My Husband, the Builder

With essentially two weeks off for Christmas vacation, Nick feared idle time that might inspire me to request his presence next to mine on a beach chair, laying very still as the sun kissed our bodies...
I believe all Reis men think sitting still mirrors that of eternal hell... which is why we love them so much!


Nick's mind works feverishly even when he sleeps and before the sun set afterwork at the start of his Christmas vacation, Nick had already purchased materials to build a bookcase for our home. Let me first say, the man is brilliant. His mathematical mind spit numbers and angles onto sketch paper quicker than a machine. I peered over his shoulder, but his measurements and calculations all but jeered at my failure to understand the final product. 


I followed Nicholas around Home Depot as we filled our cart with screws and wood and molding and plugs and other Home Depot-y things. For me, the small parts elicited something similar to post-traumatic stress as I remembered the hellacious desk project from October. Zen breathing and inwardly reminding myself that this was Nick's project seemed to combat my desire to run from Home Depot, leaving all the parts and pieces in the cart somewhere in aisle 14. 


As soon as we arrived home, Nick organized his tools in the garage to begin his project. Pausing only for dinner, Nick worked into the night to finish the outline of the bookcase. Standing just over 4ft in height, it would be the perfect first-project, especially since we had a chest and three boxes worth of books that needed a home. 


Within three days, Nick not only finished the bookcase, but stained it and added decorative leaf molding to the outside. Three days. Didn't it take me three days to build the desk? Why yes, yes it did. And the desk draws didn't open. And I cursed the desk's existence. But albeit, Nick finished the desk completely in three days. We waited until the Wags hopped on his plane back to Connecticut before we shifted the guest bedroom to fit the bookcase in the corner, and there it now stands, holding about 1/8 of our books (oh c'mon, no bookcase would adequate fit ALL our books; we're nerds!), beautifully accenting our office / guest area.

Ah, but he didn't stop there. I told you! It only took three days!


After Wags' departure, Nick and I discussed prospective next projects. Without hesitation, we decided on a stand of our tv/cable box/and blueray player. While I was able to semi-visualize the bookcase (hey, it was a bookcase after all), Nick pushed the limits of his imagination to engineer something far more interesting for our tv stand. What did I know about it? I knew it was going to fit in the corner, and I knew we were staining it black. Nick tried to explain the shape and concept to me, but to no avail. After a lunch date with my mom and Grams one afternoon, Nick detoured to Home Depot again, this time without me. He chose his pieces and his brand new miter saw (wtf is a miter saw? All I know is that it cuts up to 10-inches into piece of wood ... and it's very loud). 


This time, within two days, Nick and finished the tv stand, and toward the end, there, I was even his assistant while he put together and bolted in the final pieces. 


Your guess is as good as mine as to what project will be started next. MLK weekend is potentially 4-days off, which, given the previous two projects, gives Nick ample time to complete another project! For your facebook friendly bloggers, there's a photo album on my page that will perpetually document Nick's projects. Until then, your warm suggestions are welcome.


Hey, I love having a creative and handy husband !!