Gift Of My Own

The new gift in the living room

I have meaning to write a few entries that date bcak a bit and this is one that I really need to get out there for a couple of reasons, the most important is to say thank you.

three weeks ago I came back from my brother's wedding in Minneapolis, MN and I found a huge surprise waiting for me. I drove into the drive and noticed some things hanging in the window and wondered 'what the..?'. I carried my first load of crap from the car into the house and when I walked through the door I about dropped everything on top of Ellie's head. I had had 'curtain fairies' over the weekend and to my amazement they had gone to town in hanging curtain rods, some curtains and had laid out options of fabric for other rooms for the entire first floor! Holy cow what a transformation!

I had come to find out in later discussion that my mother-in-law (Caryn) had spent her entire weekend playing 'curtain fairy' with the help of every member of the family at some point during the weekend. So, Russ, Caryn, Brittany, Gma Helen and Gpa Case took their weekend and drove countless times back-and-forth to the fabric store, to Pottery Barn, to the mall, to the Home Depot to find just the right fabrics and rods to make the first floor seem a little more like home for us when we returned from MN. It was perfect! They even moved a few pieves of furniture from one room to the next to begin setting things in a closer-to-final resting place. Man the amount of time and work put it was truly humbling. I know family is 'supposed' to help, but this really knocked me over. Thank you guys, the house is becoming more and more like a home (and teh neighbors are getting to see me less in my undies and I'm sure they thank you too).
The sunroom saw great shade/And some on back order

All in all it finished off the rooms


This was also all set into motion by my girlfriend Shana, who as it turns out also did a little 'scheduling fairy' work of her own. Unbeknown to me she sent out an email to a lot of friends and family prior to my leaving saying that I really needed help as the project was starting to wear on me. Honestly that another entry to cover, but in short that too was amazing and floored me as well. I distinctly remember having the conversation with her about how I'm 'done asking family. They have done too much already and they need to get back to focusing on their own lives.' Sometimes not listening is a real blessing. Thank you Shana and thank you to my family for continuing to help. I truly hope the end is near and every time I think it is, reality sets in, but you're always there.

Since that email, Gpa has come up to paint, elisha and Mom continue to help with Ellie, Mary came and helped on a free Saturday - it's an amazing blessing to have family that through thick and thin always back you up. It was a great way to return from a long, exhausting weekend
for all involved, and have a little more 'home' waiting for me.

I'm Inspired By Another

A few weeks ago I was given a link to another blog site that has awoken 'something' in me. Don't really know what it was or what I'm really supposed to do with it, all I know is that I'm challenging myself to make a few changes in this blog.

I think part of this whole process is change, whether to me, my surrounds, or others that are in contact with me; I think that the effect that this WHOLE situation should have is to change the world we live in as well as how we live in that world. I have added the blog address to the right of a guy in CA that has recently lost his wife only after a few short hours after delivering his newest family addition, their beautiful and amazing little girl Madeline. I'll let you click over to read his story if you like and to maybe get a clearer idea of the source of this 'inspiration'. I will warn you, he does use strong language, but to each his own. I think you'll get a feeling of the man that writes the entries and get an appreciation for what he goes through everyday. The first change I hope to incorporate more of. Although I don't plan on writing daily, or give you all of the raw emotion that Matt shares, I will give you more of an inside perspective of what life is now like for Ellie and I. I know I have shared some of these things in the past, but I think I can do more and I think you may like to know. If you don't give a rip, let me know, but it is a direction I'm going and one I hope you enjoy reading about.

Second, Matt does a much better job of making his site 'interactive'. By that I mean linking to other things, whether sites of information or links to other parts of his site or to his recently released T-Shirt and paraphenalia site, he has more for the reader to do. Not that I'm going to go out and create a clothing line, but the Lord has put in me an idea that I plan on acting upon (how I'm not sure yet) and that will be part of this site as well.

That leads me to another point, making this whole thing a blessing. I have spoken mauch over the past 18 months of the many blessings that I have received, that others have received and even some things that I think I see the Lord receiving as blessings throughout this whole ordeal. I don't think that's enough. Observation, listening, praying are all good things but sometimes the Lord calls you to action and fear should not stop you from doing those things. As I have experienced in the lack of parenting skills that I possessed 18 months ago, God provided help for me to learn, to develop and to become what I hope is a great dad to a little girl that is the sunshine of my world. In the end, there is a large 'something' out there that He is calling me to do, to be that I need to start moving forward with or without clear direction, either way ignoring the fear. Thank you all for your interest, love, prayers and support, it most definitely has allowed me to accomplish all that has been written about here as well as the countless successes shared individually with all of you outside this cyber connection.
Stay tuned for further developments and changes - I look forward to sharing those with you all in the future as well!

Picking Up Steam

September had a great start to the month! I had a surprise crew of 6 that got focused and knocked out a lot of work. The crew included Russ V, Ron V, Shana D, Lola K, and Steve N. The weather we perfect that day and the crew took full advantage of it.

Starting off were Russ and Steve carrying all of the tile for the master bathroom floor, shower pan and laundry room up two flights of stairs and placing it in the master crapper until the rooms are fully prepped for tile (and I get a stinking quote from a tile layer). Then they started hanging sheet rock in the master bathroom ceiling and actually got it almost completely hung!
Russ Messes with the plastic/Steve needs a break

Russ & Steve prep the ceiling/Then start cutting drywall

Ron jumps in to help/The finished product looks pretty good

Kind of a tough spot for 3 guys to all fit, but they managed


Ron tore into the master bathroom window and removed it completely taking great care not to puncture the shower pan liner that's been in place for almost nine months. After tearing it completely out, he put in a temporary 'window' (a piece of plywood and caulk) until I can get a block layer to put in the glass blocks for that window. Moving on, Ron started CUTTING drywall in the laundry room to locate a place that we could install the dryer vent that I so mindlessly forgot to put in before all the walls went up 6 months ago. With the floors ready to have tile installed, I thought the time had come to make that a priority and hopefully soon having a working laundry room. He got the hole made and even located a clear path for the vent to exit the room and out the roof (through the 3rd floor crawl space) but didn't quite get to installation.
Buddy admires the view out Ron's handy work

Then Ron cuts bigger holes eleswhere


Lola and Shana spent the day clearing out the fitness room (again) of all the doors other materials (i.e. paintings, counter tops, etc.) and hung plastic from the ceiling so that I could get a painter in to spray all of the doors (and some still-missing trim boards). They went through and organized the doors by floor and located how much paint I have of each kind remaining so that I could order more if needed. It was just up to me to get the painter lined up. To this time, the painter still hasn't followed through on showing up, so I'm currently looking for his replacement;-)
The girls were camera shy


As for me, I worked on the plumbing in Ellie's bathroom and actually got running water in there once again! What an exciting day I tell you. I think in only 3 more weeks I'll be able to take a shower in my own home - yehaa! I also installed another can light in the master bathroom because you can never have too much light!
Getting down into it/The handy work of someone else

My handiwork/Roger - the REAL plumber


This week also brought a bit of sadness for Ellie. Her super cool bed and clubhouse had to be taken out. Through a lot of deliberation and checking of facts, the bed was deemed inappropriate for Ellie and it needed to go. She took the news well, but I guess it hurts me that this happened and we had such a huge build up for something that ended up being a huge pain in the butt. We now have to tear her room apart again, refinish the floors again, patch all the drywall again, paint again and take her out of her bed again. It's a disruption to her sense of normal or 'safe' that just eats at me a little. Mistakes happen, I just wish they'd stop happening to her. I guess I'll stop there and say that I think it's moving along and it was promised to be repaired and I'm sure that it will. I hope sooner rather than later so that Ellie can once again go up to her room and play with her books and dolls without having exposed wires and dusty floors. It'll all get taken care of I'm sure, it'll just take patience.

This was a great week and gives me great optimism for the month and the progress ahead. It was refreshing to get a good sized crew again and actually challenged me again to have enough work for people in multiple locations. I know the end is nearing and I praise the Lord for the many blessings he's given me during all of this.