Well, there’s no going back now. This isn’t much of a date night, either, as everything mostly has to go on serially. So, Jason ripped out a wall, and I followed behind occasionally with the ShopVac and tried not to scream at sudden loud noises and walls trembling. Tomorrow when it’s a little warmer & I can open the doors, I’ll polyurethane the new vanity while he rips out the floor.

Romantic evening at home!

Things we’ve learned so far about stupid construction and former owner’s crappy previous “renovation”:

1. What do you do when you accidentally order a countertop 1/2″ too long? You could send it back, but why? Just cut a hole in the wall and wedge it in. If you caulk the crap out of it, no one will figure it out until 20 years later when they try to update it.

2. If you can’t get enough nails in to secure a wall stud and have access to the other side of the wall, why not add some nails there? Nails hammered in from every direction imaginable just serve to make the wall extradoublestable and secure!

3. Got leftover pegboard? Need to level a floor? Or – just need to get rid of the pegboard? Why not cut it up and screw it into the subfloor before you put cheap laminate sticky tiles down!

4. Didn’t cut said cheap laminate sticky tiles the right size? No matter! You can caulk them to the toilet. So then, when you try and remove the toilet, you get the added efficiency of ripping out entire sections of flooring!

No matter! You have to get up pret-ty early in the morning to foil Amanda and Jason! And, I’ve been watching videos all day on how to (in about 4 different methods) patch holes of any size and shape in drywall. So, former idiot owner and construction company? Go on. Bring it.

The wall’s out and the house is still standing.

…is one more post than I’ve made lately.  (A quiz Mindy posted)

1) What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name? Kate

2) What was your worst date (as in going out on a date, not an actual calendar date…unless you have a really bad one to share)? I can honestly say I’ve never been on a bad date. Not a one. I’ve had ones where it was clear there wouldn’t be a second, but nothing out-and-out bad.

3) If you had to teach one subject in high school or college, what would it be? Math. Preferably Calculus. (My AP Calc teacher would laugh his butt off if he saw this!)

4) When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? A couple of weeks ago, in the car on the way home. It was some stupid joke I made that got Jason laughing and just got  “worse” from there.

5) What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you? Wow. There are so many things that people have done for me, big and small, friends and family. I guess I’d have to take it from the top: my mom gave me my life.

6) If money or skill-set was no issue, what would you love to do for a living? I still wouldn’t mind being a ballerina. Or teaching Pilates. Or running a B&B. Or doing something crafty.

7) What is one thing as an adult/parent/spouse you do that you swore you would never do? I make up stupid songs about things to get a laugh. I’ll do any of a number of stupid things to get a laugh out of Jason, and I fully expect to do the same for my kids. Just like my mom did for me that I rolled my eyes at and swore it was so stupid I’d never do it.

If you could go back to one particular time in your life (not to live, not to change anything, just to visit) when would it be? College. Undergrad.

9) If your walls could talk, what would they say about you (good & bad)? They would ask why I couldn’t just be happy with the color I’ve painted them and to quit changing it. And why I can’t just be content with everything and stop pushing everything and everyone (including myself) to meet higher standards.

10) If you could fix or put an end to one problem in the world what would it be? Wastefulness. We are ruining our planet with the things we do to it and the lives we live.