They call me Bob the Builder...

"Oh shit, it's bleeding! Grab me a towel! And a beer!" - Me.

No household project is complete without some bloodshed. Nothing a beer can't fix.

Recently the weather has changed, and it has led Jamie and me from the black hole we get sucked into, most commonly known as the couch and Netflix, to adventure out and about through Nashville. Everyone in our neighborhood seems to be shaking the coat of winter off and working in their yards. We were inspired to start sprucing up home after a neighborhood walk. After watching some YouTube videos, we got an over-eager sense of confidence that led us to believe we could do just about any project no matter how big or small. Fix the sink? Check. Put in a raised garden? Check. Put on a glass storm door? Check. Fix and replace specific parts of the dishwasher? Uh, probably? Check. Rip up the walkway and put in a new one? Sure! That should only take me a minute! Check.

We decided the front door and the raised garden were the starting points this season. These two tasks seemed moderately simple; we have the tools to get it done, and are pretty cost effective starting points as far as home projects are concerned. After some more YouTubing, we were ready. We hit the hardware store, got what we needed and we were on the way.

Honestly, I wish I had a funnier story but putting on a storm door is a pretty straight forward process. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to install. I did hurt myself and left a little blood on the porch, but it was worth it. Any job worth doing is worth doing without any knowledge of safety.

When all was said and done this project was pretty cheap, and it added a bunch of light to our living room. This door also added value (at least for us) to our home and gave me a sense of pride. I mean just watch the video below.

-YourFriendMatt

Homeowners...

“Well, what do we do now?” - us.

We have just taken a huge step in our lives. For whatever reason, the forces guiding us thought it was time to buy a home…so we did. We are officially homeowners, and citizens, of the great city of Nashville, TN. It is an odd, scary, exciting, anxious, endless all-emotion-encompassing time of our lives.

Standing in the living room for the first time in our new home, we couldn’t help but scratch our heads in uncertainty, having no idea what to do next. We stared at each other in the classic “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” trap. We spent weeks searching for a home, signing papers, wiring thousands of dollars for a reason we did not really understand; always kind of thinking in the back of our minds “there is no way this will go through.” Now, standing here it seems that the process of buying a home happened in the blink of an eye, and we were left with the keys in hand.

This has become one of the most rewarding and challenging times of my life. I think back to all the work accomplished throughout the years at the gas station in high school, slaving at McDonald’s, working business sales for commission and finally my current position...saving as much as I could, knowing I would one day buy a piece of Earth, and that day has come. Looking at my bank account is a shock (to say the least), but I know that I am investing in our future, and I could not be happier.

Here's to all the memories we will create here and if anyone ever wants to stop by; you know my fridge always has a beer waiting for you.

Enjoy the day!

-YourFriendMatt