For the last three weeks we have been living in Charlevoix. After a fun summer wrapping up life in the U.P., enjoying time with those people Chris grew to love over the last four years and those I've gotten to know for a couple of years, spending time with friends on the lake, packing, packing, and more packing, we made the big move. All of our belongings were finally in one place and there was no more solo traveling scheduled for us in the near future. But, since we have moved here to Charlevoix, I have begun to notice a few things about married life. Perhaps I'm noticing them more because we are now living in what was once "my" space. It has now become "ours" and with that, we have also begun doing lots of activities together...things I once did solo. And it is true, the same "blah" activities have now become more enjoyable and even exciting with two.
For instance, we had a raw wood bed that came from Chris' house and was going to be used in our new guest room. In order to finish out the room and change what was once an office into a guest room, we needed to stain the bed frame. A frame that Chris owned for over a year, but never got around to staining (who wants to take on that project solo). As we left the frame in the garage unpacking, I dreaded the idea of staining it someday. I also knew that if we carried it inside and put the bed together this way, years would pass before the bed ever was completed. So, we left it in the garage. In my head, I wrote it off as a "summer project" (as in the summer of 2011). I'm not sure if it is just teachers who create these summer to-do lists that I speak of, but any project that seems too big to tackle, gets added to my summer to-do list. Surprisingly, after a couple of days of unpacking, Chris and I looked at each other as we admired the piles and boxes of craziness in the guest room and he said, "well, should we stain that bed frame so we can get this room in order?" What?! Stain the bed, now? Not wait until the summer of 2011? I guess we could do it now, and it would be AWESOME to get that room in order. I have a partner in crime for this project....it sounds so much more doable with two! I'm in. Today, I can happily report that we both learned a lot about staining...and the room is complete (well, almost)!
So, I also shouldn't have been surprised when all the boxes of "misc." items ended up in the basement. We quickly learned that combining two lives of 30 year old's wasn't easy as we've both acquired way too much stuff! With each box that got carried down (unlabeled) I cringed at the thought of later looking for something in a panic someday when we "had to have it" and not being able to find it! But, I had to tell myself, "Kari, don't fret about it, we will get to the basement next summer." See, here I was at my antics again. The summer of 2011's "to-do" list was growing. This took a couple more weeks and some boring days, but again, we decided to tackle it together. Yup, bug bombs set, brooms to the cobwebs, my label-er in hand, and industrial brooms and we were ready to set to it. It's amazing how a job that seemed SO BIG really only took us a couple of hours. And guess what! The completed project is beautiful, neatly organized and labeled rubbermaids adorning the nicely swept and cobweb free basement. I might just want to venture down there every once in a while now! Yet again, a project completed together that once seemed daunting is completed...together (and it's not the summer of 2011).
I could go on and on with projects such as these. Maybe it's because I had to do these things on my own for so long, but I've found so many projects more enjoyable: cooking, cleaning the house, going for walks, hanging out on a boring day, going shopping, etc. And there are even other projects that seem to magically to be done! I haven't mowed a lawn since the beginning of June!!!
In big and small ways, I am learning, that life really is better with two!
~Kari
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