A Home with Time in it

Let me introduce us. I’m Bob, and this is my wife and best friend, Michelle.

Michelle and I enjoying Estonia on our Baltic Cruise.

We met back in 1997 at my brother’s wedding. Michelle was a bridesmaid; I was a groomsman. We spent most of the day trading those small, unmistakable glances that say, “I think I’d like to know you.”

Later that night, I worked up the courage to ask for her phone number.

She smiled and said, “You don’t have a pen. Just call Becki later.”(Becki was the bride — my brother’s new wife.)

But I barely knew Becki, and I knew if I waited, I might lose my chance. So I grabbed the giant feather pen from the guest book and said, “I’ve got one now.”

Michelle laughed — the kind of laugh that says she already knew where this was going. She tried to wave it off, but I kept at it, and eventually, she wrote down her number.

And that was the beginning.

A New Season of Life

We’ve lived a full life together — raising our family, building our careers, doing all the things that fill the calendar but don’t always leave space to reflect on what matters.

After 29 years in law enforcement, I retired. Michelle followed shortly after. We had planned for early retirement since the beginning — living simply to buy our time back later.

And for the first time, we found ourselves with something we hadn’t really had before:

Time.

We took road trips. We followed the Detroit Tigers to away games. We took an 11-day Baltic Sea cruise we’d always talked about. And somewhere along the way, we realized something meaningful:

We really enjoy being together — without rushing, without schedules, without the noise.

Making Space for Creativity

Even with travel, there were long stretches of quiet. And during that time, a familiar interest resurfaced.

Years ago, I fell into the YouTube rabbit hole of furniture refinishing. I loved watching old, overlooked pieces become something beautiful. So I tried it myself — first a small table we still have, then a set of end tables that eventually sold.

But something never matched what I saw online.

Influencers often say things like:

“Watch me turn this $40 dresser from Goodwill into a $1,000 piece in just four hours!”

Meanwhile, I was four days in and hadn’t even started painting yet.

I thought I must be doing something wrong.

Then I saw an influencer admit that she no longer flipped furniture for income. Her income came from making videos about flipping furniture.

And it clicked:

There are two different worlds here:

• The world of refinishing furniture

• The world of creating content

You can do either. Doing both well is very hard. And nobody is restoring quality furniture in four hours.

So I stopped trying to rush. I decided to actually enjoy the work.

I don’t sit and watch paint dry anymore hoping that my stare makes it go faster. I go inside, sip coffee, talk with Michelle, write, take a walk, breathe.

And when a piece is finished, sharing it feels good. Not for likes — but because it’s something we made.

What Thin Line 29 Means to Us

People sometimes ask whether you can make a living flipping furniture.

My honest answer?

Not if you want to do it with care.

But this work does something just as valuable:

• It keeps us active.

• It keeps us creative.

• It funds our adventures.

• It gives us purpose together.

• It fills our home with warmth, not hurry.

Thin Line 29 isn’t just furniture.

It’s a reminder:

Life doesn’t have to be rushed. There is beauty in taking your time. There is joy in bringing things back to life slowly, with attention and care.

We’re grateful to be in this chapter. And grateful you’re here, sharing a piece of it with us.

We’re Bob & Michelle — restoring pieces with history and learning to enjoy the gift of time.