It’s been an eventful month! Wedding showers, birthday parties, an uplifting leadership conference and a weeknight Red Clay Strays concert started the month on a high note.
After all the fun, M had some work trips planned. With only a couple days between returning from the concert, the truck decided to create more issues. At over 260000 miles, it was starting to ask more than it was willing to give. As we discussed next steps, we saw a post for a used truck with under 110000 miles, AND 4-wheel drive. For fun, we ran over to look at it, and before the end of the night, it was ours.
Excited about the future, M left for Chicago, then DC for 9 days. Work was very productive and it was great to connect with colleagues in person!
Following the work trip, we planned to head to the cabin the next day. J picked me up from the airport with new-to-us truck in limp mode! So, we headed straight to the auto parts store to rectify the situation. First we changed the transmission speed sensors which cleared the code! No harm, no foul! We headed out as planned the following morning.
Don’t celebrate too early, they say! Within an hour of leaving, the lights came back on and we were back in limp mode with a full trailer. A couple stops at auto parts stores, a new battery , and a computer scan told a new story. We had to order air injector pumps from a store near home. So we limped our way home, ordered the parts, and I worked the rest of the day from home.
So, 28 hours after the first departure, we were off again. We are very blessed that J can do many things! And just like that…
With a later than planned start, we had to delay picking up the Nifty Fifty to begin the chimney project.
While having the Nifty Fifty, we called a friend to help seal the ridge cap and added end trim to the sides of both peaks.
The upstairs shower needed glass.
We needed to create a shoe storage system, so we brought J’s grandfather’s canning cabinets and gave them a new life.
Our dryer vent cover needed changed. We found a magnetic dryer vent that allowed us to move the dryer back about an inch or two. We also added a shelf for supplies.
We took advantage of some great weather the first week to paint the garage door and exterior doors.
We had the opportunity to ride our bikes a few times over the trip.
On our way to getting groceries after mountain biking at Valley Spur, and meeting our neighbors at an association meeting, we somehow managed to roll over a nail and got a flat tire. Two cans of fix a flat and a patch stabilized us for the rest of the trip.
The biggest accomplishment of this trip was completing all the window boxes and trim. Three days, 17 window/pairs trimmed, filled, sanded and caulked.
The last two days dumped a bunch of rain on the area. While I worked remotely at my job, J put the final touches on a few projects, organized tools, and took the trash to the dumpster. A 30 min trip turned into a few hours as he was met by a downed tree and had to chainsaw, and use a tow rope to remove completely from the road.
And to top it off, the passenger side door decided to stop opening leading me to climb across the front seat to enter and exit via the driver’s side until we can fully assess the situation when we return home.
This trip was productive, enjoyable AND mentally taxing. Choosing to focus on our blessings and less on the problems. Looking at lemons and making lemonade. My remote job allowed us to be flexible with our schedule. J’s skills allowed truck problems to be fixable rather than a long trip to the shop. The 4 wheel drive allowed us to get the Nifty Fifty up the hill easily, and to later tow the large tree out of the road. And through it all, we focused on our love and our why. Hooha! J+ M
HooHa Adventures 