January: The end of 2013 had us remodeling the kitchen, but in early January we also tore out the master bathroom cabinetry and mirror. Eldon had hernia surgery and subsequently returned to the ER via ambulance after repeatedly passing out and seizing.
February: The hunt for the right contractor and a plan for the house.
March: The remodel begins in earnest. We tore out the rest of the playroom/office space and demolished much of the old concrete floor. We built and poured new footings, slab and sidewalk. Then studs, drywall, texturing, painting, windows.
April: Put on new roof which included a new swamp cooler and electrical lines. We also had the learning lesson of a lifetime dealing crooks who were supposed to refinish our Saltillo floor.
May: John was born on May 15th and lifelighted to Loma Linda NICU to make for an exhausting weekend. We were finally able to take him home 48hrs after birth.
June: Remodel, remodel, remodel! I got really good with sanders, paint brushes, screw drivers, and everything Home Depot can sell. Most memorable was nursing John while changing electrical outlets. Don't worry, the power was off! ;-) We also made a trip to Modesto and Davis for April's graduation from UC Davis Veterinary School. It was a much needed trip for rest, but a risky trip with all that still needed to be completed on the house.
July: Still remodeling, painting the exterior of the house, packing and moving. We were saved by Beth and Judy, our Mom's who made survival possible. My Mom basically took the kids to the hotel and kept them occupied while fueling us with food, and Beth helped with John, cooking and packing. She was there, in the moonlight with us until 5 A.M. the morning the truck was going to be picked up. Amazing. I'll never forget installing the shower walls at midnight, and painting the back door the morning we were pulling out of CA. It was a most insane adventure.
The move to the East coast took us two weeks, six days of camping, five days in a hotel and three with family. We stopped at the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, San Antonio and then Houston, Texas to see my family; New Orleans, Mississippi, Missouri and Kentucky. We took our time and only drove five to seven hours a day. On July28th we bought our home in Charlottesville, VA.
August: Eldon started the Grad Course at the JAG School and we got settled in.
September: Tony and Kathleen Kmitta visited with their family for a few days. We had a wonderful time together and had a great hike to the top of Crabtree Falls!
October & November: We spent as much time as possible together as a family. We have gone hiking, bike riding, to Monticello (multiple times), Williamsburg (On Veteran's Day), to the Washington D.C. Temple (twice), Arlington National Cemetery, and the Kennedy Center for Josh Wright's debut performance there. We have enjoyed time together on a much more regular basis and with much less stress than what we had at the beginning of the year.
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