I took photos specifically to post tonight!

Then I left the camera at the house. Drat. It's nothing terribly exciting, but I thought it was beautiful: cold water rushing from the bathroom faucets! Cold water filling the commode tank! We got some cute ones of the boys, too, but will save those for their engagement parties one day. *wink*

So. We have heat, water, and a toilet. My life is complete. The rest will fall into place. As Zorak pointed out, we can't quite call it "instant" gratification, but we're to the point of tangible results with each new day. That'll work.

The apartment is almost completely packed and what little is left is ready to load and move. And, of course, it's going to rain for the next two days, then snow and rain. *smile* (I have to smile, or I might cry.) Thank heaven for tarps!

Y'all keep saying you couldn't do this, but you know, you could. You really could. If you saw the place, with the sunlight glinting off the dew, heard the deer rustling around in the brush at dusk, and felt the warmth of the wood stove on your chilled toes, you'd probably be even less whiney about the process than I am (in real life). As for roughing it, we don't really rough it (other than the outhouse action). Tonight we had grilled chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes for supper. We washed it down with hot coffee (gatorade for the boys), and enjoyed music with our supper (gotta love a clock/radio!) That's not so bad. I think most of us had it harder in college, trying to digest week-old pizza washed down with warm Dr. Pepper. Really, when you're working toward a dream, and you're doing it together, things become completely do-able. It just has to be your dream, and your team, to make it feel that way.

And I also must 'fess up here, and say that it's all Zorak. He's the man behind the action. Lately I just waddle around, playing gopher and, occasionally, apprentice. (Like tonight, I got to play with the plumber's putty!) Mostly, though, I sit and hand him things and groan when the baby jams a leg up my esophagus. I put things back and vacuum a lot. Pretty useless, to be honest. He's the one hashing out the codes and whether there's a better way to do things, while I sit there, staring at the hole in the wall, thinking, "NOW, I understand why construction is generally so shoddy - by the time they get to this point, the entire crew is ready to just use Liquid Nails on everything, slap some paint on it and call it good." About all I do is keep him focused on deadlines and provide the occasional comic relief (as this evening, when we discovered -- too late -- that I can no longer fit between the studs). Yup, he's The Man: Daddy, Husband, HomeBuilder, Dragon Slayer, Swashbuckling Hero. I am so freakin' lucky!

And now, to finish the task!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy