Update On New Build: Garage Door & Wall Texturing

We checked in on the new house after we got off work this morning.  Since we are headed to Pendleton for the new few days, we will check back in on the progress on Thursday.  We are really hoping we hear more on a possible finish date later this week.

Early last week they finished up the roof and put in the garage door.  They also taped the sheet rock and put up the metal pieces that make the rounded corners.  After that though, we didn’t see anything that had changed by Thursday or Friday.

I was really happy to pop in yesterday and see that the wall texturing had started. 

Kitchen

Dining Room looking into the Living Room

Stair Well

Bonus Room/Loft

Looking from the garage down the hall to the Living Room

Looking from the Living Room down the hall to the garage

We seem to still have a cord in our dining room.  Hmmmmm…not sure what is going on with that exactly.  It seems like it will be more work now to have to rip into both the inside and outside walls to put the cord where it belongs.  Then you have to patch, re-texture, and re-paint that spot.  I have no idea who is running this ship but they don’t seem to be 100% on top of it.

My neighbor’s house has landscaping.  I can’t remember if she told me she was due to close on June 19^th or July 19^th.  I hope she will be closed on her house soon.  It will be fun to see her when we visit the house daily.  Plus, I’m dying to get inside and see what her finished house looks like.

Family Is Important

Well, the graduation circuit has come to an end with my cousin Sarah’s graduation party yesterday.

I have had the best time seeing my extended family these last few weeks.  The older I get the more I realize that family is very important and making it to as many social gatherings as my work schedule allows is top priority.  Thankfully we have the annual Christmas get-together each year so at the very minimum I get to see my family then.  We also see some during the summer months in Silver City.  Other than the occasional wedding or funeral, we don’t all come together.  I am going to plan a summer reunion type event so we can all see each other next year.

My Grandpa is the second oldest of eight kids.  His youngest brother Mike is 20 years younger than his oldest brother Chuck.  That means my Great Uncle Mike is actually one year older than my Dad.  My Great Uncle Chuck and Great Uncle Jim have both passed away.  Sadly, we have also lost a few of my Great Aunt’s husbands and we no longer have my Grandma with us either.  Death is a part of living but even if your loved one is old, it is hard to see them go.

Aunt Jean, Aunt Jane, Aunt Flo, Aunt MaryAnn, & Grandpa

 

Of the eight siblings, all but three married and had kids.  I have many extended cousins both older and younger and as we have all grown older and started our own families, I have many even younger cousins as well.  Growing up with four siblings and no immediate cousins on my Dad’s side allowed us to get really close with our extended cousins.  I am thankful for those relationships I have developed.

Some of our family at the Duck Ranch in April

I like to joke with people that I am related to half of Owyhee County.  There is some truth to that though.  It has been fun to explain to Hailey and Emma when we are at a large family gathering that all of these people are related to you in some form or another.

It makes my heart happy.

The Elephant In The Room

I found this funny on Facebook and thought it was pretty accurate.

 

I never know why as a woman it is so hard to see ourselves as good enough.  We are always striving for better and we often can’t accept that we look good when we really do look good.  It is only in hindsight that we can see the real truth.

I met up with my friend Mark a few weeks ago.  We went to the Farmer’s Market and had a nice chat.  I felt like the whole time there was the elephant in the room that we weren’t talking about…my weight gain.  You could say that Mark has known me through all my phases of life.  We met while I was working in the Registrar’s Office at Boise State University in 2001.  Mark has seen me both pre-WW and post-WW.  Mark himself has even gotten on the healthy living wagon and dropped over 60 pounds.  He is a fitness machine these days workout out with his trainer and running many miles daily.  He has been a great support through the years.

Since I regained weight I often feel it is a elephant-in-the-room type situation when I am in social gatherings with people I’ve not seen in a while.  I had two graduation parties to attend last Saturday and I have one to attend later today.  I love seeing my extended family.  They too were very supportive and complimentary of my weight loss.  It now feels like I’m coming to the party with this large invisible animal on my back and something that we just don't talk about. 

 

Of course I talked about my weight loss and answered a zillion questions through that journey.  And if asked, I’d answer all the questions people have for me now with weight gain.  Weight gain is an uncomfortable topic.  It is taboo and bad and usually holds a negative meaning behind it.  We don’t like to talk about weight gain or how we got to this point.  It is easier to just avoid the topic. 

I also found this funny on Facebook.

 

It is probably all in my head and nobody even cares about my weight gain.  Who really knows for sure.  The one thing I know is I’m not going to miss out on social situations just because I’m now brining an extra 76 pounds with me when I go.