Well folks, its been a long while. We have come to the realization that we cannot do it all. As much as we think we are superheros we are not. To explain everything that has happened since my last blog post all at one time is just more than I can handle, I might spontaneously combust from the pain. So I'll start with our most recent undertaking: the downstairs bathroom.

Originally coined the "creepy bathroom" it has gone through many phases. From green, peeling up stick on tile, base board coming off the wall (where I killed the mouse by bashing it with a crowbar - they really do squeak by the way), black ooze coming from the sink, opossums living under the tub, the yearly flea outbreak, okay you get the point. To, when we hired our contractor and thought - finally! We'll have a functioning shower that we can feel good about. Unfortunately we hired a contractor who employed the saddest gaggle of rejects who should really find another form of work before someone clobbers them in the tukhus. The bathroom was gutted down to the studs, and I narrowed down my wishlist from my pintrest board.  Black and white bathroom with a sexy shower that looks like it's from this decade. Layout was stumping Preston and I, so during our pre-renovation party my wise Aunt Sally suggested we move the sink to the other wall opening up the shower/toilet area! Brilliant! So we told Tom, our contractor where we wanted everything and how we wanted it to look.

The plumbers went to work moving the water lines, setting the new shower drain (which was supposed be centered and is not, and we went to work getting light fixtures. This was about 6 months ago and I'm sad to say the beautiful light fixtures are still in their boxes waiting to sparkle in our bathroom. When the "bones" were done, our budget was running out and we needed other things done so we explained we'll do the tiling. Unfortunately we also got stuck doing the shower pan - If you ever get the chance to make your own shower pan, PASS on that one. Trust me. <---- Preston just exclaimed "it's the worse thing ever!!!!!"

We were getting down to the wire with the renovation to get it completed in the time the bank allowed. Preston and his dad worked really hard on the shower pan, Preston and I did the tiling and all we had left in there was to grout and paint.

***as a fun side note, during this renovation we spent 113 nights in a small hotel room with no kitchen which meant takeout for 113 days, about 25 minutes away from our house, and obviously just thrilling. More on that in another blog.

We had to do an extreme rush job on the finishing touches like grouting (not a good idea) and Tom had to throw up some crappy looking builder grade sad light fixtures. Everything got 'done' enough for the bank to pass our final appraisal and I've never been more relieved and angry at the same time. Why angry? That is a story for the next blog, it will be called "the worst 6 months of my life" so get your whiskey or other beverage of choice ready for that party train wreck.

So with the bathroom mostly done we were excited to use it. Unfortunately, getting the slope to a shower pan proved more difficult than anticipated and it didn't actually drain. There was also a sewer gas smell coming from the drain, and still some squirrel hair (another story for a later date)  so feeling so dejected we simply closed the door to the downstairs bathroom and pretended it didn't even exist.

In just a few days we'll be celebrating our 4th anniversary, and man has it been an incredibly wonderful, stressful, learning, trying, loving, funny, interesting 4 years. So we decided we deserved a vacation. A getaway to Austin/Gurene and forget about this crazy house. Mid day yesterday we were talking and getting ready to pack, when we came to the same conclusion. Instead of going on a trip to luxurious hotels, and the Gurene Mansion Inn, floating the river and eating chicken fried steak - we were going to redo the downstairs bathroom.  Who in their right minds do this? I'm not entirely sure because we are obviously out of our minds; "what's that Preston? Green Oaks is ready with their straight jackets to take us to our padded rooms? Cool." Just kidding. However, yes we forewent a vacation to make a more fiscally responsible decision of finally getting our bathroom right and enjoy it for years to come. Man, being an adult is not as much fun as it seems.

So this morning (Sunday) we got our supplies (we had to make 2 Home Depot runs, because, that's just how we roll) and started demoing the tile we had just laid 6 months ago.

What? You don't completely rip out your bathroom every 6 months just because? haha. loser.

Approximately 7 minutes into demo I cut my thumb. Awesome start. The rest of demo went pretty well and it was on to the dreaded shower pan. This time,  I did the sloping and fingers crossed it works/drains because I was talking mad shit to Preston about me being so much better at it. Let me just tell you the honest truth - shower pans are no joke and it's above your skill level. Trust me. You'll hate your self, life and everyone else with a functioning shower. My best advice is to either pay someone else to do it and blame them if it's all jacked up on mountain dew. OR burn the house down and get a new one. It's just not effing worth it. Trust me.

It's the end of day 1 of making the bathroom luxurious, and things are looking good. More to come tomorrow, stay tuned kids.

Preston's quote of the day "So many memories in this shower.....none of which include showering. "