This house was built on blood, sweat, tears, beer and wine

We are quickly approaching the one year anniversary of moving into our new home. It doesn't seem possible.  As the Facebook memories roll in this month, I am reminded of how trying this time was last year. We were painting in freezing cold temperatures, while running space heaters trying to protect the walls and keep us warm enough to work. Our entire empty garage was filled with trim pieces being painted by my hubby, myself, my mom and dad.

The build had taken 3 months longer than expected thanks to torrential down pours that had thrown off the schedule of every builder in our local area. Every contractor was behind schedule, and so was our timeline. There were times we didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but we just kept going!

Moving back to my hometown had always been a dream of mine, and when the opportunity presented itself, we jumped on it. We built this house as our forever home, so there was so much thought that went into making everything right. We knew we wouldn't have the chance to do this over again, so we needed it to be perfect the first time.

We tried to save money in every way we could, and we were able to thanks to the people who love us more than we deserve. Uncle Gus was building closets, painting, laying hardwood floors, building furniture, and keeping us in stitches when we were too exhausted to laugh. My Father-in-law was vacuuming up drywall dust for hours on end. My mom was keeping us stocked in beer, wine, snacks, and  planning meals. My dad was doing... well just about everything. The man was a freaking rock star (and continues to be)! Painting, building, reframing mistakes, cleaning, so many things I can't even mention. These people all loved us so much that they did anything and everything they could to help us build our dream home.

My husband and I were absolutely exhausted. The only clothes we wore were our painting clothes, and we looked like we had white hair from painting ceilings. We were running on fumes and love, and the desire to be under our own roof again after 9 months of living with my parents. We wanted everything to be as perfect as it could be, so we were exhausted physically and mentally.

As I look around now, after almost a year, there are still plenty of things that need to be finished. We still have bookcases that need to be built  and paint that needs to be touched up. Our range hood still has the exposed pipe showing, and our boys are using the guest bath because they still don't have a shower door. There are plenty of things that still need to be done, but wow have we come so far!!! Although at the time it seemed like the process of building this house would never end (and it is still going), I feel so fortunate to have done it the way we did.

Today, I finally put the Valentines Day decorations away, and slowly started getting my spring and Easter things placed. As I looked around at this house that I love some much, I was reminded of how blessed we are! Every time I sweep the floors, I am reminded of the time my dad and I spent together installing them. When I hang clothes in the closet, I am reminded of all the time Uncle Gus spent in that closet with stud finders and tape. Every time I walk into the garage, I am reminded of the hours we spent together as a family working to get this house finished. There was a little blood and a lot of sweat and tears that went into building this house, but the love and memories it was built on will last a lifetime.