January 2023 – Recapping 2022, we got married!

January 2023, a recap of 2022. Last January started off with a real accomplishment for me though it took me so long to get there it was a little non celebratory I’ll admit lol. I set out to repaint this entire home back in early 2018 as it was badly smoke damaged from heating with wood here for a couple of years. Four years of painting, finishing, accomplishing and designing each space as though I was just starting over. And, with a whole bunch of help from Lodi, I did it!

The last space to tackle was the entire second floor master suite. Over all of 2022 I shared every step it took me to get there. Not just repainting the entire space but also redesigning it to better serve us and reflect our personalities.

The master bedroom reveal
The master bathroom and closet reveal

January 2023 – Recapping 2022

January 2023 – Recapping 2022

Of course early 2022 also came with SERIOUS wedding and reception planning!

It certainly helped distract us from the horrendous winter weather that did not let up until April and, even then, we had a just disgusting, endlessly cold, spring. Our driveway became a half frozen mud pit for over a month.

March 2022, still stuck inside with no end in sight, I did what I could to make small updates to the home. New shelves in the kitchen for the hutch and new splice racks by the stove. I was still working on the master suite but its always nice to accomplish smaller projects to make our lives better.

April brought tons of snow dropped on us and we all just threw our hands in the air. This is northern Minnesota but my gosh winter would just not end! We had everything about booked and invitations sent out for the wedding at that point and I just had to remind myself that June was a long way away and our little outdoor wedding would, somehow, have perfect weather.

May was an exciting month for us here at Grandma’s house!

We came home to just the tiniest baby squirrel begging for help on our front step. We only had him for a couple of days before finding a rehab facility but OMG he was just the sweetest!

That same month I remember having to just stop freaking out that our wedding was just weeks away. I was so freaking nervous and excited!

Lodi also finished a half marathon that month making me so dang proud.

January 2023 – Recapping 2022

January 2023 – Recapping 2022

I did manage to get the garden planted though despite it being three weeks later than usual.

June 2022 is a bit of a blur for me lol.

Lodi and I got married on a paddle boat with our closest friends and family on June 11th.

The stars really aligned for us that day. It was absolutely gorgeous outside and we all had such a wonderful time.

After Lodi and I stayed for a couple of days to recoup before taking a few days off to Deadwood for our honeymoon.

We rented an AirBNB and wow how I just never want to stay in a hotel again when for the same price we got our own home!

See the whole wedding photo gallery here.

July 2022 for me was absolutely a month of just plain recouping. I complained to my boss at my day job how I was just so lacking in motivation and energy. She told me, “Oh my gosh Tarah you just got married – literally the most stressful day EVER! You need to give yourself a break!”

She was very wise and very right.

A lovely thing that happened in July was my garden planning over the last five years actually paid off. I can learn from my mistakes eventually, right?

Our garden produced so beautifully over July it got to the point where I just couldn’t eat another lettuce salad for lunch lol I still did but WOW.

July also brought our little rescue squirrel home!

January 2023 – Recapping 2022

We weren’t supposed to talk to him or see him at all but after we let him out of his squirrel box he immediately came running for us. How could we do anything but get him what he needed?

He weaned himself from us all on his own though we still see him out at the feeders. He’s a little bit of a loner and still has the look of a teenager. It really does my heart good to know that we saved the little guy.

August 2022 it was time to get back to the drawing board. We had a reception to plan!

Besides that we finally had the time (and the mental capacity and decent weather) to finally actually move in to our third car garage addition that we completed last year. Lodi did a ton of work building racks for tools and wood storage. I tackled the overhead lighting and finally took out the ancient florescent lights we’d been using.

It wasn’t just a joy to finally have the space but also necessary for our reception as our main garage was where the main party was at.

Fortunately for us we got good weather AGAIN and the September reception went off without a hitch!

January 2023 – Recapping 2022

January 2023 – Recapping 2022

After that, I’ll admit, I was done partying or, at least, done planning giant life changing events!

October 2022 was yet another month in my year where I just plain had to recoup! Ugh, I know I’m an introvert but gosh darn it I wish I could recover a bit quicker than that.

October, November and December it was all I could do to just tackle the holidays.

So they were (gratefully) quiet months for us here. I think I’ll always be like this but I still look back on those three months quite annoyed with myself that I didn’t get a lot more done here on the house.

I read somewhere that it is a very American thing to feel the constant urge to fill every moment we have of free time with work and to feel bad if we don’t actually do that.

GUILTY

I mentioned in my November post that I am attempting to motivate myself to get my butt back to the basement. The kitchen and the stairwell are really the last of our unfinished spaces here. They are pretty big projects so that’s always a reason to procrastinate but I do wonder if my dragging my feet isn’t a little something else besides.

Am I dragging my feet because they really are the last spaces?

It feels weird… I’ve been working on this house for nearly ten years. A house will never be done for sure but working on this home has been my life for so long.

I wonder if I’m just kind of hesitant to make the last push to what is kind of the finish line…

It makes me both glad and sad. This place saved me and gave so much back to me over the years. It really gave my life purpose when I needed it SO BADLY and, not to mention, it also gave me all of you guys!

This blog has been just this awesome joy for me!

January 2023 – Recapping 2022

Of course I’m just being weird and emotional. Finishing the stairwell and kitchen is not the end of working on this house and certainly not this blog lol.

There is still much to do and SO MUCH I am excited about tackling in 2023!

But this is definitely a new chapter for Grandma’s house and for me. I’m a wife! And who ever thought that that could possibly happen lol Finding Lodi feels like a miracle more so every day.

One thing is for certain:

After three years in a row of either HISTORIC world happenings, ENORMOUS projects or ENORMOUS life changing events, 2023 promises to finally give us a shot at some quieter days.