March Break - Activity # 3

As per usual, we have used our holiday to do home renovations.  The first goal on Dave's list was to tackle the spare room.  Or rather, the Barney room as we had aptly named it. You see, when we moved in, the room had been a little girl's bedroom.  And for some reason, perhaps because this sweet 6 year old had been able to choose the colour, it was the colour of a popular  large dinosaur from the early part of the decade.  To say the very least, it was offensive.  

So, armed again with a giant pail of primer, Dave happily began to tackle this room as the next room in a series we like to call The Olden's Paint Everything.  

So far, we had painted the main floor powder room and the dining room and the study.  The powder room, if you remember from a past post, was the room with the lovely teal textured walls that needed to be sanded down and Greco-Roman light fixture that smoked from the halogen lights that were in it.  

This is it now:

The print on the wall is from one of my favorite Canadian artists, the late Norval Morrisseau.  He is considered the "Picasso of the North" and as an Anishinaabe artist his works feature the beauty of Canadian Aboriginal spirituality and mysticism.  This particular work is entitled A Branch From The Tree of Heaven.

Though not nearly as well known, Dave is also a skilled artist with a paint brush.  In later posts I will show the final result of the study and the dining room, but here, I actually managed before and after shots of the Barney room, so I figured I would post them ASAP.  

 There is something to be said for a man who has a thirst for painting.  Look at the sense of satisfaction he has as he rolls the last bit of primer over the abomination that was the purple walls.  Pure joy I tell you; that is pure joy!





I have a bit of a commitment issue when it comes to paint colours.  I know how absolutely temporary they are, but I still break into a sweat having to make the final decision in the paint store.  Inevitably, I always hate the colour for about two weeks after it goes on the wall. Here is the final result of our spare room.

It has all the furniture from the spare room in the old house (a.k.a. my old university furniture) , so I think maybe it is throwing me off, but it has only been a few days, so I have miles to go until I love it.  The main thing is, NO BARNEY!!!! And that's what counts isn't it?  

And as I type, Dave is filling the walls and sanding in the laundry room and bathroom.  I suppose I should get back to him. It is, of course, The Olden's Paint Everything, so that means  both of us...

It's Go Time?... More Like Panic Time!

What was I thinking starting a new program at work?  For those of you who have been left out of the loop, I am now the Head of Dance at my school. I am building the Dance program from the ground up, and I am so super overwhelmed! However, that is the least of my problems!

To add to the insanity further, we are moving!  In fact, my lack of posts has been because I have been packing like a mad woman trying to get everything in order before this Saturday!

They say that a wedding, a renovation, and death are the only other moments in life that are as stressful as moving; I believe it!  We have been through all of them and this one is brutal.  My biggest point of contention lately has been the carpets.  I know, I know, this really does not seem to be that awful of an issue, but getting a person in to clean the carpets has been the struggle.  You see, although we closed the deal two months ago, the previous owner of our home has felt the need to hold on to the keys of the home until the very last minute she could.  The home is vacant, she even made a point of saying that if she were out early she would let us know. But no, she has held on and will hold on until the last moment.  And although our carpet man could have come anytime this week, he will be forced to come two days after we move in because, in grand Erica and Dave style, the local home show he is participating in is on the same day as we move in.

It is no surprise to those that know me that I am totally OCD.  So if the next two weeks do not lead me to insanity, nothing will.  I must look on the bright side though, it has been a very long haul for Dave and I.  We spent this past Sunday in my mom's driveway enjoying a little moment relishing the fact that it would be the last Sunday we would have to part to start our weeks alone.

Here's to next Sunday... we may not have clean carpets, we may be sleeping on the floor, but at least we we will not say goodnight to each other over the phone!  Here's to progress...

Where Does The Time Go?

It really doesn't seem like so many years have passed since Dave and I first began dating.  However, when I look back upon how full the last eight years have been, they really have been chock-full of wonderful memories.  Beautiful places, wonderful people, and a shared history that has been built as a legacy of our life.  


Now, to be clear, that's not to say that we have not had our challenges.  In fact, we have also shared some of our most difficult moments, both personally and as a couple, in the past years.  However, through it all, we still managed to stay in love. These moments of trial and loss are also part of the amazing fabric of our new family.  They too must be appreciated for what they have brought to our relationship and our marriage.

Now we are embarking upon the next phase of our life together.  We are now husband and wife and, come October, we will move into our first real home together.  I say 'real home' because there is something different about this house than the house Dave purchased while we were still in our Undergrad.  Sure, that house is part of our history as well; Lord knows that with all the renovation we have done with our bare hands it could be nothing less than a full chapter of our lives! But to be honest, I never really felt that it was ever my house.  It was simply a representation of all the high and low moments and fierce challenges we have faced before becoming a married couple.


While contemplating the massive undertaking it would be to pack up our lives and relocate, I stopped upon a trio of pictures that I had framed for Dave a few years ago.  The one above was  part of the group. It was taken in our first summer of dating.  We were guests at Dave's cousin Jenny's wedding.  I had to laugh.  Oh, how young we look!  

That picture got me thinking... where does the time go?  Certainly I can look back upon the chronological documentation of our life and see what we have done to fill the years.  However, I don't really feel much older really.  Save perhaps the aches and pains I didn't seem to have once. I suppose that's what years of dance will do to you!?

 

The most amazing depiction of how the time flies is when I look back at pictures of Beans and Peanut.  I see how small they were and I truly realize how time flies. I can't imagine how fast time will go if we are blessed with children of our own! Peanut is starting her first year of high school and I still remember her being so small we practically lost her in blankets; now she towers over me.

 I would be remiss if I didn't say that there is a bit of sadness that comes with the photos of past. As if, there is something that we have lost that we will never regain. However, it only takes me looking at pictures from the present to realize that we are so blessed and life continues to become more and more rich. I find joy in continuing to count our blessings.