The Saga Continues....

If you read my post yesterday, you know that my family spent it's Friday night trying to build a long-forgotten home gym.  We put a good bit of it together until we discovered that we did not have all the nuts and bolts.  So my bright idea on Saturday morning was to order the missing parts from Home Depot.  Here is how the saga continues...

After writing my post yesterday, I did a precursory look of Home Depot's website and they seemed to have what I needed.  When my husband finally came downstairs after sleeping in late, I presented my idea. He had thought the same thing, so I went back on the website and ordered everything but two carriage bolts.  I figured I could ask the people at the store as they are always so helpful.

We jumped in the car for our outing for the day and headed for Home Depot.  Well, much to our surprise the line is out the door and weaves around to the side of the store.  We get closer and realize they are restricting who can go in.  I suggest that we call the store, surely since I ordered and paid, they have a separate line or can bring it to my car.... nope! I have to stand in that line.  We decide we do not want to stand in line with all the pollen that is in the air.  I call Ace Hardware which is a smaller store and they are open.  We head there, after what felt like FOREVER, we found what we thought were all the nuts, bolts and screws and headed home.

We woke the youngest teenager and got to work.  It was probably 12:30.  We quickly discovered that one of the carriage bolts was wrong, but we pressed on with what we have thinking that we would wait until we needed more.  Soon enough we discovered other things that we need and decided to make another run.  This time my oldest and I go off to hunt for these last things.  Well, we find what we think is right but once we get home.... still wrong. At this point, it is around 3:30, and we are all over it... but we press on.  The teenagers go to the store this time, so much for social distancing., and come back with what they absolutely believe is right...ah, no it's not!  Being teenagers, they did not listen to the part about taking the screw with you so that you can be sure the nut fits.  So, back to the store they go.  Three phone calls later, they come back with the right stuff. 

It's about 4:30 in the afternoon, and we have been at this all day.  Good news is the gym is assembled bad news is we have the pully system to put together.  We stare at the stupid directions again, marvel at how these pictures actually represent anything and press on.  My husband takes a break to grill dinner and the boys and I decide we are going to work on one side.   I start to see the picture in my mind how it is supposed to go and work backwards from the drawing.  FINALLY, after we break for dinner and my husband comes back, we get it to work... we think. Nope, something is wrong and we have to figure that out.  We do in pretty short order and have one side that works.  Yeah us!

It's probably around 6:30 at this point and we have the hardest side to go.  My husband has gotten the bottom portion correct and needs a break... he can't see how the top is going to work and he is DONE.  I look at it backwards again... and my oldest and I go to work undoing things and reworking the pully system.  After his much-needed break, my husband is back and he can see what I envision and we complete the pully system! Yeah us.... we think until we try and attach the one last piece and it won't reach! Somehow, somewhere something is wrong!

It is around 8PM now, we have been at this almost all day except for a dinner break.  Noone can figure this out and we are tired...all our creative juices have been exhausted.  We decide we will give it a rest and look at it tomorrow.  Hopefully, today we will figure out the last little bit quicker and we will not spend the day wrestling with the last pully.  All I know is that everyone better use this machine!