New electric. Everything in this house is old!!

The kitchen came out last weekend. This house has no insulation in the walls. It is cinderblocks with brick on the outside. I was talking with my neighbor at church last Sunday and mentioned that was the case. She said her house is the same. I said, "It makes it kind of.." She said,"breezy." I chuckled. Breezy is a good way to describe it. Next project is to frame in where the kitchen used to be and insulate. I will run new electric into that wall for disposal, etc.







New can lights in the entry this week.

My brother John came up and helped Chad and I put in this glulam beam. As you can see it is 16" tall and 3 1/8" wide and 18 feet long. It rests on the cinder block frame on the west side of the house and 3 2x4's on the east end. It allows this room to be wide open. The ceiling will be flat. We restitched the roof to the ceiling rafters, cut out the old support and then restitched the ceiling rafters to the new glulam beam. Quite a project!. Many thanks to John!




Stiched ceiling rafters to glulam.

5 supports from the roof to the rafters rather than the 4 before but the 4 are also stiched into the glulam. 9 total supports on each side for the roof now. Chad's great idea.


Used to look like this with the bearing wall support extending below the ceiling about 1 1/2"
Now there will be nothing but ceiling. Nice!

Days off

Today I went down to Provo to the BYU - UCLA game. What a game. It was remarkable in that we expected so much from that game and UCLA forgot they were supposed to show up and play. Long flight home for them!
Today though, I was most impressed, as I have been over and over again, how fortunate are I and my family. We all seem unusally close. I have said this before, as have each of my siblings. Today, however, I felt fortunate to have the brothers-in-law that I have. They are remarkable men and wonderful husbands and fathers. I don't know how or why my sisters fished the best out of the pond but that they did and they, as well as the rest of us, reap the rewards. I have said before that anyone who says always or never is a liar. However in this case, I am always better in the end having spent time around them. My Book of Dave quote for today.

Today is my son Gibson's birthday. I remember each child's birthday with a story of their birth. As my age goes, so does my memory but let's try.
I'm not certain, give me time to embelish later, the exact circumstances that brought us there but...
My mother was in town taking care of the rest of the kids. Gib was a total surprise as we thought we were done. I called my mom and said, "Bring the kids over, it looks like its time." She did. She stays around for a while with nothing happening. She is ready to leave; small room room, no toys yada yada... Finally, as I walk out and out trying to be certain that my boy will be here soon (small waiting room), mom decides to leave. As she is going, the time comes closer. I run outside. The birthing room is next to the waiting room, "Wait! We are really close." I run back inside. I'm participating as father's do...
Nothing
Gib is born
He cries
My son is here. My son.
Moments later I go into the waiting room. My mother is crying; "I haven't been this close to a birth in so long."
All of my children heard their brother's first sound. First sound. Cool.
My mother fondly recalls I took each child into the room to introduce them to their brother. It was magical.
Happy birthday Gibson. You were everything we all wanted. Certainly, you were everything your brother ever wanted after hanging around all those girls. He used to ask me all thetime, "Can I have a brother?" The highlight of our lives and so truly welcome.
Happy birthday son. I want for you what I want for all my kids. That you love the Lord, that you know He loves you, that you serve honorably and honor your name.