Seriously. How do you guys with families, homes, jobs, hobbies, etc balance them all? I never realized how easy my life was until I bought a house and became engaged (don't get me wrong, I have NO regrets). Since we took possession of the house (about two weeks ago), my dad and I are have undertaken a major remodeling of the downstairs, prepped the master bedroom for paint, so my fiance and I can get started on that soon, traveled to Wilkes-Barre to haul furniture back, moved countless items back and forth to the new house, coordinated more wedding plans, WORKED (that's a biggie:D), cleaned and began resetting brick pavers in the patio, removed lbs of shrubs/trees from the landscaping, rebuilt brick steps, worked nights on grad class work, and THEN tried to get around to replacing the string on my bow. I've literally not shot my bow in over a month (last week of indoor leagues was it). My spring turkey season prep is non-existent. I've gone out to roost bird once. I haven't patterned my gun, my camo is STILL in the bin as I left it at the end of archery. I haven't practiced calling. I bought a flyrod (my LONG time goal), but doubt I will make it out until June if that. My hobbies have taken a full 100% halt. I don't even have kids, yet:d Part of it is that I can't just let projects at home go. I get started in three or four at once. I want everything to be perfect (I bit OCD) asap, but I know it's unrealistic, but I still do it. Ranting over. Oh, and yes I know I found time to post this message in my schedule, but it was my only break...I'm about to jump in the truck and head back to the house to start painting tonight Being an adult is tough
lol Matt I will tell you now it seems to never end. It will eventually slow a little once your caught up and you get the things you need done with the new house. Then the projects keep coming. You just put it on the list and go down the line. Just remember to make time for you in the schedule somewhere so you keep your sanity. It actually works quite nicely once you perfect it. To me there are few things that feel better than improving your home it is such a gratifying feeling. Time for your hobbies will eventually return but you will still have a to do list. Good luck my friend.
Know the feeling. For me it's all about time management. Pick off the tasks one by one. When you find yourself with a few hours to kill, get something that isn't time sensitive done. For me, it's hanging a stand or checking an area out, even when it's only April and I feel like sitting down at the CPU or couch for a well deserved break. Make hay when the sun shines sort of thing. You're lucky, I've got a future hunter showing up in July. I am already scheduling my baby sitters for the season.
LOL, I have been in my home now for 22 years...and there is always something that needs to be done, whether it's just painting a room or doing a major remodel. I want ot replace all of my flat panel doors with oak 6 panel doors...I already did 2, and got about 8 more to go, but with work being slow and the income cut in half, that may have to wait a little. I'ts always nice to do something yourself and see what you've accomplished !!!
Matt, when I built my house, this was my routine from July 2001 to July 2002 when I moved in (minus archery season). July started logging the property, work, logged, slept, work, logged, slept Aug, work, logged, slept, work, logged, slept. Sept, work, carried rocks, worked the property, slept, repeat Oct, work and hunted. :d Nov, work and hunted :d Dec, work, worked on the house, slept Jan, same as Dec and so on. I had nothing but work, work on the house and sleep. Other than archery season, I rarely if ever didn't work on the house but I have to tell you, I enjoy every bit of that sweat equity now! And so will you. Good luck and keep your head strong. It all pays off in the end.
One of the keys to a happy marriage right there! I always make sure time with Carie and Lily come first. I can plan hunting trips after we plan and budget for a family vacation. As far as the house goes, welcome to the joys of homeownership! I kept telling myself that while I was rebuilding the shower drain last week. we bought our current house 2 years ago. Its now 4 years old, so fairly new still. Its 2000 sq ft on 5 acres. That 5 acres was 2 1/2 acres of woods and what looked like 2 1/2 acres of CRP. Just totally overgrown. We now have a 3 acre lawn and 2 acres of wooods. Thank God for my small tractor! When we bought the place it didn't have a porch, just dirt right up to the door. The folks that built it ran out of money. We have a nice porch now. The list goes on. Carie and I would like things to be perfect as well. We know that the reality is this, we can't do it all at once or even try to if we want to enjoy living there. Pace yourself, you have plenty of time. We have found that scheduling time for recreation is just as important, or more so, as getting everthing "just right".
Wa-wa-wa ~ ha-ha, welcome to the real world. Congrats and good luck!!! I still remember one of my YOUNG hunting buddies, 11 years younger, flipping out because I haven't washed my truck in 1 year. Guess what? His truck is now very dirty also, since having his daughter ~ funny stuff!!!
family and adult responsibilities have curtailed ALL my hobbies except playing the guitar (since I can do that in my bedroom)... money and time are at a definite premium these days... I'm in process of finishing off my basement (long ways to go!!), last couple years have been about doin stuff with the kids, coaching football, takin the boys to archery range (closest thing I get to hunting most of the time), landscaping projects, etc... ya it sucks, but i wouldn't trade it for the world...
LOL... well... uh... I'm probably not the right guy to ask about that. :D I've never had a wife or a kid, the only thing I do have is a house but my remodel is 99% complete. So, if you figure it out... let me know cuz I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need some help!!
Biggest piece of advice I can pass along is that you've got to prioritize... I figured this out a long time ago: "I can do ANYTHING I want; I just can't do EVERYTHING I want." There's a LOT of truth in that if you stop to think about it. You've just got to decide what's MOST important to you.
