Casey
has wanted to “flip” a house for some time now so when he came to me back in
November I wasn't surprised. We laugh
about our journey with this house now because it all started when we took a
side road off our normal route home. We
had no idea that months later we’d own this little, worn out ranch tucked back
in the country.
Construction
started immediately. Casey had been waiting to get his hands dirty in a
renovation for a while and he was ready.
Tear down took days and plans for a new kitchen and bathrooms were
already in the works. I remember thinking, “What are we doing”, “We don’t have
time for this”, We don’t have money for this” but I did know that Casey Smith
never starts a project he won’t finish and he never performs half way. He is a planner, a doer and a successful
man. I guess that’s where all my
security laid during these past 8 months.
I knew that even though I had questions I also had faith.
I
mostly remember the work after the holidays and through the spring. Popcorn
ceiling was scrapped away, carpet ripped apart, cabinets torn down and the
endless painting, oh the painting. That
is one project I have not quite recovered from.
Casey and his dad worked so many late nights rerouting plumbing and
rewiring electrical. I’ll never forget
the silent moments as we stood in the kitchen and bathrooms listening for water
leaks.
After all the old was gone; the fresh
paint graced the walls, new gorgeous cabinets were installed, beautiful tile
was laid and dazzling granite was placed.
Then came the floors, Casey’s hardest project on his body as he returned
home with knees and back aching, yet the floors brought the warmth. It was after these beautiful pieces were laid
that the house became a home again. Now,
it’s been 8 months and this “flip” is finished. I remember my mom telling me, “Meagan,
building a home is one of the most stressful things you’ll do in a marriage.” I assume it’s the balance between wants,
needs and management of money. Little
girls grow up playing house and what it may look like so I can imagine and now
can attest that, yes, this project has been stressful but it has been most
rewarding.
I am so proud of my husband. I never doubted him for a moment; just me.
Not only does Casey own and run a successful landscaping business but he saw an
opportunity and a dream unite and he took hold.
I have loved watching him learn and grow and achieve in so many
ways. We've laughed, cried and now
breathe a little easier as this “project” will soon leave our hands into
someone else’s. I pray that this home
brings joy and happiness and shelters a beautiful family for many, many
years. It all started as an idea and now
my heart is having a little trouble saying goodbye.
It sounds silly but this house represented 8 months of
marriage and relationship trials and tests.
Casey and I have grown tremendously and this year will forever lie in
our memories. I thank God for this
season; for stretching us and molding us; for teaching us to trust and to be
patient and for bringing us out so much stronger. I am so thankful.
Dear friends… whether it’s a project, a sickness, a job
transfer or a time of financial stress; don’t let the seasons that God brings
into your life and marriage go untouched.
Take one another’s hands, look to God and ask Him how He wants to use
you. He can teach you in every moment,
even in the midnight glow with a scrapper in one hand and a paintbrush in the
other.
