At one point I was mildly annoyed that not much progress was happening on our renovations. Now I get anxious from the moment someone picks up a hammer or saw in the house until they sweep up and leave. I won't even let them keep a key to get in the house at the moment because I don't trust them to do what the plans designate without adult supervision. When we got to the house today and they were tearing out the walls in Barry's room with great intensity, I couldn't even be on the same floor and had to retreat upstairs. Every swing of the sledge hammer made me grimace that they were about to send something important into or through something else important. Thankfully, both Rich and my father were there to supervise. As they started sawing through the support beam in Barry's room, I was both terrified and insatiably curious.

Today went okay but we refused to let them touch the dormers until we have a parley with our project manager Bill about the entire situation. I felt like typing up my own version of a stop work order and hanging it on the dormers but thought that might be counter-productive.

After the dust and plaster settled (they were SHOVELING plaster off of our carpet - they're determined to force us to buy new carpet), I was able to go back and look at everything and feel much more calm. I took my photos, marveled at our clever ideas for where to run the HVAC refrigerant lines and which walls to change, and then headed to the beach.

Putting my feet in the sand and watching the sun set at the end of my street helped me put it all in perspective. I should hang copies of these photos around the house while it's under construction to help keep my blood pressure down.