The Anxiety of Home Improvement

Today we're having the floor-redo materials delivered--thirty six boxes of hardwood that will need to sit in our house for 72 hours in order to aclimate and expand/contract according to the temperature and humidity.

Sunday, BH and I will be moving everything out of our main living areas (living room, dining room and kitchen) and into our main sleeping and parking areas (our room, guest room and garage). Hell, we may even have to put some stuff out on the deck because I'm pretty sure we're going to run out of room pretty fast.

Monday, the floor demo (ceramic tile in the kitchen) and pull-up (carpet in the living room; cheap-ass laminate in the dining room) begins. I predict a dusty, nasty mess, and of course this is going to come right on the heels of our once-a-month visit from the housekeepers (who are coming today) because I forgot to call and ask them to reschedule their visit for next Friday. Yay!! Money down the drain!!

Tuesday and Wednesday, installation takes place, and Wednesday night we get to move our furniture and appliances back to where they belong.

And this is all while we're supposed to be conducting our lives in some sort of normal fashion. But where will we sit and eat and cook and...? It's going to suck, and I keep reminding myself that a) the suckage is temporary and b) it's TOTALLY going to be worth it to get rid of the current schizophrenic flooring in those rooms. But it's still going to suck.

I am also trying to prepare myself for receiving my next Mastercard bill which will include the floor charge on it. Granted, I plan on paying it off ASAP, but just seeing an amount that large will probably cause a minor panic attack. Large amounts of interest-laden debt give me the hives.

I will be sure and post before and after photos next week...if I survive.

Freaking me out.

Last night I sent a "The Geej is 3" e-mail to 3 families who I met during the adoption process. One family from North Carolina adopted 2 boys from Vladivostok, one family from Houston had their Vladivostok adoption fall through then adopted domestically (and are about to adopt a daughter from China), and one family (also from Houston) had adopted their daughter Kyra from the same orphanage that The Geej came from about 6 months ahead of us.

I attached a couple of recent photos of The Geej (including the one below) to my e-mail, and asked for an update from these families, and (hopefully) some photos.

I gasped when I opened up this photo of Kyra (remember: same orphanage as The Geej).

Holy CRAP, people. Can you believe the similarities?! No, they're not sisters (they're too close in age for that to be possible), but something's telling me they've GOT to be related somehow. It's just too strange that they look that much alike...right down to the incredible eyes.

Whoa.