The 2013 Challenge

I started the New Year by conquering a mountain. Well, technically not a mountain, but a steep hill with a gain of nearly 1,000 feet in elevation. For the second year, I participated in a New Year's Day 10K trail run. Last year, I didn't look at the course map before the race started and was so unpleasantly surprised by the terrain that I disabled my timing chip, so I wouldn't register a time. This year my goal was just to enjoy the beautiful view that awaits us at the top of the hill and soak in all the positive energy from the other runners (who are now walkers/hikers at this point). It's hard not to feel optimistic as the New Year dawns. Post race, Husband and I returned home for brunch and I began to work on painting our kitchen cabinet doors. When we were planning our kitchen renovation, Husband wanted to install new cabinets, but ours were in good shape and I didn't want to double the price of the renovation (a wise decision given that we may need those funds for IVF). So we decided that I would paint them. Last February, I started by stripping all the cabinets and facings, and then we took our time selecting the paint colour. I painted the casings in June, but once we got back from England in August, we went into full renovation mode and painting was put on hold. We had all the appliances installed by election day and by Thanksgiving I had moved everything back into the kitchen. Now, the final step of the project was to finish painting the cabinet doors and trim. Husband and I joked that the process of painting the cabinets has been taking as long as we have been trying to conceive. Thus, the challenge of 2013 was issued. Which would happen first: a pregnancy or finishing the cabinets? Here are the stats for those of you who are playing along at home. Fertility project: Me, age 36, FSH 7.1, E2 32, AMH 4.53, AFC 9-10, irregular cycles, possible uterine septum, thin endometrium, one pregnancy -miscarriage at 6 weeks. Husband, age 38, low concentration (range 14-17 million), low morphology 1%, motility 50-60%, mild hypogonadism with slight response to Clomid. The cabinets: twenty doors. I have a rack that allows me to paint both sides at the same time and holds four doors. Each door gets a coat of primer (sometimes needs two coats) and then 3-4 finish coats and 2 coats of a clear protective polish.  For the trim, we have to borrow a special laser level from my dad to identify the lowest point in the ceiling. We still have to select the moulding, do the math on how much we need and add 15-20% for cutting errors. Then all pieces will need to go through the painting process prior to installation and will need touch ups after the caulking. I'd prefer to do this part first as I'm growing tired of seeing the paint spots on the wall and ceiling that are waiting to be covered up by the trim. I do most of my painting on the weekends, but will sometimes do some sanding and prep in the evenings after work. So which goal will be reached first in 2013? I'll keep you posted. Happy New Year to all!