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Writer's pictureLynn Abbott

The Tortoise and the Hare...


A Short-lived Before and After: photos tell the story of strength found in differences.


Travel has certainly defined our lives. If you have known us for any length of time, you have observed this.


My husband, in fact, proposed marriage by simply asking me if I would like to travel to Switzerland with him. When I suggested that my conservative father might object, my future husband simply responded, "Oh, I mean for you to travel as 'Mrs. Abbott.'"


And that settled it.


Not many years after we were married,we decided to leave our U.S. based lives behind and move to Great Britain.


I had already discovered that my husband made decisions quickly and that he moved at lightening speed. In fact, I had dubbed him "the energizer bunny."


Thus, it didn't surprise or unnerve me on one particular Saturday morning when my husband urged me to hurry to the London tube. After all, if we were to make the most of that unseasonably sunny day, we must get an early start.


So off we dashed, or rather my husband hurried. I panted along behind him.


I had a few moments to catch my breath after we jumped a train headed for the city. But once the train stopped, my husband sprang to check the arrival boards. Minutes later, I caught up.


"If we run, we can catch the next tube to Oxford Street," he cried.


And he was off again. I collapsed in the seat next to him on the appropriate train five minutes later; I thanked God for an opportunity to slow down. But my relief was short lived.


The doors opened to the familiar warning," Mind the Gap," and the hare disappeared into the crowd, darting up the escalator . . .I toddled along behind. When we emerged from our London hole, he looked around for the nearest tea shop. "I'm tired," he admitted, "let's stop for something to eat."


I agreed, and gratefully nibbled on scones and swallowed my English tea. I felt rejuvenated, and ready to tackle the business of the city. My husband, however, had had enough.


"Let's go home, " he suggested.


It was 1 pm, and I protested, "But we've only just arrived!"


I turned, but he was already on the move.

And that's how it is. He perpetually jettisons through hyperspace.

You might even say that I'm the tortoise and he's the hare. Slow and methodical in all that I do; I believe that well-laid plans and proper procedures are prerequisite for completing every task.


It shouldn't surprise you, then, that our different approaches have certainly impacted our renovation. However, despite our differences, we have both learned to give one another plenty of space and grace to "do our thang."


And that is how my husband came to repaint all of the cabinets in the RV BEFORE I decided that we should completely gut the interior.


The Hare's Approach to Reno...


Call the repainting a trial run. After all, "The Energizer Bunny" likes to get a hand-on feel for how a renovation will look. For this reason, he completes multiple rough drafts before settling on a final plan.


On the other hand, I tend to plan and plot my progress ahead of time so as to expend as little effort as possible and to take the most direct route to the finish line. Yup. I'm definitely the Tortoise.


With this in mind, the photos I'm sharing today will make sense to you. These photos show the beauty of my husband's reno "rough draft." With his usual speed, Tim transformed the interior of our fixer-upper with paint.


The Tortoise Arrives on the Scene...


But having done so, we then, talked with one of our closest, long-time friends who just happens to own a custom cabinetry business. We only intended to talk with our friend about adapting a cabinet to fit a farmhouse sink.


Renovation fever, however, spread. Our friend caught the "bug" and thus, encouraged us to abandon the original, albeit repainted, cabinets.


We have now completely gutted the vehicle as per my vision. Currently, our RV is a truly a demolition mess. And yet, there is hope. The repainted cabinets are a thing of the past


and custom cabinets are now underway. Indeed, my husband has assisted our friend with some of the work. But let's face it, "Mr. Energizer Bunny" has had other RV reno fish to fry.

Soo, I'd like to say a HUGE thank you as well as give a major shout out to our amazingly talented friend, Russ, who is currently completing the redesign and build of the new cabinets.


Needless to say, I know that not everyone has the option of redesigning their cabinets or of stripping their RVs down to bare bones. For this reason, I thought it would be fun to share pictures of the original "repainting" since that actually did make an enormous difference in the RV's appearance.


Without a doubt, rough drafts do have their benefits...especially when you blog about it. And for this reason among many, I'm incredibly thankful for my "energizer bunny."



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