When the school administrator gods granted us Fall Break, Taylor and I were up against a diehard situation. We had different ideas how to spend this freedom on a timer.

Taylor’s ideas were simple. He wanted something like “relax from a stressful covid year” and “probably deep clean the house” and “spend uninterrupted quality time as a family”.

I did not share those same goals. I wanted to make a huge mess. I wanted to ignore all other living creatures in this house. I wanted us to sell our souls to Rumplestiltskin and get ahead as we possibly could on finishing the basement.

In the end we compromised and got as far as we possibly could on finishing the basement.

Over the summer, my dad, truly, has been the driving force between all of this. He’s like a master beaver who can chow down any tree and make a fantastic log and stick house. This last summer, he gave up his days off from work to teach us ignorant beaver kits how to really build a dam.

My dad, Taylor, (plus Taylor’s dad & brother) worked on the framing, electrical, witch coven gatherings, and other magic incantations that I don’t even know happened down there over the summer.

Then I took a turn and learned to hang insulation during fall break. I also learned that my skin, eyes, and mouth are incredibly sensitive to insulation. My skin and mouth and eyes were absolutely burning by the time I stapled the last row. But doesn’t it look so good?!

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Next up we’ll be setting up the sheetrock, which is apparently the same thing / mostly the same thing as drywall. No one can or will give me a straight answer about this, by the way. Taylor, my dad, and every Home Depot employee in the general vicinity of my house can definitively say one way or another if sheetrock and drywall are the same thing. Does anyone honestly know?

It’s been hard work. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished so far. I’m also really, really grateful for the opportunity to build this. Also I can’t wait for it to be finished.