Survey Says....

So rumor has it that you can't just call somebody & order up a house like you can a Big Mac & Fries....you have to know things like elevation, drops and slopes so that you don't walk uphill in your basement & have things slide off cabinets and shelves in the pantry or fall off toilets when you're taking care of business! (YIKES!!!) So the other night Mr. SmartDude Daddy taught us a surveying lesson.

Karlee had her assignment (holding the survey rod) and I had mine (writing down the measurements & taking photos---documentation I tell you, documentation! hee hee)

So he looked this way (West).......

and experienced the pretty little summertime view that I'll be having next summer out my front door.

And then SmartDude Daddy did some of this....he does a lot of this, and in fact, I like it when he does this because I know all sorts of very interesting things are happening in that nicely bronzed noggin of his.....
And then things start to fall into place and I see 2 of my favorite things....that determined look that tells me while he was thinking he got his information and now he's moving forward in that direction. I love a determined man! (As long as it doesn't interfere with the direction I'm going or want him to go! hee hee)...

And that hand--- in that shape! It's a personal thing that I don't expect anyone else to understand, but when we were first married and he would hold his hand like this to keep his wedding band from falling off of his skinny little fingers & I loved that he was trying to safeguard this symbol of love & committment. I love that he has continued to value our marriage in that same way. I love this man!

(I know, I'm gushing WAAAAY too much WAAAAY too early, but I'm an old woman now, so you have to indulge me on my birthday! hee hee)

And he saw this beautiful Eastern view I will have first thing in the morning! Lovin' on those mountains. Sure wish all of those little trees in the foreground could stay, but that's where my bedroom will be.

So all of this talk and all of this looking got Karlee aka "Rodgirl" completely bored! So she chewed on a little rye & practiced up for the watermelon seed spitting contest that sometimes happens at family reunions and such.....

And she studied the houseplans a bit. Every once in awhile I noticed that she seemed to be VERY intent on something at the bottom of the plans and she'd zoom in really close to look at it.....Now this is where my ego took over because I'm thinking that since I did the plans she must really be loving how I did her bedroom which is near the bottom of those plans .....My heart began to swell with deep pride..."Oh, that's my girl! You like it! You appreciate me! Oh Thank you my darling!...."

But you know what they say about pride going before the fall.....

MY HEART FALLS! WAIT!!! That sneaky bugger! She's not studying plans at all! She's doing what teenage girls do at 14 years old when they're bored.....

TEXTING! SHE WAS TEXTING!!!!!

SHE WAS SO BUSTED!!!!!!

And OH YEAH! She totally doesn't care! Look at that grin...that beautiful grin! Dang! She's cute....but she's got work to do! Put that cellphone away Rodgirl....you need to pay attention!

Because you never know when you're gonna get trapped behind an electric fence & need that SweetDaddyDude to come & rescue you!

Ok.....next.....It's my birthday & we are going to celebrate by checking out some sweet cabinets & a little lunch at Macaroni Grill! *SLURP*

How Neighborly of You!

For the last week, every extra minute that Darren's had he's been doing this:

Digging up old cedar posts! There were about 60 of them! It's very, very hard work.....

First you have to dig around it & wiggle it a bit....

And then you have to hug it and tell it good-bye....

NO! Of course not....you throw a choke hold on it & you try & yank it out of the ground...

But these old posts have been here longer than we have been here on Earth & they're stubborn...They want to stay here! So you have to use "creative leverage" with your shovel....

And sometimes you have to get REAL creative & use your......well, let's just say that Darren wants it on record that he's using his head and his butt, but they are not one and the same! hee hee (And yes, honey, I agree!)....
But Alas! SUCCESS!! LOOK at that "Root"....ok, I know it's not really a root, but what do you call it?!

After all this hard work, I'll bet you just want a good cold drink, huh? Well, bad news....this doesn't work anymore! But....

GOOD NEWS!!!! REINFORCEMENTS!!!!

Our great neighbor, Mike B. notices that we are pulling posts and offers to bring his backhoe over and pull them out with a chain on that bucket...



And Even Better News, He brought his strong young sons! Oh, they were Awesome! Thanks Robert & Paul!

And *THIS* strapping young son of mine is VERY excited because that means less time out in the weeds that make his eyes go puffy & his nose run & his body feel all sorts of yucky!

Seriously though: What this all translated into is this: What that backhoe (and helpers) did in 10 minutes saved at least 5 hours of HARD labor! I'll be making cookies or brownies for them VERY SOON! Thanks again Neighbor!

Houston....Address Unknown

So when we first took this big ol' leap of faith we made a decision that we weren't going to do it with eyes clamped shut, we were going to keep them wide open looking for alligators, snakes & rats that could bite us in the tushies when we landed. We also were on the lookout for branches, rings or anything else we could snatch onto in case we needed to create a pause in our big ol' leap.

So the other day we heard some pretty scary warnings about a pretty major player in this "Build a House" game. We decided to call a time out and approach the mound, ask a few questions & either proceed in the same direction or call out a different player to replace them.

Yesterday we approached this player. Honestly, I was a bit scared to do this (I hate confrontation, what if there's screaming involved, or hitting or spitting or worse!-NO MORE HOUSE DREAM!). But I had a secret weapon....a silent partner....a brilliant strategist who knows his stuff---my hubby! He approached it like a pro, asked intelligent questions, asked for documentations & all things necessary for him to review the situation & make a decision.

And that's where we are now....We are reviewing. (Perhaps I need to review my overuse, misuse & the appropriate meshing of metaphors while I'm at it! hee hee) We are making a decision & we are proceeding with the next phase....Bid Gathering!

We hope to close on the construction loan by next Friday & then to celebrate....
We're gonna dig a BIG HOLE & pour some cement in it! YAY!!!!!