It's not the same thing, but I had a sick stomach for about a week before I told my last employer that I was going on my own. Not because I was afraid to face him-- he was a jerk. But because I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not. Heck, I prayed on it for a few weeks, and it was really strange and terrific at the same time. When I prayed about it, I asked for some kind of sign-- one that there'd be no question in my mind as to where it came from-- something I'd recognise. At the time, one of my favorite tv shows was Touched By an Angel, and for those of you who used to watch it, will understand this. When I finally made the decision, I went down to the showroom this one particular saturday to talk to my boss. When I got there, he was out but would be returning in an hour or so, so I decided to wait. While I was outside leaning on my truck and talking to my wife (with my heart in my throat!), a pure white dove came and landed about 3 feet away from me. Everywhere I moved, he'd watch me. I bent down and held my hand out, and he backed away, but as soon as I stood back up again, he returned to where he'd been. When my boss drove in, he flew up into a nearby tree and waited there, and when I came out afterward, he was still there. I looked up, he "cooed", and then flew off.

I'd say my prayer was granted. :-)

Whoa, Bill! (and in case you didn't catch my note of thanks for your advice on the downstairs bath, its on your own personal thread :-).

I love to hear personal testimonies like this - and I was indeed a TBAA fan. It takes courage to leave a work situation - but those who don't, risk missing things that really will work out well for them.

That being said, I think that this remodeling project, if nothing else, has been God's way of continuing to teach me managment and decision making skills. I still have to learn to "push the button" and finalize a decision more quickly. So I don't think I will be given a sign - just more skills, hopefully.

A great obsession-stopper is to give thanks for the opportunity to even be able to buy anything for a home project. Realigns one's perspective.

It's also been great to be able to interact with an interesting array of folk here on GW - and at the drop of a hat! Technology is recapturing the blessings of old timey neighborliness - without the disadvantages!

Well, thanks for the note.
Julie

You have to let yourself off the hook and allow yourself to make mistakes; use the 80/20 rule. You'll be right 80% of the time. When we built our home, I went through crazy phases , sleepless nights, you name it and I had to find a way to relieve the pressure. F... it, I told myself; if I'm wrong, I'll correct my mistake down the road. And I did.

bill, nice story; I do believe if you ask for signs, you'll get them....

Julie-- You're very welcome. Good luck with this remodel. It'll come together-- you'll see. :-)

mitchdesj-- amen to that!!

Julie, Been There (many times). That's a normal response when you're getting ready to drop wads on money on a project, especially if like most of us you don't have an unlimited budget. Sometimes I think the anticipation is the best and worst of a remodel, and you're absolutely right about honing your management and decision making skills. I relate completely to Bill's comment about wondering if he was doing the right thing since I tend to second guess myself horribly (especially in the beginning). I have learned a lot about making decisions and moving on to the next thing, or knowing when to chill out because some things are out of your control. Remodeling my bathroom was much easier because of what I learned on the kitchen, even though every situation has its differences. Mitch also has good advice about finding ways to relieve pressure! (For my bathroom remodel it was going in my kitchen and cooking.) I echo Bill's sentiment...Good luck with your project. You'll experience a host of emotions, and rolling with it is a roller coaster ride at times!

Bill, I love your white dove story. Courage and support comes in many forms and recognizing it is a gift.

WOW!! Talk about getting your prayers answered!! You HAVE to check this out over at the Kitchen Table Forum! There really are some good people in this world. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: A Cute Story, not mine

Bill,
So many times we forget to look around us. Your dove story is wonderful and very much who you are in helping us see beyond. Even though our sight leans towards the bath and kitchen side when interacting with you.

Queasy...I'm still in sticker shock and some buyers remorse on a washer/dryer. My son is probably tired of it by now, he keeps reminding me of all the reasons it "had" to be done.

Thanks, claire and emagineer. My latest nailbiter is the decision to go with tile for the kitchen instead of wood. Bill will think that's great! It will cost twice as much in labor (as going with a prefinished wood floor) and my town seems to be a "wood" town, as chispa pointed out on another forum.

But a friend opined that people would question why I changed wood color and why I put in a light floor, which a realtor I asked seconded. But matching the floor to the adjacent yellowish LR/DR oak would clash with the mandarin cherry cabinetry, I think, and spilling some scalding water from a pot lid onto the floor the other day served as a reminder of the advantages of tile.

Mitch, I just hope this decision (and choice of tile) will fall in the 80% range. Now what kind of sign could I ask for to know??? Perhaps the sign that it is too late to get wood in on time for my contractor's schedule at this point!

Well, I am getting pathological now! Thanks for listening ears! "Wood" that I were wiser!