message I was reminded that though the world is ever darkening and chaos is increasing, those who desire, seek after, and strengthen their faith in the Savior will in turn receive His power--the power of the Creator who is the ultimate navigator. His confidence and reassurances are real. Elder Neil L. Andersen in August 2015. "As evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. As the world slides from its spiritual moorings, the Lord prepares the way for those who seek Him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling. The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight...This added blessing of spiritual power does not settle upon us just because we are part of this generation. It is willingly offered to us; it is eagerly put before us. But as with all spiritual gifts, it requires our desiring it, pursing it, and living worthy of receiving it."
Thurs. 3rd--Not surprisingly, school was closed for a snow day. But it was a boon for me! I was able to catch up on laundry, paperwork and finances at home and enjoy some time with the kids. This full-time teaching gig is a lot of work. I did not have a clear picture of what I was getting into when I accepted. Maybe it's for the best that I took the job in ignorance. I might have said no, otherwise, and it's helped us with the extra months of double rent/mortgage that we weren't expecting. I'm grateful for the work because we need the extra income, but I miss being at home. I feel like I could serve others more, too. I miss doing that on a regular basis.
Fri. 4th--No school for Snyder students and it was a late start for Ira. My high school students were a bit miffed that they had to go to school but Snyder didn't. They have nothing to gripe about though. They get out of school an hour early every Thursday and Friday of the school year.
Sat. 5th--Cooper and Calvin registered to be in a youth/adult doubles bowling tournament together. Since it was at 1pm, we figured Calvin would want to be well rested, so we skipped youth bowling league that morning. Because I had some "free" time, I worked more on our finances (such a long and involved process), then Jared, Cooper, Calvin and I drove to Lubbock for the tournament. They did great! Cooper wasn't happy with his last game, but he's too hard on himself. We thought they did well, but we might just be biased. This was a two day tournament, with more bowlers coming in on Sunday, so we wouldn't know how they compared with the other competitors until it was over. We got Udon noodles for lunch at Chop Chop and cut their hair before heading home. It was fun spending time with just the two of them.
*Jared and I went to check on the house progress. I'm sure they hate that we're there all the time, but maybe that will keep the work moving forward. They finally started putting the master vanity in. That opening is "custom" in that all the vanities on the market today are either too big or too small for that space. So we got one that was super close. But they had to cut about a quarter inch opening in the wall to make room for it and then put the drywall up around it. Donell said she was not leaving until they got that thing in there! The vanities have been a headache for sure. But at least there are two sinks in each. That will definitely be worth it in the long run.
Sun. 6th--The cousins came over for a little bit after church and they did Just Dance together. It was pretty funny to watch. We also watched The Heffalump Movie for JJ's benefit. He'd never seen it.
Mon. 7th--We got some great pictures and updates from Donell on the house.
Master vanity in and "sealed."
Tues. 8th--This was Calvin's recent progress report, halfway through is 8th grade year. In case it's hard to read, let me help you. Athletics--100, Spanish 1--20, English Language Arts--91, US History--96, Choir--0, Algebra 1--42, and Science (taught by his cousin, Emma)--97. Four A's and three F's. When Cooper heard that Calvin had a 0 (ZERO) in choir, he exclaimed, "Calvin! You make the impossible, possible!" Like seriously...that should be the easiest A! It's a gimme class.
Wed. 9th--Donell sent these pictures...carpet and flooring all in! It looks amazing. The fan needs to be replaced and raised still.
Sat. 12th--It was a big day in Lubbock. Sadly, we had to drive both cars to Lubbock and back so that we could get our windshield replaced on the burb. Calvin bowled well...only 20 pins short of a 500 3-game series (average of 166 each game). We had lunch at Costco, picked up the burb, and got gas ($3.09-$3.39 a gallon). We were gone from 8am to 3pm. We played a little on the Switch together when we got home. Even Jared played Jeopardy--and won! Later that night, those of us 13 and older watched "Murder on the Orient Express" together. These are my teens being silly and trying to huddle under the same blanket together.
Sun. 13th--Jared has been working extra shifts at the urgent care on Sundays to help them get through the Covid and flu season. But today, he got to come to church with us. I invited two gentlemen, Chris and Kyle, from church to join us for dinner. They live in Utah (and their families are still there) but are here in Snyder to work on a housing project. Chris accepted the invite. We exchanged family stories and then he watched the Super Bowl with us. It was the Rams vs. the Bengals. JJ was the only one rooting for the Rams and they won last minute.
Mon. 14th--Happy Valentine's Day to us...Donell said there are unexpected plumbing issues at the house (the fridge, under the master vanity, the washer and dryer, etc.) so who knows when we'll be able to move in. Grrrrr.
Thurs. 17th--There was nothing on the schedule at all after school so all four kids did a Just Dance competition while Jared and I watched. It was really entertaining.
*The dishwasher is installed!
*Calvin tried out for the mile in track and came in 3rd place. I guess they take the top three to district.
Tues. 22nd--Happy TWOSDAY--2-22-22!!!
Wed. 23rd--We had thunder and lightning and freezing rain at 2am. As such, school was cancelled for the day. I took these pictures at 6:30am as I headed out to do my grocery shopping at Walmart. It's only a couple blocks away via the backroads and I drove verrrrry slowly.
And again at 7:40am.
*This is our friend, Scott Clevenger, who has taken our family under his wing during youth bowling league. He had to get surgery on his wrist again. Bowling isn't helping it. We sure love this guy. He's so kind and knows a lot about bowling. And if he can put up with the likes of us...he's got to be special! He lives in Plainview, which is about an hour north of Lubbock, so he has a big drive to get to the bowling alley each week, too.
Sun. 27th--We anxiously waited for the call that the house was ready. I played chess with Calvin and we watched "Meet the Mormons."
*Another unexpected day off allowed me to spend 7.5 hours of planning lessons...time I did not get paid for. We didn't have a walk-thru of our house either. *sigh* But we did get some family time with Just Dance, Big Brain Academy, Lost in Space, music and poetry. Sadly, Russia invaded Ukraine tonight. Not good...
Thurs. 24th--Since there was a hard freeze last night and more moisture, it resulted in SUPER icy roads. So school was cancelled yet again. But Calvin still had his physical. He is now 5'7'' and 114 lbs. He's grown TWO inches in 4 months. I believe it!
*I almost don't want to say it out loud, but we might get to walk thru the house tomorrow for the final punch list.
*I really like this list of emergency numbers.
Fri. 25th--We are praying for Ukraine since Russia has invaded. Mom and Dad still have friends there from their mission in 2007.
*Went to the house again. It looks pretty good. Except the blinds that they told me they'd put back up at the end of the reno...were trashed. So we have nothing to cover the windows and they offered no solution at all to fix it. Pretty lame. I was not happy.
Sat. 26th--Orlando and Donell said we could get into the house that afternoon! JJ had a stake primary activity in Lubbock where he went on a mock mission to none other than the Dominican Republic! Which is where Jared served his mission for real. Haha!
*James tutored Calvin in algebra for 2.5 hours and I washed all the bedding in the rental while we waited for the call that we could get into the house. Donell texted at 8pm to tell us that they'd give us the keys officially the next day.
*We finally went to see Orlando and Donell at the house. They were at the tail end of cleaning. Everything looked really nice, all things considered. But it was super dark when we walked through so it was hard to see details. They had the fridge installed and I hated the look of it next to the double ovens. The stainless steel on the two appliances have different finishes and it turned my mood sour because they don't "match." Which is so ridiculously prideful of me, I know. There are thousands and thousands of families in Ukraine fleeing for their lives, in the cold, with nothing except the clothes on their backs and being separated from their husbands and fathers. And I'm sulking over my brand new refrigerator. Let's have a little perspective, Jenn.
Don't anyone fall over, but this time, we got our keys! We are grateful to Orlando and Donell. I think they worked harder than some of their subcontractors. It took longer than we all hoped...three months longer...twice as long as was estimated for several reasons. Multiple crews getting covid and isolating, miscommunication, subcontractors leaving, freezing rain/ice storms, supply issues, broken vanities, plumbing...ack!! I think we've met our lifetime home reno quota. Haha! It is not for the faith of heart. Word to the wise: do not renovate a home during a pandemic.
We took a picture to commemorate the moment, discussed the few remaining items to be completed (a couple vent covers, glass for the master shower, mantle for the fireplace, hardware on cabinets/barn doors, etc.), then our contractor/designer husband/wife team packed up their stuff and we went back to Kevin and Christina's where the kids were hanging out.
*Olivia wants to be an esthetician and so she happily practices her skills on others. In this case, blackhead removal on Calvin at his request. Haha!
Mon. 28th--Calvin was running in his first track meet...the 1600 and 2400. Fortunately the house is just up the road from the stadium, so Jared and I were able to watch his races in between moving boxes and beds to the house. It was a bit crazy because track meets don't always start on time. But we wanted him to know we were cheering him on. He came in second to last in both events, but he was sub 8 minutes in both, too. Not bad for his first time.
*The following is a combination of pictures I took Sunday night after Donell and Orlando left and Monday afternoon before we started moving our first load into the house. I did a big comparison of before and after pictures on Facebook. Over 200 people reacted to it and I got 80+ comments. It's a drastic transformation and we love it! Bye-bye 70's brown and yellow drab. Hello white, gray, and fab!
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