Yes!

I got a bid from the contractor, and it came in pretty much exactly where I wanted it! I ran it by the H just to be polite, but went ahead and approved it and sent a deposit, and we’ve had some back and forth about materials since. He seemed to be comfortable with the idea of someone else doing the work. The plan is to start when the wood for the walls arrives in about two weeks, so week of 5/8. They also will install the wood burning stove, so we’ll have to get the H’s car out there sometime before then. I’m super excited. I so hope this doesn’t all fall apart. 

By end of May we *should* have the remaining five windows installed, insulation throughout, ceilings closed up, wood plank walls, carpet upstairs, and the stove installed. That’s enough that we can move all the furniture in, but I probably wouldn’t bother with that until the heat of summer is over. If these guys work out, maybe I can tap them to build the overhang & porch and fix the exterior which has begun to warp and peel off, when and if I can afford it.

I’ve been on a hotel-finding frenzy, while also trying to get set up for my opening on Monday. I heard back from the Hollywood hotel, who want $80,000 to rent their ballroom for a weekend. I also contacted people about a San Diego hotel that was used for a jazz festival and found out the hotel pulled some criminal behavior on the band members’ credit cards; then I called the Palm Springs hotel I was interested in for New Year’s and they are putting together a package for me, but it’s not going to be good. The sales manager told me straight up that they wouldn’t be able to get their rate under $200 PLUS resort fees, so honestly I don’t know why I’m bothering. It’s also eleven billionty degrees in Palm Springs at Labor Day. Also Vegas. Every other hotel I’ve looked at in LA, San Diego, Palm Springs and everywhere else is over $200, $300 that weekend.

That’s when it hit me - maybe the weekend is the problem. I don’t want to move off a holiday, however, and there’s one that no other major events fall on, and that’s July 4. July 4 isn’t great because it will sometimes fall in the middle of the week, and is more of a family weekend, but the good and inexplicable news is that hotel rates, including at my current hotel, are great that weekend. Why Labor Day is suddenly such a hot commodity I don’t know, but this was a revelation to me that I could solve my room rate woes and save my relationship with this hotel if I just move my date. And boy how great would it be to get a whole summer to myself after, not before, the event. So I feel like I can rest easy now and when the time comes to renew, simply offer to move, so the hotel can get their big bucks on Labor Day and I can still have a good rate. Of course this is dependent on the hotel being available that weekend. But once again, a cursory look around has shown me that my current location is really the best. At least I know that now. 

Tomorrow morning I take Theo to get his Invisalign. It’s going to change our lives a bit and add more mental and emotional labor for me, so I’m not looking forward to it. I hope he does ok and is responsible about it and it doesn’t hurt his teeth too much.