You know those HGTV shows where a home is remodeled in 24 hours and at the last minute, there are people swarming all around, arranging the last details before the homeowner is reintroduced to their space? Essentially, set the stage as that on the morning of our housewarming party. We were cutting flowers, caulking trim, and putting the finishing touches in each room five minutes before the first guest arrived. And not one person was the wiser.
In the weeks preceding the event, computer work went out the window, and my whole focus was project managing the remodel. While Dad, Hendrik, Ash and Austin worked on everything from drywall to painting, flooring to tongue and groove ceiling installation, I focused on the finer details. Every morning we started the day with a meeting about the day's projects, the budget for necessary items, and a timeline check-in. Ash and I combed through and reorganized each and every bookshelf, Hendrik and I hung a fine-ass gallery wall and I managed to hire all of the vendors we needed for both prep and the event itself.
We were so lucky to be joined by so many old friends, some of whom we hadn't seen in years, and were so overwhelmed by the generosity of the folks who brought and sent gifts. It was such a joy to discuss dreams that became reality and the motivation behind projects like swapping out the sliders in the sunroom for walls with windows.
Thanks to Silverspoons Catering, all of our guests had enough to eat, drink and celebrate with. We were so grateful to work with a catering company that supplied us with both a delicious variety of foods as well as the tables and outdoor heaters we needed.
I had a strange epiphany that day. It wasn't until I was standing in the house, surrounded by people we love, that I actually had a moment to appreciate how all of our hard work panned out. It wasn't until someone asked me "so are you enjoying it now that you've gotten the remodel done?" that I realized I hadn't had any time at all to enjoy it yet. (I'm telling you, I was scrubbing 30 years of the last homeowner's grit off the bathroom floors at 11 pm the night prior). I realized I was experiencing the full finished product at exactly the same time that they were. I took in my house as a visitor and was humbled and amazed. I was so proud of how beautifully she showed and am truly so grateful for the people who have put hours and hours into making her beautiful right alongside us: Dad, Ash, and Austin - we don't have enough words of thanks.
In the months following the party, we've kept the house looking like she did on the day of, minus the piles of delicious food and cocktail tables in the dining room. We hung framed photos in each room to display what the room looked like prior to our remodel, and feature cards throughout the home referencing projects completed. The feature cards have since come down, but I figure we'll keep the photos up as a reminder to ourselves for a little while.
We did it.
About a year before the party, we moved into our house after a full 6-weeks of prep work to make her more livable. Since then, we've taken on projects that no one had bothered to start since the 1940s. We've swapped out the extremely outdated electrical panel, added air conditioning, and created a proper primary suite. Where there was once a window connecting our sunroom and primary bathroom, there's now a lovely wall for privacy. Where the rain used to gather against the house and destroy the yard, we installed a retaining wall and jacked up the concrete. We've accepted that homeownership is more than deciding which light fixtures to choose and have been honored to give this home the love and care she deserves.
Thank you again to everyone who made it out to celebrate with us and who gave warm wishes for our new chapter. I speak for Hendrik and me both when I say that we are so appreciative of the community we've been able to build since moving to Denver in 2017 and are so pleased to share these exciting life changes with you all!
Until the next one,
Megan