Ringing in the (*cough*) New Year

Hello and happy 2020!

Bit of a rough start to the new decade for me. Yes, we got moved into our suite on December 24, and yes we (just barely) got the suite ready for our tenant to move in Jan 1. But it came at a cost.

Matt was pulling long days building mill work, installing trim and vanities, and a myriad other site tasks that needed doing. I was doing my best to stay on top of our budget, source vanities for our suite, confirm appliance details and delivery, dig into the operation of our Sanden CO2 combi system (which was not producing hot enough water); all the while fulfilling my work responsibilities, doing way more dishes than I like and filling parenting gaps while Matt worked extended hours on the house. I’d be at work all day, then come home to our cramped temporary space, littered with construction tools and debris and a sink overflowing with dirty dishes.

The screech of a band saw assaults my ears from overhead, where our suite has been temporarily converted into a work space. It is dinner time and no one has given any thought to what we might eat. There is no peace and no escape. After momentarily losing it (cue utensil thrown with satisfying force into the sink), I reflect that this must be how some working moms feel all the time (minus the construction debris and band saw noise). Fortunately, this is atypical and I am grateful that Matt and I normally have a well balanced distribution of household responsibilities.

So we got moved in upstairs, thanks to our moving heroes Cam, Peter and Rob; had a nice Christmas Day brunch with family courtesy of Aura Restaurant, then got back to work on the rental suite. Our other hero Renny swooped down and spent two days on the 29th and 30th painting so Matt could finish the cabinet doors and drawers.

Mission accomplished by about 11PM on Dec 31. And then I woke up on the 2nd with a nasty chest cough. After twelve days of suffering with a low grade fever; blowing copious amounts of thick phlegm out of my nose, and being up all night coughing violently, I finally went to the clinic and got on antibiotics. Turns out I had a sinus infection. And hallelujah, after a few days I started to feel like myself again. I now have energy again, and my brain is once again able to juggle multiple competing priorities.

Here’s how things are shaping up. Lots of progress and still lots to do. Is the end in sight? I don’t want to say that just yet, but we are certainly getting closer.

Outside first:

Moving inside, our suite was transformed during one long day from work space to living space: