December Instagram #1-20

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We originally planned to tackle The Parking Lot Project several years down the road. Yet, after living here for a while, we noticed it took a lot of motivation for our kids to spend time outside (what is there to do on a stone parking lot?) and we really were missing out on the best part of living in a neighborhood — neighbors! 😊 

Construction on our detached garage kicked-off today! We started working with Meyer Building in June and have had an excellent experience so far! 

The design/planning process has been interesting as this is our first experience with building something brand new. Gratefully, our marriage has stayed intact 😏, but neither of us have really enjoyed the process and would be A-okay to live in old homes for the rest of our life 😆. 

I would love to take lots of photos and video footage of the building process, but I certainly want to respect the religious preferences of the Amish crew working here! ❤️ Non-people documentation it is!)

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Whew! Took a little convincing from Otto, but I got them to deliver our neighbor Christmas cards another year! 🙌🏾

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Hello….hi….coming on here to address the Pink Elephant in the room (or should I say — on the west side of town 😏)

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This week our paper blueprint came to life and we can actually SEE what we spent months planning. Proportionately-speaking, it looks nice next to the towering Church House. However, it’s MUCH bigger and MUCH taller than we visualized 😦. To say Klint & I have been dealing with quite a bit of anxiety this week would not be an exaggeration 🫣.  

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The most debated topic between Klint and me throughout our planning process was the SIZE of the garage. Klint wanted it to be wide & long (you know, for practical purposes like parking cars and storage 😏) and I wanted it to be tall so it could mimic a Carriage House (like other historic homes in Bluffton). Can’t you just envision parishioners riding their horses to Mass in 1875? 🥰

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So Klint and I compromised and designed the garage long…and wide…and tall 🤦🏼‍♀️😂. We measured and discussed and agonized over the size — trying to figure out where we could size-down while having to work within city ordinances and property lines. After many months & many doubts, we decided to go for it!

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My friends love to tease me about how much I typically loathe the phrase, “it is what it is”, but I’m saying it now 🥴. Of course, once the Carriage House (we need to call it that because it’s certainly not a garage at this point 😂) is a permanent part of our life we are going to love it! But, until then, you will find me hiding behind our pulled blinds and popping ibuprofen 😅.

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Grandpa Fiechter took Emitt out on the road this morning for Round 1 of driving with his newly acquired permit!

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He came home very pleased, relieved that driving isn’t as bad as he thought it would be, and begged me to let him drive when we left the house later. He did fantastic, but my nerves were a bit frayed. He must’ve sensed my discomfort and asked if he was a bad driver. It’s not you, it’s me, I told him 😏. Launching into another phase! #15yearsold 

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You may wonder why we are sitting under our Christmas tree at 9:30 pm on a Monday night holding pliers, wire, and Gorilla Glue.

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We aren’t 100% sure how it all happened, but the scene was covered in pine needles. It’s what they call a conspiracy crime - Sylvia in the branches, Gil with a broom. Victim: Christmas Tree.

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We don’t have high hopes the tree will live to see Christmas. Klint says this is what happens when you have cats-n-kids 😏. #1yearold🐈‍⬛. #6yearsold👦🏼 

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During Parlor City Christmas in Bluffton on Saturday, the trolley dropped us off at the Historical Museum to vote on the best Christmas tree on display 🎄 . We snooped around and found an entire show case dedicated to churches in our community. We found our house, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, and this little excerpt. Something I’ve never noticed before was that short sidewalk and railing on the east side of the church. I wonder when that was taken out and replaced with grass? 🤔

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Day 7! The crew arrived before sunrise.

It’s 8:30 pm and they are still going strong! The cement is poured inside the building and looking great!

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I just KNEW I had taken the box of Cheese-Its out of the cabinet and was making myself crazy looking for it 😂. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Gil.

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I told him once that if a sticker goes through the dryer cycle, it will leave a mess on his shirt. Since then, he’s been placing all stickers on his stomach ☺️. Today’s stickers tell the story of eating Chic-fil-a for lunch….and being pulled over for speeding by a kind officer 🐔👮🏿‍♂️. #6yearsold

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Whitt opened his presents and loudly yelled his appreciation across the chaos of the room, “thank you SO much Grandpa & Grandma! I think we actually already have this book at home, but IT’S OKAY!! Now 2 people can read the same book at the same time! Thank you sooo much!!” 😂😍 #9yearsold 

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His driving experience has been filled with hesitancy, fear, and lots of jitters ….coming from his mom in the passengers seat 😏. Thankfully he’s a fantastic driver & is loving every minute.

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Today, after Esports practice, he said, “come on, mom, just trust me” so we took Hwy 1 (instead of the back streets) to get home. And we both succeeded with flying colors! 🥴❤️#15yearsold

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The high school & middle school have dress-up days this week. Today, both schools just happened to have the same theme — Ugly Sweater Day! #15yearsold #13yearsold

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I couldn’t decide which shade of white I wanted for the siding so Zach from Meyer Building suggested I drive around and look at some of their clients’ completed barns to compare. I made two trips to Huntington and a trip to farm country to take a look!

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In the end I decided on this color, Alamo White, which is very slightly off-white. I’m very happy with it!! In the future the Church House will need re-painted (for maintenance purposes) and we will match the color to this Alamo White.

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11:00 am ••• “Hi, Mom, it’s Emitt. I finished my art project — could you send Grandpa Fiechter over to the high school with his truck? It won’t fit in your vehicle.” 😳😂 (I had so many questions I couldn’t even articulate)

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The good news — Grandpa happened to be in town! The bad news — he wasn’t driving the truck. But he rescued Emitt out of his dilemma, helping him wedge the project into the back of the Flex. He slowly drove the back streets (with the back-hatch open) while Emitt anxiously hung onto his project, calling out worried instructions to his chauffeur 😆.

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The project was safely delivered into our sanctuary (lucky me 🥴). Emitt happily skipped the rest of his school day AND ate at Wendy’s with Grandpa & cousins…on Pajama Day, no less! 😆 What a way to kick off Christmas break! ❤️ #10thgrade #15yearsold #thegoodlifewithlegos

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“I’m pretending I’m swimming” #6yearsold

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Look what I got for Christmas! 🎄 Doesn’t a vintage nativity seem appropriate for a vintage church? These are in incredible condition — thanks, @wendykaehr!

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Tonight, after the $30 gift exchange came to an end, Emitt looked around and said “guess I’m the only one who didn’t get LEGOs”. This has never happened before and will never happen again. History documented 😂 #15yearsold #13yearsold #9yearsold #6yearsold 

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We didn’t mean to pose in the shape of a Christmas tree, but I guess it works! 😆 Merry Christmas from the Fiechters! 🎄 #15yearsold #13yearsold #9yearsold #6yearsold (#42yearsold #39yearsold 😆)

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(They totally humored me and stopped for a photo 😏). Uncle Brad and Dad F came over on this day-after-Christmas and helped Klint pull wire to the new building and connect our 100-amp service. ⚡️ These 2 have showed up for projects at our homes countless times over the past 20 years ❤️.

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Let it be documented that it’s December 27 and I was so warm I drove with my windows down. These last several months have been so unseasonably…weird! Emitt says it’s due to global warming 🌎.