The Neverending Project Story: Part 2

Remember my "Neverending Project Story"?

Well they are done. And here is all the things you will ever need to know about DIY projects. 

Number 1: Furniture renovations take time and space

When I started this project, I was convinced that I would be in and done within two weeks. Because of that, I figured that the space dedicated to my project would be worth the sacrifice. 

This was taken after all the furniture was moved into our apartment. As you can see, half of our garage was dedicated to my renovation fantasy. 

All that space was dedicated to dismantled furniture, paint supplies, and little pathways so we could walk from our house to the car. All the time was dedicated to sanding, sanding, sanding, with a little time for the paint to dry. So what started as a small sacrifice quickly turned into the bane of my existence. And how long did it really take? We moved into this apartment in June, and the furniture did not make it inside until mid-August. 

Number 2: Curvy furniture = Crappy time

Here are the before pictures of the furniture I redid:

Do you see all the curves? Sanding those suckers down is like chipping away at a rock, only to find a smaller, more deformed rock. No sander on earth could get into all the nooks and crannies on these beasts! After many hours hunched over drawers and dressers, breathing in sawdust, and flattening edges, I finally got wise and got "liquid sander." It ate through my gloves, and ripped off my fingernail polish, but it was worth it when an hour later, I could walk away without sawdust up my nose.

The only down side to liquid sander is that paint does not stick to the wood as well as if it had been sanded down. A single coat on the sanded wood was adequate, but not on the liquid sanded wood, as you could still see the original color. 

Number 3: Tools are a necessity, not an option

Paintbrushes, paint, mixing sticks, rags, electric sander, sandpaper, gloves, a drill, an iron, Elmer's glue, liquid sander, screwdriver, pliers, hammer, paint trays, measuring tape, particle board, wood putty, kitchen knives, pocket knives, a retractable razor, and a saw all made this project possible. And boy did I hear about it. 

You see, I didn't want to paint all the drawers for the dresser. I wanted to take out the top two and make them into shelves. Dallin is a handy man, and so without much thought, I knew he could take on the task. 

Two hours later, in 100 degree heat, in a bad mood and a puddle of sweat, Dallin had worked through a piece of particle board with kitchen knives, a pocket knife, a retractable razor, and a crappy saw to create two shelves for me. 

Whew... He was mad at me. 

So, what did we learn from this experience? Tools are a necessity, NOT an option.

Number 4: Choose your colors, hardware, and add-ons wisely

The colors and gloss you choose will determine the future of your furniture. How many coats of paint, how easily life will tear it down, and how noticeable your mistakes are will all be affected by your choice of paint.

Matte paint, or paint with no gloss, is only good at hiding your mistakes. Nothing else. Life has already made its mark on some of our pieces. On the other hand, the semi-gloss made all my dreams come true. Visible mistakes are minimal, and it looks smoother than a baby's bottom.

As for the hardware, if there's one hole, you should probably find hardware that only needs one hole. Filling old holes and drilling new ones does not always work out. So rather than trying to find hardware that would fit the random sizes of a secondhand piece of furniture, we just changed the look. Instead of having one big handle, connected by two washers, we bought two knobs. Easy as Sunday morning... on General Conference weekend.

Also, I decided to line the drawers with fabric. I don't know what the previous owners did with their furniture, and some of the stains inside the drawers had me convinced I didn't want to. I ended up giving up after lining five of the fourteen drawers. One day I might finish it, but not anytime soon.

Number 5: The pride you feel when finished makes the insanity almost worth it

When you can finally move your clothes out of boxes, and your TV off the floor, you can forget the heat, the time, and all the sawdust it took to make that hunk of junk into something worthwhile. Then, filled with such feelings of self accomplishment, you can tell all your friends, and your maintenance man, that it really wasn't that hard.

And if that isn't insanity, I don't know what is.

Working Class Citizens

Hey everybody. Sorry again for the massive gap between posts. 

I started a new job and so our lives have basically revolved around work, the gym and sleeping. 

So for those of you who don't know, here is a glimpse into our lives as working class citizens.

Dallin is an account representative for a chemical company called Nalco Champion. 

Every day he drives around his designated area, checking oil rig equipment to make sure that it's holding up against corrosion. If a certain well needs to be treated, he is responsible for placing the order, and making sure that it's delivered.  Dallin works with his own managers, as well as the oil rig pumpers, project leads, production specialists and foremen to make sure that each well is working properly. 

And everything you can see on both sides of this highway, all 500 wells, are under his charge. 

It's a little confusing to anyone not familiar with the system. When he talks to me about work, everything is simplified, but when he talks to his coworkers, it's like a whole other language.

As for me, I just started as a sales assistant at one of the local news stations. 

KMID Local Big 2 is an ABC Network Affiliate and in the sales department, the main focus is making sure that local companies have advertising opportunities on TV. As of right now, my job description is fairly vague, as I'm the first sales assistant this sales team has ever worked with. 

But so far so good. 

I pull a lot of reports with information that tells the sales team what commercials were preempted, what commercials are missing, and if they're not found, will be unable to go on the air. Other reports can show how many people in our area watched a certain show, purchased something at a hardware store, and visited a dentist within the last six months. 

It's so detailed, it's scary. 

They have also asked me to blog, so even more people can hear my crazy rantings!

But we are lucky. 

Dallin and I both really like our jobs. We work with some great people, and have been given great opportunities. 

And with any gig like that, Texas just got even better.

The Good, The Carlsbad, and The Ugly

Last weekend, Dallin and I had an adventure that can only be described as "The Good, The Carlsbad, and The Ugly."

We had decided to make a day trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico with some friends. However, after a slight change of plans, Dallin and I were on our own, and decided to wing a backpacking trip.

After two pit stops and a three-hour car ride, we pulled into Carlsbad Caverns. At first, it was underwhelming. Cacti, hills, and heat were all that surrounded a busy parking lot and a yellow building.

After buying our pass, we followed ranger instructions to get to the natural entrance of the cave. Let's be real, we were nature-starved and were not about to ride an elevator down to the belly of the cave. 

To be honest, I do not have a great explanation, or many great pictures, of our experience in the cave. At first it smelled like swallows and everything that goes in... And comes out of them. But eventually, the smell dissipated and we were swallowed into the damp darkness of the cave. 

Soon, the spotlights used to illuminate certain rock formations were the only sources of light. 

It was humbling to be sure, but also a little spooky. Especially when Dallin went around doing things like this:

Eventually, it got so dark my camera simply could not take in enough light to take a picture. 

(Look closely and you can see Dallin's shirt. Tilt your screen, and you can see our faces.)

After walking for over two hours, and down 750 feet, we arrived at the underground restaurant (*snack bar*) and the elevators.

Back on the ground level, we asked a park ranger about camping in the park. 

Dallin: We wanted to ask about camping in the park. 

Park Ranger: Well, we recommend that you carry in a gallon of water, per person, per day. 

That's a lot of water.... What about coverage? Any trees?

*Shakes head* None. Most everything out there will scratch or poke you.

*All hopes crushed*

As we walked back out into sunshine and 95-degree weather, a stark difference from the 56-degree cave, we decided that if we could find someplace decent to camp, we would stay. As fate would have it, there was a small KOA just outside the park that offered campsites. So we reserved our spot and then headed back to the park to watch the bat flight. 

Basically, every night people can sit outside the cave and watch the bats as they fly out of the cave. Dallin and I were both expecting something like... 

Instead we sat in the amphitheater for an hour and a half and silently watched groups of bats zigzag their way out of the cave. Sorry, but no proof. Phones had to be turned off. However, this picture explains perfectly how we each felt about it:

After the bats, we headed to our campsite to set up our tent in the dark. It was still remarkably hot, about 85 degrees, so we slept in our mesh tent, with no cover. 

It could have gone better. 

Dallin became paranoid about strangers. Around 1 AM, he, being driven mad by the heat and exhaustion, accused me of being a stranger and was inclined to act on his suspicions. I was worried about the coyotes howling in the distance, and it was so hot that we each slept in half hour intervals. Then there was the rain. So darn it all! We packed it up and headed back to Midland at 3 IN THE MORNING. 

So there was the good: Spending the day with Dallin, experiencing new adventures and seeking new thrills.

The Carlsbad: Carlsbad Caverns of course. 

And the ugly?

The 5 o'clock stop.

Dallin stopped for gas while I wandered through the convenience store, so delusional from lack of sleep that I couldn't find the women's restrooms, despite the neon sign and it's approximate location to the men's. Not to mention my sleepy-time, sweaty hairstyle, glasses, no makeup, and breath that could scatter an army. 

But hey... At least the guy at the register was nice about it.

The Neverending Project Story

When Dallin moved to Texas with all of our worldly possessions, we had a bed and a kitchen table. Enough to support the basic necessities of life: To eat and to sleep. Eventually he invested in a TV and a couch, as these provide the necessities of the bachelor lifestyle: To watch TV and fall asleep on the couch.

And we have continued to live this way. Even after I got here.

I'm not complaining, but something about the TV's placement on the floor screams.... 

"DIRT POOR NEWBS WHO MOVED TOO FAR FROM THE DI"

Oh, the truth and accompanying shame.

To improve our situation, I started shopping around at the local estate sales. For those of you who don't know what an estate sale is, imagine walking through a stranger's home after they have passed away or moved. Not only have all of their knick-knacks been put up for sale, but also the pictures on the walls, the clothes in the closet, and just about anything you can find as you meander through the house. It's a different experience, but the deals can be incredible! 

That's how I found this little beauty,

And how The Neverending Project began. 

It was supposed to be simple. Strip it, sand it, repaint it, line the drawer, and change out the hardware.  Easy peezy, lemon squeezey.

But I got high on that Home Depot fix and convinced myself that I could do more. So I bought 5 more pieces of furniture at another estate sale. Dallin was supportive, but he told me that this was my baby, and that he would not take participate in the renovation. 

Pinterest was also supportive. She provided loads of ideas and DIYs. She also assured me that the hardest part would be "waiting for the paint to dry." 

Well, it's officially been months and I only have two finished pieces to show for my hours of hard work and sweat in this deadly Texas heat. My garage still smells like paint and there is a thin layer of sawdust covering the array of dresser drawers and my car.

Worst of all, Pinterest LIED to me! Waiting for the paint to dry was the easiest part because while waiting, I could wash the paint out of the brushes, my hair, off my skin and clothes, and all in the comfort of an air-conditioned home! 

If I ever finish these neverending projects, I'll let you know. 

Until then,

Wish me luck.

Let's Go

Loooonnnnggg time... No post. 

Sorry.

A handful of events have happened since I last posted:

I worked on my dirtbag list. The highlights include:

I wasn't able to cross everything off my list, but I got to spend quality time with people I knew I would miss when I got to Texas.

I graduated from Utah State.

And finally, Dallin and I made a road trip to Midland to finally be together.

But since then, there has not been much to report. 

To be honest, we have been a little bored in Midland. In our defense though, even those that have lived here for years and years will tell you that there is not much to do. There is plenty to do in TEXAS, but it takes a drive of at least two hours to get there. Very different from having Logan Canyon just right down the road.

However, we have been taking recommendations for things to do from everyone we meet, and have made some new friends that are willing to go with us on new adventures.

So Midland.... Let's go.