I'm married to a military man. If that weren't enough, he is an infantry man. This quite logically means we are prepared for anything; natural disasters, governmental collapse, riots in the streets, and yes even a zombie Apocalypse (another post for another time). I try my hardest to contain the testosterone in the only room that can handle the intensity; the man cave. This room was "decorated" by the man himself as I tried my very hardest to let him mark his territory as he saw fit. Notice I said "tried." I did try. Really. I eventually persuaded him to move the furniture around so it fit the room a little better... but other than that, I pretty much left it alone. The collections of randomly placed stuff, mixed with military gear, awards, and antiques have morphed into a sort cluttered, dusty, monument to "the good life" (for everyone but the axis buck mounted on the wall I suppose...).
After watching a movie up there one evening, my husband looked around and randomly said he would like to paint the room and make it look nicer. I admit it. I saw the opportunity to control the man cave and I took it.
So we struck a deal: We would paint the man cave if I had full authority to redecorate the room as I saw fit.
The fine print for husband: All decor must stay as designed for at least two weeks before he can veto it
AND fine print for wife: Nothing that is already in the room can leave the room.
So I began to plot plan. I had a Monday off and we drove to Ohio to go to IKEA. I already had a wall shelf and expedite shelf picked out and despite Ronnie's hesitation, he agreed to buy without questioning. I had another day off on Wednesday so I insisted on painting the room on Tuesday night so I could spend all of Wednesday getting things put together. (Side note: I HATE lingering projects. If we were going to do this, we were going to do it ALL NOW.)
The result was a fresh and classy room with creative storage solutions for all the memorabilia my military man could possibly have (for now anyways). Bonus- Hubby loves it, too! He said that he had his doubts but he loves the way it turned out.
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| During the chaos |
It may seem like such a simple thing, but I feel incredibly blessed to have a place where I belong. I've moved around a lot over the last ten years or so. I've seen a lot of places, met some amazing people, and have had adventures and memories you wouldn't believe. But since settling in Indy again two years ago, I finally feel like I have a place where I belong. For the first time in a long time, I have a close knit group of friends who I can call and lean on in good times and bad. We found a home church where we can grow and connect in ways I never imagined. I have a job that, despite it's leadership, I love and feel like I am good at. My family lives right up the road and I see them often. And I am married to my best friend and we have our little fur babies that are just so much fun and bring so much life to our home. I am cherishing these times because I know that life moves in seasons and that this one is particularly sweet.
