Venting About the New Vent Fan

Believe it or not, we’ve completed a handful of house projects since our big trip. I’ve just been avoiding writing about them so I could draw out or vacation memories as long as possible. … bummmmer.

Our largest project to-date was an install of a bathroom vent fan. When we bought the house we were definitely young and dumb. We were so blinded by love of the house we overlooked all the pieces that we’d just assumed came standard in any and all houses, to name a few:

  • Doorbell
  • Cable hookups in the walls
  • Vents

Wow, the Zellers have really lived and learned since becoming homeowners.

It wasn’t long after moving in that the need for a vent fan in our main bathroom jumped to near the top of our project/expenses list. Opening the window before every shower, and wondering who could see in got old quite quickly. Also, the realization that once winter hit we’d be having some chilly times in that room really got our butts into gear planning how we’d do this.

At first, I was dead set on paying someone to do this work for us. It would be quick and painless and worth every dollar spent to just get-it-done. Unfortunately (or, I guess now that it’s over, fortunately) Kyle had other ideas about solutions. He wanted to DIY with some reinforcement.

My parents were coming into town and if anyone could get the job done it would be Dad. He brought the tools and left his fear of failure back in Ohio. Actually, I don’t he has ever had that fear so he was definitely the man for the job.

It all started out pretty well. But there were more low-points than I can really bring myself to think about again, so I’m just going to post the photos I took and bury this DIY. It was a success, but I really don’t want to re-live it.

However, look how happy my dad is … maybe we should get him back out here.
DSC_4843DSC_4831DSC_4848 Untitled Untitled IMG_7679 The Wins: we now have a vent fan, it works, and we saved $400 on paying someone else to install it.

The Losses: I can’t get the dirty fingerprints cleaned off the ceiling in the bathroom, there is a weird hole in the wall next to the light switch, and we now know that the entire house needs to be rewired for electric. Because, of course it does.

Holiday Recap

The holidays came and went so quickly I am in shock that it’s almost February. Here are just a few photos to recap our entire holiday season.

First up: Thanksgiving! My parents drove out to DC to spend the holiday with Kyle and I. This was our first Thanksgiving married, and were really pumped to use our new china to eat a meal prepared using our other wedding gifts.

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While mom and I shopped on Black Friday Dad andKyle spent the day at the Udvar Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

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For Christmas, we packed up the car and drove out to Ohio to visit both families. Lilly came with us too (hey, she’s old and can’t handle a new babysitter at this age). After visiting with the Zellers we spent most of the week with my parents in their new kitchen enjoying way too much food.

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I’m so thankful we were able to spend a fantastic night in Dayton visiting with some of my best girls before hitting the road.

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Speaking of the road, we took Rt. 50 the ENTIRE trip from Cincinnati to DC. It was an experience I would highly recommend to any fellow highway-haters out there. The trip is both scenic and fascinating, sometimes a trip through time.

You get rivers, mountains, valleys, crumbling towns, big towns, Civil War battlefields, and a lot of Dairy Queens. There was a lot of beauty I’d love to go back and capture for real sometime.

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And yes, that’s Lilly’s preferred spot for the car ride – except for when she was wanting snuggle time on Kyle’s lap. She’s so sweet when she’s sleeping isn’t she?

Once we made it back – it was time for New Year’s Eve! We were a little late to the party store and had to do a DIY-option with a pack of pirate hats. We just stayed local and low-key.

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Now that we’re rested, it’s time for another adventure! What’s next?

Toast Time!

Once we were back from the photoshoot in the park and cocktail hour it was time for introductions, toasts, prayers, and dinner (basically, all of the best parts of a wedding, in my opinion).

First, introductions (to the tune of “C’mon N’ Ride It (the Train)” …

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Dad, giving his hilarious and very moving speech …

ali-kyle-342** ali-kyle-344* ali-kyle-346* Zach, giving his speech. I’ll never forget his opening “I never thought Ali would get married” … ali-kyle-348*My good friend Meghan, we’ve been BFFs for 8 years! Another tear-jerker …
ali-kyle-353* Grandpa, looking handsome giving the prayer before dinner … ali-kyle-359**Obie, another entertaining speech …
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Mr. Zeller giving a very sweet speech …
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Dinner time!

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