This post is sponsored by OneDay.com, a new site I just discovered (still in Beta) that helps organize and distribute your pictures, videos and family story.
Hello there, Friends. Last time we talked, we were all gearing up for a cram-packed summer of awesomeness in our transition to a new spot and a new Queso. Aaaand I’m here to report in that completely nothing has gone as planned. Not a thing. No things.
I mean, we’ve for sure been doing things and it’s been interesting and all (in a we’re nomadic people without plumbing kind of way) ... just not at all expected or in flow with anything even close to a plan.
In fact, we’re so beyond Plan B that right about the time I scrapped Plan Q for Plan R, I decided to ditch all further planning and just be a leaf on the river until September. And that’s actually working for me.
Back when I had plumbing, I mentioned wrote about our summer goals … and so far we’re doing okay. Harry’s done three of his ten, I’ve done three and a half of my five. So it seems, between me and Harry, I’m winning summer.
It also occurs to me that we only have about three and a half weeks left of this thing, so I thought I’d catch you up so that one day we can all look back and laugh.
If you follow me on Instagram (and let’s be honest, you totally should, as I should you) you might be under the impression that our summer has been filled with adventures of croquet and fancy pools and friend and family visits with trips and hikes and back porches and baseball games. And that’s somewhat true.
But mainly it’s true because we’ve been somewhat homeless without a home. Hence the random wandering. And the work trips. It’s take your kid to work trips month. Because our house is basically being gutted.
As a result, we’ve been driving around a lot. Like on daily commutes to the grocery store. Or to pick up mail in Austin. Or to just to find some liquid body of water to throw ourselves into.
And then there’s baseball, which, let’s be honest, has consumed the majority of the summer. For sure and for real. But don’t let any of that stop you from coming to visit us.
Because this is the guest room. And it’s all ready for you. We do have a few things we’d like for you to do before you go, and all the tools you’ll need are so handy now, right at the foot of your dusty mattress in the middle of the room.
You’ll never get bored with all these boards laying around everywhere. And the random sheetrock will greet you at the front door along with misplaced wrapped furniture crates and something that looks like a coffin.
Upon your arrival, you should feel free to take a relaxing bath in the newly luxurious bathroom.
Or perhaps a shower is more your style. That’s cool. Behold, your shower awaits.
Or perhaps you’re hungry, and you’d like something from the kitchen. Well, guess what, we have one of those too. And we’re finishing it at the same time because why not. Don’t worry about that trashcan full of random demolished wood scraps.
Because we have much more random demolished wood scrappage where that came from…like five barns full of dumpsters full of them. We’re so full in our fullness. Of all things random and demolished. You’ll see!
You see? 28 dumpsters down, possibly 28 more to go. In fact this photo above might just sum up the whole summer. Or possibly the last five years. Because, as you might remember in the middle of life, nothing goes as estimated. A three-week project, becomes a six-week project. A one-year transition becomes a five-year transition. And any unplanned event or two throws everything off kilter.
Luckily, one day we will look back on all this that is transpiring with great love and nostalgic affection. I know this.
I am sorting through and fixing up a 94-year-0ld house that my mother’s mother’s mother and her husband and children lived in. And as we peel back the layers of 90s plaster and 70s paneling and 40s wallpaper, right down to the bare shipboard, I remember that I’m living in a time capsule. And I swear every day that I’m sorting through the shifts, I keep thinking if I keep my eyes open and pay attention, I’ll find treasures… But most days, I do not. Most days I just find more crap to put in dumpsters.
It’s a weird place to exist, surrounded by the past and remodeling the present at the same time, and honestly, it’s made me resolved to make things cleaner, simpler and for God’s sake, much more livable.
I’m not missing the irony … and impeccable timing … to be approached by One Day to create a time vault where you can set items to be shared in the future (as in One Day.)
I tried it, and I’m addicted to the concept. The site is actually pretty awesome – it can one-click pull photos and videos from all of your places (computer, FB, Instagram, etc.) and put them into vaults that can be shared with family so they can do the same with connected vaults. It’s all too easy. Suck it, Scrapbook people.
You can also create time capsules to be sent to people later in life – so you can create them for your child, full of stories and pictures that they open when they graduate from high school or whatever. My mom made an actual time capsule for us, but then it was stolen out of her house, which was weird and disappointing, both to me and also, most assuredly, to the robber.
And while my mother at least had a plan, overall this seems like a much better one than my great grandmother had (which was to leave nothing) or my great uncle had (which was to leave every random thing he ever owned, saw, or thought about in a house and five barns).
So if you’re interested, check it out. I have a promo code for some free lifetime accounts (score!) and you should totally grab one while you can (and while it’s available) and play around with it. (Promo Code: BlogConQueso with the offer of a free lifetime account (up to 25 GB).
In the meantime, I’ll be here in Central Texas for the rest of the summer. So don’t mess with my planless plans of nomadically roaming from water hole to baseball field, working on building things and documenting it all.
Because one day I’ll want to remember.
Thank you to OneDay for sponsoring this post and thank you readers for supporting the sponsors who help support this blog. There are such good things and even more good people coming here with the redesign and reconfigure and I can’t wait to share it all with you.
