Hey Brent..... You're not an idiot Bud....... everyone here who has ever turned a wrinch has done something stupid at least once..... so you're in good company.
The good thing is you have found out your own mistake and are now heading in the right directon once again. Don't let the bumps in the road get the best of you. When something I'm doing seems to be going the wrong way dispite my best efforts to make it right, I find walking away from it for a few hours or more, and going back at it with a fresh attitude seems to help. You'd be surprised how many times the answer has come to me while I'm off doing something else.
Good luck with the rest of the rebuild.
- Jim -