The True Story of the Box Truck

The dilemma- what do we do with our belongings during our 6 week cross-country trip.  Moving our things into storage requires us to move things twice and we still have to fork out money to rent a box truck in the end.  The solution- buy a box truck and use it as a storage container while we are on our first trip; then, return to California and drive the box truck (pulling the BMW) to North Carolina.  

This is how she looked when Drewrolled into Rancho Cordova CA for a test drive.  The seller had failed to inform him that he was a chain smoker but otherwise, the truck was pretty much as described.  The brakes made an awful grinding noise and Drew could see that the outside pad on the passenger side was warn down to the indicator pad.   After spending 6 hours at the DMV, Drew had made the sale and left for Palo Alto at 8pm.  Luckily, he didn't hit any traffic and really didn't use the brakes until exiting 101 onto San Antonio Road.  By the last stop light, he had lost pedal pressure and was using the engine and E-brake to stop.  He still can't believe how lucky he is to have made it home without a major catastrophe.  The next day,Drew embarked on the challenge of removing the wheels to examine the brakes (not an easy task without a 1" high powered impact driver.  Using a 4' piece of back steel pipe as a beaker bar, he finally managed to get the wheels off.

This is what he found:

The inner brake pad was non existent and the grinding sound that he had falsely identified as a wear indicator, was actually the caliper pistons pressing directly against the brake disc.    

Axel with rotor, caliper and hub removed.  

Kelly getting excited about owning a box truck!

Half packed up!

Hudson's 6+ Month Photo Shoot

Time Flies

No Mo Wallpaper

The last of the wallpaper has been removed. That means it took one year but we now have a wallpaper free house.  Here's a quick picture of the entryway transformation that'a underway:

Before:

During:

After (AKA good enough for now - might replace the tile in the future):

Mailbox Replacement

Not too exciting when you look at the major changes we've made in the house, but it is one of the more notable improvements we've made to the exterior to date. The old mailbox was rusty and too low. The wood post was split, the paint was peeling at best, and showing some mold. Initially we considered repainting the box and post but on second look they really needed replacement. They were beyond saving. 

So a few hours of work and two trips to Lowes later, we have a new mailbox!

Original:

Comparisons:

A True Half Bath

As we mentioned before, our bathroom situation has been interesting since day one. For several months our blue bathroom functioned as our only complete bathroom AND our kitchen sink. We had a toilet and shower in the basement bathroom (still there) that is kinda gross and needs upgrading, but we used it while the blue bath was demo'd. And we still use the toilet as a backup if two people need to go at the same time. We framed in a brand new half bath back in the fall during the kitchen/first floor remodel. We took an eat-in kitchen space and framed in the half bath, small hallway and fridge/cabinet area. We left this framed in area alone and prioritized other areas. Finally, we hired a plumber (due to local codes and regulations Drew was not permitted to do this work without taking an exam at the city's office which he does not have time to do). Steve from Steve's Plumbing roughed in a toilet and sink. After putting a hole in he nice hardwoods for the toilet, he tells us our design is not to code and won't pass inspection. It was a big pain because we had our plan approved back in August when we received our permit and it was November and suddenly the whole plan wouldn't work and if we had to change dimensions it would affect the entire kitchen. We couldn't handle this hiccup in November so we left the bathroom as is until February when Drew had time to talk to the city inspector and clarify what we needed to change. Turns out, nothing needed to change and our original plan was ok. It was great news but annoying that it took months to determine this and we had in the meantime returned our sink 3 hours away and now needed to get it back. And if we had been able to finish the bathroom back in November or December, we wouldn't have had to use the toilet in the cold, unheated basement during the blue bathroom demo. Oh well. The point is that now that our plan was reconfirm ex to be permissible, and now that Kelly is adjusting to her new schedule and being a mom, she's able to get back to work on the house (a little bit at least). We've finished mudding the drywall, primed the walls and ceiling. Installed the trim. And now pairing has begun in the half bath. Steve is scheduled to return on May 19th so we have a deadline set to get the bathroom all ready. Wish us luck!

Old Eat-In Dining Area (with the new fridge temporarily staged in front of the window):

Generally Same Viewpoint (now a hallway and half bath):

Most of the trim is set:

Bold orange walls started:

Finished Headboard

We finished up the headboard and painted an accent wall in the master bedroom. Check out the transformation.

Highlights from the First Month

You asked for more baby pictures so here you go!

Hudson had his first (and second and third) well-baby doctor appointments

Hudson loved his first bath (and has enjoyed all the following baths too!)

Hudson shared special time with his aunt Megan, who came out to help take care of him (and his parents!)

He loves napping with us

Hudson helps his daddy study

He loves heading out for walks in the pouch

First time in a stroller

He loved getting to meet his Nana Wood and Grandma and Grandpa McGraw

(Uh oh! We're missing a photo with Gandma Sandy!)

Hudson started sleeping in his crib

Family outing minutes before the head shaving

More photos of this awesome baby's first month: