In 17 hours I went from a non-handy, uninterested-when-it-comes-to-around-the-house-projects man to a confident, willing-to-learn-new-skills-around-the-house man. Lisa and I wanted to have wood floors in our home, so I got some quotes on what it would cost to have someone come in "turn-key" style and lay the wood. The verdict for this young, soon-to-be parents, couple: having someone install floors is outrageously priced. (I take that back. It's not outrageous. It's just expensive. In fact, after installing the floors with my bro's-in-law and a few generous friends, I understand why floor installers charge a lot--it's hard work! Actually, relative to how hard the work is, I'm now convinced they don't charge nearly enough.)

So I decided I'd learn how to install wood floors on the fly with some trusted advice readily accessible by phone. I learned how to cut wood to fit in corners, use a massive nail gun, remove, repaint and restore baseboards (fyi: I learned to always re-affix baseboards from right to left...I tried left to right and I can tell you firsthand that it doesn't work well), how to use a skill saw and a jigsaw, and how to rack a floor. I was a great experience. I'm glad I decided to jump in over my head knowing it would force me to learn.

And I saved around $3,000 by doing it myself. Come on over and enjoy the floors with us.

Ok, here is my first--and fourth total--entry in quite some time. I've got good reason to write this time. My wife, Lisa, is pregnant with our first child, a baby girl. We are so ecstatic. She is 24 weeks along and is due to have the baby on May 31.

Here is the thing that presents some issues: naming the girl. Think about it--this requires Lisa and me to NAME a real human being. Last time I checked, I had never done that before. And I still haven't. We really feel like we've landed on the right name for her--Lillian Carol Grothe--but how are we really to know? Lisa is pretty settled on liking the name, and so am I, but I wonder sometimes if I'm supposed to have an epiphany before settling on a name.

I'm smart enough to know, on most days, that its just a decision we have to make, but that doesn't mean I don't wonder from time to time. So, now you're clued in to what I've been thinking about on occasion.

Sidenote: My wife's name is Lisa Carol Grothe and her Mom is Linda Carol Wakley, so we'll be passing on the middle name to our little one. I love middle names. And I love that she'll have her mother's and grandmother's middle name. (My middle name, Wilson, is my mom's maiden name. My parents named me after my Grandpa, Daniel Wilson.)