May 29 – “Fireplace”

Today we took the fireplace to the house.  Chris and I loaded it into the truck.  After that she said she refused to unload it.  As luck would have it, though, Nathan just happened to stop by on his way home from work.  Needless to say, she got out of the unload.  The fireplace really looks good there in the corner with the tile down.  Ben Franklin would be proud of his namesake.  We have no idea when it will get installed.  All we know is that the parts have been ordered and there is no hurrying them.  That's the benefit of being in a highly specific industry, I guess.   We were hoping to see some more of that frenzied activity today.  Alas, it was not so.  Apparently the plumber has been swamped with work.  He was going to try to work us in as he could.  We were sure hoping he in particular would get there.  It just somehow makes you feel complete when you have an indoor toilet available to you.  The other stuff is pretty much just window dressing.  Sheetrock repair, electrical fixes.  The head electrician made the mistake of stopping by this morning after Chris had a chance to check out all the lights.  He asked, "Do all the lights work?"  She immediately replied, "No."  He looked horrified, so we showed him some of the problems.  A lot of the switches seemed to be loose.  The lights flickered.  They also removed one of the outlets that we had a specific use for.  That was about all he could stand.  He said he'd get somebody to come fix it and left in a huff.    Our contractor called just as we were leaving for lunch.  He said we had a choice about scheduling.  1.  Let the floor guy come in Monday and sand and stain the wood floors.  It would take about a week.  That would mean we would have to cover it up when the plumber and sheetrockers and painters came to finish up, and it might get nicked or dinged in the process.  We would be able to move in in about two weeks.  2.  Postpone the floor guy and let everybody else finish first.  The problem here is that if he doesn't start Monday, he can't start until the 15th.  That would mean the floor would be less likely to get scratched, but we wouldn't get to move in for at least three weeks or more.  What a dilemma.  We finally decided to let him make the call based on when would be the best times for all the different workers.  He called back later on to say that he told the floor guy to go for it on Monday.  The plumber was especially excited to have a week to get caught up with his other jobs.  The floor guy was excited to be able to stay on his schedule.  The contractor was excited that we would get to move in a week sooner.  We were just tired.   I got a call from the Seaside Christian Academy school board leader.  It was my "Would you say yes if asked" call about being the interim headmaster for the school.  He was very encouraging.  Chris and I had been talking and praying about it, and we both felt OK about the interim part.  I still don't know about doing it full time when school starts back.  I think I can transition us through the summer, though.  The board is supposed to meet Monday night, so I'll find out after then.  Interesting timing, though.  We are leaving sometime next week for a short trip to Mansfield for Zakary's birthday party.  There's a lot to do to get ready for next year, though.  Maybe we'll stay gone a week or so.   Psalms 139:1-4 says, "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.   2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord."   Father, I need your guidance on this school thing.  You know me better than me.  Can I?  Amen.