Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Before and After (05/14/09)
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TITLE: And The Renovation Starts... | Previous Challenge Entry
By Kimberly Russell
05/18/09 -
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I decide to take one last memorial shower. As I wait for the water to warm, gleeful snickers escape me as I imagine pieces of the shower stall laying on the front lawn, dying a merciless death. The poor thing has definitely seen better days. It's so pathetic, I don't even think Habitat will take it- time to send it to “Bathroom Heaven”.
Suddenly, there's impatient pounding on the front door. Uh-oh: they're early. Well that can't be all bad, right? I race to the door—heaven forbid they leave--hoping strategic body parts are appropriately covered.
With embarrassment, they insist a coffee run is in order while looking everywhere but at me in my hastily clad bathrobe. Imagining them rolling their eyes and wondering if I'm going to be a pain in the neck the whole week, I quickly duck in and out of the shower, vowing to prove them wrong. When they return, I'm pristinely arranged on the couch, coffee cup in hand, ready to face them down. They swoop in with tool belts jangling and basically ignore me. Men on a mission with no time to waste on idle chit-chat. As they whisk by, I half expect them to shout “hoorah”...good grief, men are such odd creatures, all macho and everything....
As the day wears on, pieces of history line up in the driveway like soldiers waiting to be discharged after their final mission. As unlikely as it seems, I feel a certain amount of grief as Habitat for Humanity backs in and starts to load the old toilet (would anyone really want THAT?), a window, trim pieces, the door- all of it swept away to be adopted by a new family. Inside I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing I am helping someone less fortunate--and I take a minute to thank God for the many blessings He has extended to me.
The next few days crawl by as the new room begins to take shape. Progress is slow (agonizingly so as I make yet ANOTHER trip to Dairy Queen to use their facilities) and of course, there are obstacles. At one point, my entire electrical service blows after a power surge, generating an electrician's bill that is not in the budget. But as always, God is faithful: I find out that the old wiring I have chosen to ignore has actually been a dangerous fire hazard- one that has been remedied.
It is also discovered that a contractor hired a few years ago to put in insulation did not install the correct amount and the company is going to make it right by bringing me up to current code.
My new furnace that was damaged by the power surge is covered under warranty. While I will be responsible for the labor, it too may be reimbursed by insurance which is replacing several items that were destroyed.
This whole event has not been without drama, that's for sure. But as I luxuriously soak in my new tub, I decide it's been worth the trouble. It actually has been rather fun and I have proven to my detractors that I am very capable of good decisions. A prime example is the Star Trek toilet (real short and squatty in an outer-galactic kind of way. Surely this is what Captain Kirk had in his private quarters and I've always wanted one!)
Looking around at the freshly painted walls, fluffy towels, and shiny fixtures, my mind begins to race...hmmm...maybe I should redecorate the bedroom...
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