Megan Molseed
Ah, the joy of movement – no one said that. Moving is always a hectic process, and this summer was no exception for my family. We said goodbye to the rolling hills of northeast Iowa and moved across the state to a new chapter in Fonda, settling in Jim's childhood home.
By the time we loaded the last box into the moving truck, both Jim and I were completely exhausted. It felt like I was running a marathon, but the race required sprinting through a maze of furniture and boxes, running hurdles, and tip-toeing. Jim and I shared a weary laugh and half-joked that our relationship must have acquired superpowers to survive this chaotic dance with our furniture and memories. I figured if I could deal with this, I could deal with anything.
Once unpacked, our new home became a mixtape of the leftovers of our lives. Our furniture includes everything Jim's parents left behind when they moved, everything my oldest daughter left behind on her way to college, and some of my late mother's belongings. It was mixed.
Walking around the house felt like an awkward treasure hunt. One minute you'll find a forgotten board game, and the next you'll find a drawer full of mismatched buttons. Our living room became like a comedy sketch with four recliners fighting for space in a room meant for two.
And the chaos certainly didn't stop there. We soon realized that we were faced with an even bigger task. It could be building a garage, painting the walls, or dealing with that annoying popcorn ceiling. Ah, that popcorn ceiling…how quickly it became our nemesis, taunting us with its stubborn resilience every time we tried to remove it.
Armed with a scraper and a tenacity to match the ceiling, Jim approached this daunting task as if he were the hero of an epic popcorn ceiling showdown. Imagine a quirky hero in a DIY comedy who, armed with determination and a trusty scraper, braves ceilings that test our sanity on the move.
Then the paint fiasco happened.
Choosing paint colors has become an everyday topic. Swatches in hand, we stared at the greens and grays as if they held the secrets of life itself. Days turned into weeks as we faced decisions as if they were as important as choosing a brand of coffee in a crowded supermarket. The struggle was real, and those small color samples quickly became our lifeblood in the chaotic world of home decor.
After much discussion and quite a bit of effort, we settled on a name that we thought was the flashiest paint name ever. It's “Lottery Prize'' and “Olive Sprig,'' which are a mixture of bright green shades and deep greens. I was able to apply these colors to most of the walls right before the first guests stopped by. But we paused just before tackling borders, trims, and nooks and crannies. Completing these tasks still remains on our “to do” list…but let’s be honest, that list seems to have a life of its own and gets longer by the day. I am.
Amid the paint mess, Jim's vision was to add a two-car garage and expand the three-bedroom home to four bedrooms while converting the existing one-car garage into a new room. Things have changed. Because clearly in our world, chaos begets more chaos.
Starting construction immediately after the move was no easy task. In particular, the crew faced several delayed starts, some of which were due to the weather…at first it was too hot as temperatures soared to 90 degrees in early fall. Next, the cold slowed down the crew as freezing rain blew through the area.
Despite the challenges, Jim's enthusiasm remained unwavering. Then, in mid-October, just as we were feeling the construction stall, a miracle happened. The much-needed cement was poured, the renovation journey staggered forward, and the structure began to rapidly take shape.
But there are still decisions that hover over us like storm clouds. Even at this early stage, Jim and I are grappling with important choices. The choice is to use shingles for the garage roof, a choice that is likely to lead to delays, or a quick steel topper. Jim, the eternal optimist, thinks about shingles and dreams of a roof that will fit our home. However, from a practical standpoint, a steel roof can be a quick solution. The struggle was real, my friends.
Amidst the mess of construction work, I often think about one of Jim's best ideas in these efforts. It's an extension of the deck with a patio in front of the garage, which will soon become his fourth bedroom.
I love that idea. Once construction begins on your garage, that patio will be more than just concrete. It represents our potential summer shelter.
Our summers revolve around the deck, from morning coffee to late night chats. When you think of the idea of expanding that space with a patio, you dream of relaxing with a glass of sangria or a grilled steak.
As the dust settles and our home slowly transforms, I can feel a sense of triumph in every sip of my summer cocktail, toasting to the smell of wet paint and the smell of “almost” finished projects. that's right. Here's our crazy journey. There, laughter is our best tool, resilience is our middle name, delirium…well, that's just the cherry on top.
