Thirty-Six

Today is my thirty-sixth birthday, rounding up I guess I might as well be forty. As thirty-six has been approaching I have been looking back at thirty-five, thirty-five was a very busy year.

At this time last year there were a lot of plans on the table waiting to be executed. Heidi was pregnant with our third child, Thomas. The architect had been hired to design the addition to our Old Blue House. The equity line to pay for the addition had been arranged. I was scrambling to figure out how to pay back the equity line and afford college for three kids. Last but not least I scheduled a fairly serious knee operation for June.

Well by April, Heidi and I had signed on with a company out of Utah to build ourselves an Internet business. I put the fee on a credit card, more debt, and The Tutu Boutique was born. Turns out we paid a fortune and probably could have done it for half the cost. I will say that I did learn a whole bunch of stuff and if I were to do it again, I would. At some point I hope this move will pay for lots of stuff, the addition included.

In may we hired the builder, we only interviewed two. Two very different approaches were presented to us. The first was organized, spread sheets, cost breakdowns, very professional. After careful consideration of our plans he came back with a very high number.

The second builder was from town, everybody knows him and he is respected as an honest, honorable man. More spit and a handshake, the number he came back with was far more reasonable. We hired him. Construction to start in August.

May was spent trying to find a niche market on the Internet. Something Heidi could be involved with that would hold her interest. Something that did not have an overwhelming presence on the web and had a decent amount of people looking for it. Tutus.

June, I had my posterior cruciate ligament replaced with a cadavers. This operation kicked the crap out of me. I was only in the Hospital overnight, however it took about a week and a half to get back to work. The rehab was atrocious, honest to God it made me cry/laugh it hurt so much. No weight on it for six weeks, which was perfect because Thomas was due the second week of July.

The first time I put any weight on my new knee was in the delivery room assisting with the birth of my third child, Thomas. July was spent taking care of the new baby. Working on details pertaining to The Tutu Boutique, and messing with the architects plans.

In August construction started on the house, The Tutu Boutique went online, I started to walk without crutches, or crunchers, as David referred to them. Life started to get its rhythm back. Albeit a loud and raucous rhythm, at least the surprises were manageable. Leaky roofs, spats with the architect, meetings with the Hysterical Society, it was fun.

We sold our first tutu in mid August, that was exciting. The addition was finished in November, at a price just above what the first builder said it was going to cost. Thomas turned out to be a relatively easy baby, and I skied on my knee last week.

There were a lot of sleepless nights, anxiety, and joy. I would not trade my thirty-fifth year for anything, where would I be without blogging? I just hope thirty-six is much less exciting.