A Hoosier Home

I will be honest 2008 was a crazy year, maybe not as crazy as 2020, but crazy still. January 2008 I moved into a little apartment in South Bend and Feb 1, 2008 I started a new job at Indiana University South Bend. The first week of July I decided to propose and in November, bought a house.
Yeah crazy year. 

It was November 2008 that we closed. It was a crazy process, the stock market crumbled while we negotiated home price, Heather was interviewing all over the area, and the same day, just before our closing she interviewed at Notre Dame. Fingers crossed we went into it hoping we would both have work, we would love South Bend, and this would be "home". 

This home has been great, great to me, great to our family. I got this painting done, by my friend Erin Kelley (Traveling Art Company), painted this summer as an anniversary gift. I wanted it painted at my favorite time of the year, spring when the crab apple tree is in full bloom. I love the yard in the spring, and the symbolism of rebirth and life always inspires me. 

This home has provided, not just shelter, but in so many other ways... it allowed me to host my three siblings, their families, and my parents visiting from Bolivia (like 13 people at that time), when I took the job at La Casa we refinanced to drop our monthly payment, my two youngest were brought home from the hospital here, . So in a way, the house supported me as a dad, helped in my non-profit venture making less money to make a difference in the world, and not to mention all the repair skills I learned! Then when prepping for Novalí to go to college, I knew we needed to refinance again, we took money out to ensure we could help her, and have some more for some home improvements. 

These bricks have provided. 

This home has been work, they say nothing worth doing comes easy. From yard work to painting, to tearing down walls and laying down flooring... it has been a labor a love. It is almost like thanking her for providing... painting the garage, daddy daughter decorating, giving her new windows, a modern roof (this baby had slate tiles when we bought it!), to my car cave project this summer... she appreciated the updates, and returned the favor in helping us store all of N's stuff from college when covid caused her to move back from Grand Rapids. (I tagged a few old blogs on house projects)

This home to us turns 13 (built in the 30s), the troublesome adolescent years have started... this year brought plumbing trouble, boiler repairs, and who knows what else, and I am sure 2020 isn't done hitting us yet. 

This home has challenged me, taught me, supported me, and yes I know it is a completely inanimate object but hey I have spent 12 years of my life with it. 

My bigger reflection, this home is now the longest single place I have lived. My childhood home in Saginaw was just about 12 years time, I lived in Bolivia under 7 years, so we will be my longest home. Not sure why this feels significant to me, but you all know I get fairly sentimental, and more so lately as I age. It also means South Bend will become the place I have lived longer than anywhere... I call myself Bolivian, I say I was raised in Michigan, but let's be honest, I am raising Hoosiers, and I am more Hoosier than anything else. 

It's official. I am a Hoosier. 

College Drop Out

Tuesday morning, at 7:55AM I walked into Ivy Tech Community College. I was nervous, I had not walked into the tech hall in over 6 years. I was anxious, I had not taken a college class in 8 years. I was excited to hang out in the big auto shop again. I was worried how much I forgot and wondering if I was ready... I know the night before I tried to log into their online learning platform and had trouble. I was a drop out, now I am back, let's see how it goes.

I love cars, always have, since as early as I can remember I loved cars, I sketched them, dreamed of them, and wanted to drive them, work on them, design them. I loved cars so much I became an engineer, and I was blessed to be good enough at math to make it through all the worst classes in college... I landed cool internships, and lived my dream of designing cars. 

I love cars, but being an engineer nearly ruined that, working 60-80 hour weeks on deadlines, was hard... the paychecks were nice, but man it was crazy at times. I got to be behind the scenes at auto shows, see things I worked on turning on a display case for the world to see, got a patent in my name, and then decided to walk away. 

I love cars and ten years ago when I got a job at Ivy Tech the first place I went... the auto shop. My first full semester there, I used that tuition benefit and took a class (Blog: Shop Class for the Soul). I was at the time struggling with my fit at Ivy Tech, and less than a year later... I was working at La Casa. 

I love cars, but my transition to La Casa, and then having Mari, all took a toll on my ability to enjoy hobbies, to work on cars, to blog, to be more me. Maybe it was quarantine, maybe it is that the kids are older and able to make their own breakfast, but I got back into hobbies (Blog: Hobby Time). 

I love cars but I have always put everything else first. My work, house projects, consulting projects, my volunteer commitments and yes of course my family. So that meant hobbies fell 6th, 8th... or completely off the radar. This was my year to reclaim it all, and yes kids come first, but we got the Z on the track this year, I am completing my Hot Wheels collection, and yes, I am back in the auto shop. 

I love cars... So why was it scary to enter the shop again? I felt like I failed each semester that went by and I didn't finish my degree. I felt what it was like for a working parent, trying to take classes, juggle kids, work.... and I failed. I needed to get back in there and do it. 

I love cars... and finally that love was more than my fear. I honestly don't know much about working on cars, I know a rotor and caliper, and I can change brake pads... but I have no idea how the brake booster works, or how the vacuum works in the engine or why I can't stop my dang Z from burning so much oil (ha). I don't like being in places where I don't know, it is humbling asking for help, with either the cylinder compression test tool, or the online learning modules (I swear I think its different on my Mac, I still can't get right). 

I love cars, I am excited, and nervous and anxious, but here we go. Wish me luck, I remember how proud my Grandpa Harold was when I told him I was taking a shop class (he was a mechanic and owned a garage), I am sad he won't see me graduate. Yeah I got to get this done, maybe just for me, maybe for Grandpa, but for sure for my kids, so they know their dad isn't a quitter.