Mortgage Monday: Timing

It seems like a constant dilemma that we are facing week after week, project after project. The simple, yet complicated, question that continues to arise is whether we push some of the renovations back into the spring or just get them done now? As I have disclosed previously, it is a really long list of things that we are planning on having done at the house and the constant routine that we find ourselves in is less than ideal. I guess a better question is how much more of this can we handle?

While a postponement would bring us some quiet time heading into the fall and some greater flexibility in our schedule, it would also leave us with a few things that while not essential, are either an eye sore or simply aren’t conducive to us fully enjoying our home. It would also leave a few things ‘half done’ at this point which is less than an ideal situation we would find ourselves living in. But it would be quiet and that is something that can’t easily be overlooked.

However, there are a few larger projects that simply make sense to get done now. We already started the transformation so why would we stop in the middle right now and keep us from seeing our plans for our home from coming to fruition. Yes, it will be noisy, inconvenient (most likely less so than the first round), and put a decent dent in our bank account but we would have nearly everything done. And with these things off the list we wouldn’t spend the cold months cooped up in the house staring at the things that we wish we had changed.

It is a matter of deciding whether we want to relax a little now or relax and breathe easier later? Do we want the inconvenience now or later? And, most importantly, how soon do we want to complete the transformation from our house to our home? This doesn’t mean that we have to check everything off of our list but knocking out a good portion of it would go a long way and allow us to push back a few of the other, “less important”, projects.

Either way, it is safe to say that we are all looking forward to the day when we can consider everything done. And while I can’t wait for that time to come, I am also a realist and know that there will probably be an entirely new list that has been drafted in the interim and I am not completely sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing at this point. What I am enjoying is the fact that no matter when we do all of these things, we will be improving our home and we will be able to enjoy them for many years. So, here is to the future!

Back to School?

No, this post has nothing to do with gold!

When I got the email on Sunday night informing me that the office was closed and that we would be working from home the following day, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to the remainder of my schedule. About halfway through the morning about half of the items on my schedule had either been cancelled or moved with a few more being altered during the first few hours of the day. Thankfully, there was one appointment that held and just as my son was waking from his afternoon nap, I was heading out the door on my way up the highway to Reading.

This was not work related. This was something extra on my calendar that I wanted to take a closer look at. After all, I have already been out of school for nearly 8 years and the academic itch is becoming unbearable once again. Not being one to rest on previous accomplishments or, in this case, degrees, I reached out to Alvernia University a few weeks ago to inquire about their PhD program focusing on Leadership. On Monday afternoon with resume in hand I met with the Chair of the department and had a great conversation about the program and why I had taken an interest in pursuing my doctorate.

Me, a doctor. Kind of a scary thought isn’t it?

Understand that this is just one of the things that I am looking at to satisfy that academic hunger that I feel. But it was a nice feeling returning to a campus and being in that atmosphere again. I actually really like the program as it was outlined, the school seems to be on the upswing, the cost is very reasonable, and the proximity to home is ideal. There are a lot of things going for it but I also hesitate knowing what the program entails.

In the end, I think it is all going to come down to the time element. This would be a five year commitment of at least 10 hours per week. That is time away from my family, my job, and the other things that I enjoying doing. You know me, I already have so much free time in my schedule to take on another long term project and I enjoy the things that I am doing now and would not want to have to sacrifice any of them. But this might be as good a time as any to start this. Time is a tricky part of the decision but also the main part of the decision that my wife and I will have to consider. Until then, I have plenty of other things that I can work on!

More Sleep?

It used to be that I would look forward to daylight savings time either for the extra hour of sleep or the extra hour of work. Either way, the following morning was just a little bit better. This year, things are a little different. While the potential is still there for an extra hour of sleep it was really more like an extra hour to stay up and get work done. And the morning presented a new slate of issues.

A few weeks back, each of us needing a bit of a respite on the weekends, my wife and I each took a day to sleep in. After a long work week, I preferred to take Saturday morning to remain in bed until 10 while my wife took Sunday to get a little extra rest before the week got started. It is a system that should work well but there are a few hiccups along the way a big one happening this morning.

Our son has been having a few issues sleeping during the week which makes him a little extra tired over the weekend. Of course, it doesn’t help that he insists on getting up at the same time each morning no matter what time he fell asleep or if he stayed unconscious during the night. Needless to say, there were a few rough nights leading up to daylight saving time and even though the dial on my watch may have moved back, the timer in our son’s head didn’t get the memo.

By the time I got him out of bed he seemed a bit out of sorts. It may have only been an hour to many but it made a huge difference to us as we were woken up at the old time. While I always enjoyed the extra hour of rest before, I never truly appreciated that hour until this year. That is a long hour when the bonus time was used to stay awake the night before. Turns out, that wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

Of course, the true impact of the time change didn’t really hit our son until this evening when what he thought was bed time was approaching… after all the windows had been dark for a while so it must be time to sleep. That was the longest hour of the day. But there were some lessons learned and mental notes taken for next year. Maybe the same mistakes won’t happen again when we adjust the clocks in the spring.  

Questions Follow Answers

Over the last few weeks I have been able to provide a lot of answers regarding a few things that were still up in the air at the lodge. It was nice to be able to check a few things off the list and get back to what needed to be done to finish up the year. However, that transition, as many of you know, leads to more questions than answers. It is a dilemma that all lodges face as the second half of the year unfolds and one that we do our best to navigate in the final months of the year.

You can usually count on participation being rather high as the calendar turns to a new year which drives attendance and involvement across the board. This inevitably begins to waiver at the weather warms and comes to a near standstill as we call off from labor for the summer. Just like returning to work after a long vacation, it is difficult to get back into the routine and, in this situation, hard to get the brothers back to participating at the lodge.

In addition to attendance of the brethren, we also wonder about the current candidates and the possibility of new petitions. We haven’t seen as many this year but the hope remains that we will be seeing some fresh forms this fall. Thankfully, we have a decent process in place for our new candidates and brethren but I can’t help but think about the ongoing need for petitions that will surely occupy my mind for the remainder of the year. Hopefully, any new petition and subsequent brother will be as dedicated and involved as those who have recently been raised.

The final months are also a time of transition as we will have new officers in the chairs for the coming year (this is true even in Grand Lodge for the coming year). While we are well aware of the brother who will be stepping up, there are always questions that we have regarding style of leadership (I actually have no concerns with the incoming Worshipful Master), schedule of programs for the year, and the officers that will be supporting him. Some of us will be staying on but there is never a guarantee and a lot can change over the next several months… we have all certainly seen that happen a time or two.

I am both concerned and excited by these questions and eager to see how the remaining seasons unfold at the lodge. We are always striving to improve the lodge (with regard to both membership and the building itself) and I am looking forward to seeing many of our projects and endeavors come to fruition. There are great things in store both this year and in the coming years and I am going to do my best to both support those initiatives and stay the heck out of the way. It just goes to show that change can be a very good thing.

Three Years Later…

In addition to everything else that has been going on in our life recently, we have also been looking here and there for a new place to live. This really isn’t a surprise given the issues that we have had with our current residence especially over the past year. Well, we have finally found a place and we are busy packing the apartment. Between the other things that are on our schedule this month, we will be packing and moving everything about 45 minutes away in Chester Springs.

The new place will significantly shorten my wife’s commute to work while it will cut about 5 minutes \off of my drive despite being a few more miles each way. However, the biggest change will be the drastic increase in the amount of living space. The apartment that we have spent the last three years in has approximately 700 square feet while our new dwelling is 1400 square feet plus a finished basement. And, better yet, we will go from one bathroom to two and a half (those of you who are married understand the importance of this upgrade).

However, at the moment we are carrying two leases. We are attempting to ‘play nice’ in our request to terminate the lease for our apartment and hopefully that will come through. Although I am planning for the usual cluster that has become increasingly commonplace during our time living in the building. I guess we will have to wait and see if they want to play nice as well.

In the meantime, we are not going to let that stop us from moving forward (westward actually). There is a fresh coat of paint, new carpet, and a few other upgrades in the new place that we are looking forward to and I will have my own office and workbench area in the basement. The move has already begin with a few dozen boxes stacked in the corner and even more boxes packed and piled in the apartment. Once we have some more time, we will get a few movers and finish the job.

So, with the year coming to an end there is another change happening. We would have liked to have done this sooner but some things you can’t really plan for and you have to just let them happen. It’s not an easy time to move but nothing that we can’t make happen. And while no one enjoys the process of moving, we are looking forward to settling in to a new space and starting the next stage of our life.