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Renovating Couples

by - Tuesday, June 10, 2008

HandyMan and I are newlyweds. We're also renovating a house. Put those two things together and I'd say we've learned a whole lot more about each other as compared to other couples just nine months into marriage. Renovating can be stressful, frustrating, enjoyable, laughable, difficult, painful, exhilirating, and ultimately rewarding. Same goes for married life. But renovating just puts a big ol' spotlight on your marriage - it intensifies things, it highlights, it makes you take a step back and say "Wow. So this is the person I married."

Take shopping for example. It only took three trips to Ikea for HandyMan and I to figure out we have different shopping modus operandi. HandyMan likes to wander the aisles and be inspired, with only a vague idea of what he is looking for or what style he wants. I, on the other hand, am on a mission: I have a 'big picture' vision in my head, have already flipped through the catalogue and tagged some items, come armed with dimensions and my little swatch book filled with paint, wallpaper, and fabric samples. But that's what makes the whole process fun. You learn about your similar tastes and your differences in shopping habits. You figure out who's the better interior designer and who's the sharper architect. You discover who is a pro at picking paint colours and who gets overwhelmed looking at 32 different types of kitchen faucets. If you're lucky, you'll find a balance and see how your talents complement each other. And if you're really lucky, you'll end up with a home that is a perfect reflection of the two of you.

Its not easy. And I guess documenting my and HandyMan's journey with our house really does serve to document our evolution as a husband and wife as well. I like to think that every tile we lay and nail we hammer helps to strengthen our marriage as well as our home. That may be naive, I guess. Ah well, call me a newlywed :)

Check out these great blogs to read about the trials and tribulations of other couples on the road to home-making:

86'in It
Baltimore Rowhouse
Becoming Home
Four Beds Two Baths
House In Progress
In Pursuit of our Place
Newlywedisms by Bryn
No. 462
Rehab or Die
The Newlywed Diaries
This Young House
Three Acres

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