The BEST Anniversary ... so far

Today Byron and I have been married for 5 years. We've had the ups and downs that naturally come from living in close proximity, yet I feel more blessed to have him at my side than I did 5 years ago. We are completely opposite in most ways - have next to nothing in common in the way of hobbies or interest - and yet we complement each other. Byron brings out the best in me. He supports me (even when he would rather I didn't want to do something ... like scrape popcorn off my ceilings in a last minute change of plan). More than that, he really loves me. When things get difficult for him (we call that "growing pains"), he really tries. He does his best to uphold his priesthood and be a loving husband and father, even when he has had a long day. At his absolute crankiest, he is still the gentlest man I have ever known. Byron, I love you forever ... okay no more mushy stuff, on to the day!

This has been the best anniversary I have ever celebrated - even if I didn't even get to see my husband all that much. ;-) Byron gave me the best present in the world: a dozen roses and a completely kid-free day, and I mean the entire day ... I seriously have not changed a single diaper today. Then, as if that were not filling my little cup of joy, my friends and neighbors got together and made my little cup of joy overflow. As mentioned in my last post, I planned to do my best to get the extra wood-burning stove out and clean carpets ... possibly even get the kitchen done. Well, my friend Jenny (who is recovering from a ridiculously severe sinus infection) decided to come help ... and we were joined (thanks to Jenny's incredible coordination skills) by other wonderful friends (also known as Marcie and Leslie). If that weren't incredible enough, she coordinated for sisters to bring our family dinner for the next couple of days so that I didn't have to stop what I was working on to feed the family. Jenny, thank you so much for thinking of me! Jenny, Marcie, and Leslie came and just flew around! We got the kitchen completely cleaned - cupboards lined (at least until I ran out of liner, but that doesn't really count). We even found the keys to the back door which has not been opened in 2 years because no one could find any keys. I don't think I will be able to thank Leslie enough for tackling that door ... creepy! And Jenny!!!!! Jenny (who you must remember is under the weather, to put it mildly) brought a sqeedgy (I know I did spell that right, but you know what I mean) and got on ladders and washed all of the windows (inside and out) and then brushed the ceilings (we'll get to those presently), washed walls, and vacuumed ... she is absolutely amazing!!!! Here are a few highs (and lows) for the day:

The Stove - Hurray, the wood-burning stove is no more! I got most of it disconnected this morning before Byron made it up to join me this morning (he had to go to the "office" for a bit). Then, with the help of Harley and Steve, Byron got the stove itself moved out to the garage. The backing board (can we say cheesy?) was bolted into the cupboards, but not even finger tight so I managed to get it all done with two screwdrivers and a crescent wrench - of course I owe it all to those many hitherto deemed wasted hours watching McGuyver ... more than just a pretty face apparently. ;-) All that is left is the square box right at the ceiling which is apparently riveted from above ... that is on my tomorrow list along with patching the hole. Also, under the temporary hearth stones (just pavers in a frame) I found perfectly intact, if rather flat, carpet. This was good news!

The Cooler - we tried the cooler, but it didn't seem to work very well. First we found that the cover was still on it (thanks Harley for fixing that). Then we couldn't find the water line (Jenny found it ... in a closet I had just spent several minutes looking through). Then we found that the cooler had no pump. Harley continued his "walk about" (you have to say that with an Australian accent ... or at least try) down to the hardware store where he found that there was one left in stock. At that point Byron drove up and we sent him down to procure it. Once installed, we could hear the air, but we really didn't feel anything. We found that two of the vents were plugged, but the rest is a mystery. By the late afternoon, there was a nice breeze blowing and once combined with sweat even caused a little bit of cooling sensation. Better luck tomorrow!

The Ceiling - Okay, before I do this, I have to shout out a huge apology to Jenny who, as I mentioned before, worked very hard on the ceiling, walls, and floor. I really had no plans to knock down the popcorn today ... honestly! I figured I could live with it for a year or two. Then I walked across the street to Lynn's house for a completely unrelated reason and she (with lots of help from Ed) was talking about how much easier it would be to just knock it down before I put any furniture in the house. While I have acknowledged that point before, there is the fact that I would like to have a finished ceiling of some sort and I didn't think I was ready to put the new ceiling up yet ... I have received lots of instruction, but I have never actually done it myself. So what changed my mind? Lynn picking me up in her truck with all of her tools to take it down with me ... along with the offer to help me put the new ceiling up. It was a blast - I had more popcorn in my hair than was actually on the ceiling I think. Still after just a couple of hours all but one room is popcorn-free and I completely re-cleaned the front of the house (I was actually hoping to get it done before Jenny could see because I didn't want her to feel like her work had been wasted, but my husband ratted me out (to be fair he had no orders to the contrary). Still, I have to say Jenny, that it was not wasted. Thanks to the extra vacuuming, most of the furniture and even the hearth marks are practically gone! And Yes! we have no more popcorn ... we have no more popcorn today!!! (are you humming along?) Can you tell I don't like accoustic ceilings?

Misc Nuggets - Marcie found an entire box of green tile (to match the kitchen countertops) in one cupboard. What a relief - now I could completely resurface the fireplace to match the kitchen (kidding!!!!). The washer and dryer left behind are complete pieces of junk (no surprise) and the dryer needs to run on propane. Mine, of course, is electric. Anyone want to trade? (not kidding) Also, everyone was in agreement that the light fixture in the dining room needs to be replaced almost immediately due to its extreme ugliness (I am understating this).

To make a very long story just a little bit longer, this day has been awesome for me. I got to really focus and had wonderful gifts of service and love and friendship. Who could ask for more? I know I couldn't.