Stories from the kitchen remodel

The biggest lesson I've learned from the kitchen remodel is letting go. Letting go of expectations, privacy, cleanliness, time lines, deadlines. I am letting go. Here's some stories about my letting go.

The counter top, part 1: My contractor called me and set up a time to come out with the counter top measurer. I was going to have to come in late, but it was a time that worked for everyone. So, 9:00am rolls around and my contractor calls me letting me know there were going to be another 45 minutes late. At which point I said, "Do I need to be there for this?" And he thought about it and decided he could do it on his own. I went to work.

The counter top, part 2: After the counter top was measured, they ordered it and planned an install date. On the morning of the install, I left the condo and went out to my car. When I got to the main door of the building, I thought "what's that big black thing in front of the door?" and I got closer and I thought, "oh, that's my counter". Just sitting there. Outside. And then I thought, "Ok. I'm going to work." I didn't ask any questions and it got installed ifne. I'm so glad I didn't worry about it.

The floor, chapter 1: Did I mention the floor had to sit in my house for a week? You should have seen the look on my face when they told me that.
The floor, revisited: This morning, the guy came to install the floor. He was pretty high strung. (Not like on drugs, just had a lot of energy.) So he had to figure out if he could glue the floor straight down on the linoleum. Which he can. So I said, "do you need me here?" And when he said no, I went to work. (This is a different person that's not through my other contractor.) When I got to work, I told people my story about the flooring going in. And they all said, "and you just left him there?" Everyone thought this was strange. I had no problem with it and thought it was the best thing I could have done.
And then he called me and said, "I have to run out and get straps to hold the floor together while the glue dries" (and I can hear him turning on his truck while he's calling me) and proceeds to tell me his plan for how he's going to get back into my condo without keys. Did I have a choice at this point?

The hardware: This wasn't a letting go so much as admitting I was wrong (thanks Amanda). Amanda and I went to Menard's and Target and picked out a bunch of different hardware. I really thought I'd want handles instead of knobs. (Who's thinking of a "your Mom" joke right now?) But there was this one knob Amanda really liked so I bought it. My hesitation had to do with the price and the fact that I wanted handles, but I didn't want to have hurt feelings. Want to know what my contractor did today? That's right, he installed those very knobs on like half the cabinets in my kitchen. And they look great.