Creating our sanctuary

When my wife and I bought our house about three and a half years ago all I could think about was the amount of time and money the yard was going to need. It was basically dead grass, overgrown juniper bushes and a collection of weeds. My wife could envision what it could be with a little sweat equity, a beautiful sanctuary for us and a great play area for the girls. I could not! While I do love working out in the yard, this was going to be a monster job, the likes of which we have never seen before. Could we really make this pile of crap look not only decent, but nice enough that we would want to spend any time out there at all? Would our marriage survive the constant back and forth I knew we were going to be dealing with? How will I convince a woman that believes she will be able to make a bed frame for us someday (it's true, but that is a story for another day), into just hiring out the work we want done so I can enjoy my summers like any American Dad should?

I could see no suitable answers for myself, so I just had to live with the fact that I would be spending most of my summer, and a fair amount of cash, fixing up this goat pasture we just bought. Damn, my golf game is really going to suffer, and forget about those spontaneous 3-day weekend trips....oh, and my back, my poor aching back. How am I going to get through this and still be able smile at the end of the day?

That was three and a half years ago. Last night my wife and I enjoyed a glass of wine on our back deck and we both agree we have the sanctuary in place, with only a few more items to take care of. I love it. Somehow we managed to share common design ideas and not bicker about our different opinions. While some of the work was hard, we made it fun and involved the whole family. We took each project one step at a time, always looking ahead to the final product and never rushing to fast to just get it done now. I don't know when my wife became one with the force and starting using her Jedi mind tricks on me, but some how she got me to buy into her vision without much fuss or fight.

So this summer there are a couple more things we want to do, but I think I'll get to relax and enjoy more this summer than I have the previous three. So pass me a beer and turn on the Jimmy Buffett!

PEACE OUT DADS!!!

Monday thoughts

It's Monday and I don't have one central idea for my post today so I thought I'd just jot down some random thoughts I have....enjoy.

1. There are few things I enjoy more than warm, sunny days and working in the yard with my family. There is something so therapeutic about it....it's better than a day at the spa in my opinion.

2. Two birthday parties in one day is just about one to many for any kid to attend. Besides having to rework your entire schedule to make things go smoothly, you inevitably have to deal with an exhausted kid who will break down at the smallest thing.

3. Making breakfast is something even the most culinary challenge father can do. I was able to multitask a grand meal on Sunday morning that not only was filling, but I think tasted pretty darn good too.

4. Justin Timberlake is very talented. I almost feel guilty saying that, as a 38 year old male...but you gotta give this guy some props. He hosted SNL this past weekend, for the 3rd time, and he hit it out of the park again. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I may have a small man crush on him...what, forget that part...just keep reading and pretend you didn't read that part.

5. I think my girls and I gave my wife a perfect Mother's Day. She does more for me and our family than I could possibly list and deserves so much in return. I hope she knows how much the girls and I appreciate her.

Enjoy your Monday everyone.

PEACE OUT DADS!!!

Day off...sort of

Today the school district is closed, no classes at all. So I go from part-time-stay-at-home status to full-time-stay-at-home status. Lucky for me the weather here where we live is going to be perfect and I already have an afternoon play date planned here for my girls (and if you read my blog you know how I love the play date!).

I will spend the better part of this day removing sod from my yard. Not the way I would dream of spending my full day at home, but it is the next big project that needs attention and I won't have a better opportunity to get it done. It's funny because when we bought this house we totally re-worked the yard and grew a lot of grass and since then we have slowly removed parts of the grass in favor of more garden area. If you have never removed grass before I only have two words for you...SOD REMOVER (pictured above). This machine will not only remove your unwanted grass, but will also provide you a great upper body workout. I've used one of these machines in the past and I'm not sure who was driving who.

So enjoy your Friday and have a great weekend.

PEACE OUT DADS!!!