Some People Do Home Improvement
Others call someone when they need a lightbulb changed--which is exactly what I had to do yesterday. Our apartment is in a converted 19th century mill building with very high ceilings, and maintenance had to come with a ladder to change the bulbs. It's a regular part of the services they provide.
Still, it felt weird. I come from a do-it-yourself, working-class family. When my mother's bathroom needed remodeling, my sister and I stripped the wallpaper, mitered and installed new molding, re-tiled the shower and painted. In the kitchen, we ripped up the carpet (yes, carpet!) that the old homeowner had put down, and installed a new sub-floor. As far as I know, my mother's only hired contractors twice, and each time her homeowner's insurance covered the repairs.
On the other hand, our living in a building like this is definitely a good thing. We have so many projects under way right now that our apartment looks like a war room. (And we took such care to decorate it when we moved in a few months ago!) We'd be totally lost if we had a lawn to mow, or a furnace to fix--or, say, a wedding to plan.
Fortunately, we still have a few months before any real decisions need to be made on that score, and S.'s mother, who's already done this twice, is itching to do it again. She's an exceptionally talented visual artist, has great taste, and is a wonderful, wonderful mother-in-law, so in all likelihood we'll give her free reign to do as she pleases. There are a few things we'd like to decide for ourselves--mostly regarding the ceremony--but otherwise wedding planning just isn't something that interests either of us.
I actually met S.'s parents for the first time at his eldest sister's wedding, and there's a really funny story connected with that. But later...
