After tragedy, travel, family illness, and getting back to work, it was tough to get rolling on the project again.
Spoiler Alert!
If you've stumbled into the mess without first reading the exciting beginning of the saga, head over to the beginning at
The Great Family Room Remodel - Part I
As I have been recounting The Great Family Room Remodel story on this site, I've known this chapter was coming and planned on glossing over a big gap in the progress due to family tragedy, as I had originally done on my Facebook posts. I like to keep my stuff light, somewhat humorous, and not too personal. Now, months later, I feel it's an integral part of the story and I should share it; it's reality of life. Life has a way of getting in the middle of projects. Plans get derailed.
Jef: 12/21/1971 - 05/09/2012
May 9, 2012, my youngest brother Jim called me at work, from Michigan, to tell me that our other (middle) brother Jef had been taken to the hospital with some sort of heart trouble, and was in intensive care. Jim was far from the hospital, but on his way, and would call me back when he got there. His next call, an hour later, was the absolute worst news; Jef had died. He was 39. Jim, his wife, and Jef's wife were in really rough shape at the hospital. I had to tell our parents, via telephone, that their son had passed. That memory will haunt me forever. I was, and remain, crushed and heartbroken. I'd never lost anyone close to me in my entire life. We left that night, on the red-eye flight, for Michigan.
The next days were a blur. Visitations, the funeral, and family visits were an overwhelming crush of emotions. We got back home, exhausted, roughly a week later. My poor wife was severely sick. I had no steam left, or interest to working on projects. The house remained a wreck.
Jef was a truly good man and I miss him terribly. He left a beautiful family, his wife and three very young children. The amount of friends and people he had touched in his life was simply staggering. At the time, we had no idea what had caused his young heart to stop working. Now we have an idea, a belief. I'm not sharing specifics at this time. However, my personal decision and advice, based on my belief, is to stay away from energy drinks,
especially the popular shot-size energy supplement drinks
. I'd boycott stores that sell it, but there don't seem to be options for stores that don't. I've blocked them from advertising on my site.
Jef's family, May 2012, in Florida, on vacation.
Before we returned, Jef's wife encouraged me to get back to work on the family room. She said she and Jef had been following my Facebook posts, and enjoying the progress. He'd want me to get back at it.
Throughout the summer, a group of Jef's friends, still close since childhood and high school, my brother, parents and I set up a trust fund for the future education of his children. This will be an ongoing project for years.
Hug your spouse and your kids.
Workdays 13 & 14:
After tragedy, travel, family illness, and getting back to work, it was tough to get rolling on the project again. My heart just wasn't in it. But once I got started, it was really great to be using the tools, making sawdust, and blasting the iPod. Mr. Nugent may be a bit of a nut lately, but some of
sure gave me a boost in production. All the planks are up and it looks great.
The last row was a bear to slip in place, getting the tongue and groove together without too much gap at the wall. I also had a devil of a time with dark fingerprints this time for some reason (easily cleaned with Costco baby wipes). I still can't believe how well it worked out; in all the cuts for length, edging, can lights, A/C, and the fan, I only screwed up once and cut a board backward; measure 3 times and cut once.
By over ordering by 10%, just in case, I have a box and a half of spare planks to put in the attic, in hopes that I'll never need to make a repair. If we didn't have them, certainly the roof would be leaking by tomorrow and we'd find this particular plank out of production.
Of course there's still lots of work to do, but the end is in sight. We're ready to stop living like cave people in the dining room.
