I was offered the position that same evening. After a fabulous dinner at Red Iguana in SLC (some of the best mexican food - amazing moles....a must go when you are in SLC. Be prepared to stand in line - outside but I promise it is worth the wait)(736 West North Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84116-3352 (801) 322-1489)
we headed to Price Canyon for the night. The next morning we hiked to the top of mountain and Andy proposed saying he wanted to have epic adventures, blah blah blah. He gave me a ring he had made out of silver - his first of many silver pieces to come :) I said yes...
That weekend we planned the wedding for seven weeks later. We got married on a boat in Freeport, NY with just family and a few of my very close friends (since a lot of my family were unable to come to NY) on September 11, 2009. That was a Friday. On Monday we flew from JKF to PDX and moved into our temporary housing. That afternoon I went to work at Columbia.
Andy has started as learning carpentry at age 15 and has since become a master at the skill. He does amazing work - custom furniture, trim, restoration, crown molding - pretty much anything dealing with wood he can do. I am so amazed and proud of his work. But....he does not enjoy it...bummer. He wants to do something different, something that does not break his back and something that would make a difference or at least lead to making a difference. So...when we moved to Portland I told him that he should take the next 6 months to figure out what he really wanted to do - play around with some ideas, businesses, etc.
It was awesome...for me. He cooked, cleaned and did all the laundry. He unpacked, organized, hung the pictures and put away everything at our temporary housing and then again at our new apartment. Andy did most the apartment hunting while I was in China and we signed a lease on a place I had never seen. I didn't care - I trusted him and I didn't have to think about anything...just sign on the dotted line. I went to work and balanced the check book - he did everything else. Every morning he made my breakfast, coffee and packed a lunch. And then....my job was eliminated, I was fired, whatever you choose to call it - I was no longer working an 8-5 job at Columbia. It was a blur of a week - we packed, put things in a POD, some things in a trailer, said our goodbyes and drove east. Driving east felt weird - I had never moved east....
And then it happened...Andy went to work and I lost my house husband. He didn't really like the job but I am thinking he misses it as he is icing his back right now after tweaking it pounding nails yesterday. I miss having every meal prepared and never having to go to a grocery store.
That being said, I did luck out in that fact that I am a house wife who lives in an RV :) There is not a lot to clean and we have very little stuff to unpack and organize. I am working and trying to get our new company off the ground so he never has to pound nails again and maybe someday we can hire a house person (probably not while we are living in the RV - that would be a bit awkward).
I will say that being an RV house wife is not easy. I have to take the trash out 1-2 times a day. Close quarters means 1. A small trash can 2. Smelly stuff needs to get out of the house fast. Since we do not have a ton of clothes I do a lot of laundry and clothes cannot sit on a piece of exercise equipment or on the floor. We have no equipment and floor space is almost non-existent. We have 10 bins - 5 a piece - pants, tops, shoes, work/workout cloths and hoodies/sweaters/jackets. I will post a picture. I have to clean daily - wipe down tables, vacuum and sweep. Think how dirty your car gets when camping - well this is our house so it can't be just a campsite! Things have to be put away - no leaving things out on tables, chairs or sofas - we have no chairs and if you leave something out it will end up on the floor rolling around the moment we take off! It is my job to make sure everything is secure.
I do have a nice easy way to make coffee and tea every morning. I LOVE my new Keurig coffee make Nina and Stu bought us for our house-warming. I can make my own single cup of coffee or buy single coffee cups. The pre-made cups are great because they are mess free and so easy. But, there is a lot of waste and it cost about $.60 a cup vs about $.30-$.40 making my own Rocky Mountain Roaster Coffee (which is WAY better tasting but a little more effort involved).
We have not used our new convection oven the Held's bought us. It has been too hot to use any heating device. Until our A/C is installed we are eating raw veggies and cereal or using our neighbor's (Leah) kitchen.
I love the RV life-style....I just miss my house husband.....
Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteGood move on the Keurig. Weve used those for several years. Its the only coffee I drink in the house anymore. Costs a little more, but there is huge convenience, selection and no wasted left-overs. BJ's (maybe Costco?) Sells the Keurig pods in 80count boxes. The per cup cost is less than 40cents.
ReplyDeleteAww good to know about BJ's and/or Costco. I have a card for Costco. Your mom was all about your coffee maker - she said you had to make a double cup for her of extra bold but was well worth it. :) I feel bad about all the waste though - one or two (3 or 4...) of those cups a day adds up in the wee little trash can....That is not very eco trippin' of me!
ReplyDeleteWe have a 4-cup Mr. Coffee that actually makes up to 6 cups. It doesn't take up much space and makes good drip coffee. We buy coffee beans at Costco and can grind it all there or use a grinder to prepare it each day or week.
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