So a few days before our 17th wedding anniversary my husband asked me what I wanted. The answer came without hesitation. "A commode!" (Okay, so what I really said was a toilet, but doesn't commode sound so much better?). Back in August when we started looking for a home I had three search chriteria that were pretty much deal breakers. 3 Bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 1700 square feet. If I got an extra bathroom or some more square feet or happened to sqeeze in an extra bedroom, all the better. But seriously with 5 members in our family at least two bathrooms was a must. The ordeal and ups and downs of our search for the perfect starter house is a story for another day. Let's just say what we settled on actually came with two and a half baths! Hooray for 3 commodes! The only problem is that two of them had to be removed to while we pulled out carpet (yes, you read right, carpet in the bathroom) and decades old vinyl tile. The old floors came out and the new went in. They look fantastic. But for some reason, those commodes never made it back to their homes. Our one working bathroom is upstairs. Our current sleeping quarters are downstairs. 25 stairs, in the middle of the night, plus a spastic bladder, not fun. So for me there really was only one answer to what I wanted for my anniversary...a commode. I found one at Costco. A bargain with dual flush technology no less! (Think about it).
Of course the saga doesn't end there. First we had to install the baseboards. But before we could install the baseboards we had to replace the missing door casing. Then we had to paint the walls. While I was taping off the baseboard I nudged the supply line for the toilet. It broke and started leaking. We had to replace it. Next we got to painting the walls (two coats). We were finally ready to install the toilet. I get the camera to document this momentous occasion...and another roadblock. The tile made the base too low. The wax seal wouldn't seal. [expletive deleted]. We had to get an extension for the closet flange. Extension installed. Oh dear, the closet bolts arent long enough. Back to the home improvement store for the fourth time. New wax seal purchased. Closet bolts purchased. Finally ready to dry fit...and now we discover the toilet isn't level. (Seriously? Seriously!) It will need to be shimmed. Oh look, the supply line is leaking. Fix supply line. Paint damaged baseboard. Install new wax seal. Shim toilet.
Finally, finally the commode is installed. I'm all about doing our part to help protect the environment for future generations. And hopefully the novelty of the dual flush technology will actually help my kids to remember to flush. But for me, the dual flush just means finally having that second bathroom to use. Especially in the middle of the night!
