Jarv and I have been married almost 3 years. We lived for a year in San Berdo after we were married. I couldn't take it and we moved closer to our parents. At the same time as our move back, we purchased a gift store that has been around for nearly 30 years. We became business owners at the worst time in economic history. Needless to say, Jarv backed me, Mom and Dad backed us, and come to find, our community backed us as well. We talked about it being an investment for our future. Some place I can raise our children and still contribute to the household income. That's when the roller coaster started, we have yet to slow down. We rented a beautiful home from family friends for a year. Our first year open came to a close around the time we moved in with my brother Scott and his awesome wife Molly. We were planning on purchasing a small home and had started looking in January of 2010. At the time there were a lot on the market for amounts we could afford. We qualified for a particular loan that didn't require a down payment, however, it had restrictions on the home you could try for. It took almost a year to find the right one. We finally did and moved in September of 2010. Well...sorta. Jarv was in training for his new job and he was away during the weekday so I stayed at Mom and Dad's and slept on their couch. It took awhile just to get our bed into the house. We knew we had a lot of renovations to do so we didn't unpack. I did have them rip out the carpet that was throughout the ENTIRE house. So now we have nastly old limoleum floors that still has some of the rubber from the carpet stuck to it. We have to wear slippers or shoes all the time. Oh and LOTS LOTS of spiders. EVERYWHERE. The house is a cabin built in the 1960's. Of course there are spiders. We have 1/4 bath and a 1/2 bath (a shower that is about the size of a small square closet). It is where I reside with my husband, that makes it home.
So Jarv has a good job. My job as a lab tech has been in full force since the end of 2010 and it's coming to an end in about 18 months. I can't just run the store, I have to find another job, sadness, but it's the way things have to be for at least 3 more years. I have emotional breakdowns every few months, I survive on lots of coffee and the confidence and love of my best friend. As a female I feel sorry for him that he has to deal with me in those moments. He has come a long way, and he keeps surprising me. Let me say this about him...well...he's my most favorite person in the world. I'm a control freak (surprise surprise), letting go and relying on others has proven to be a difficulty of mine, and he bares the brunt of it very well. I'm getting better and it feels good to relax and let him take the reigns when I remember to hand them over.
We don't have any kids, and don't plan on having any, any time soon. Our business and home are our "babies". Our house is the biggest project that is underway. Jarv and our good friend Eric starting demo on the interior of our 900 square foot home. It may be tiny, but it's cozy, it stays warm in the winter (except at night and that is because the windows are single paned; and there is A LOT of them), lots of sunlight, walking distance of town, good neighborhood, a view of the lights of the city, and the best part, it's like sleeping in a tree house. To follow are 2 pictures of the start (yeah only 2, it's a small house there's only so many angles you can take)
Jarv and Eric took the downstairs closest out, except for that small wall you see at the back. There's an air intake from the heater that we are not sure where we want to move it or even if we want to move it all. There were 2 long bulky closets that took up from where I'm standing taking the picture to that small wall. It opens it up SOOOOOOOOO much! I love it! They did such a wonderful job.
This is from around the corner from the first photo. There use to be a pantry at the end of the kitchen counter. Now it's just the shell of one. It has a few electrical outlets and a phone line so we have to figure out where to put those. Once again, it adds to how much more open it feels and how less dark and eerie it feels.
A quick layout of the house: The cinder block fireplace sits smack dab in the middle of the house and then the house, as we are founding out, was kinda thrown up around it. I hate the cinder block look, Jarv likes it. I want to change it, like cover it up with rock, an idea that Jarvis is all for. It's going to be a fun project to build and create this home with him. He's got good ideas, I've got good ideas, and we LOVE hearing ideas from friends and family, so if you have any lay 'em on us.
Side note: This is not the best I can do as far as a blog goes, it's a start.
