A very sunny, warm and spring-like day in Florida, and a large heat pump running day and night has prompted a much-awaited plunge in the new pool. See our pictures for the latest update. I 'll bet you wish you lived in Florida! The temperature outside was 76 degrees and the pool water was 81 degrees. I think we're going to like this. The biggest part is now left to be done --- the completely demolished back yard. We've really got a lot of landscaping to do. I guess our weekends will be tied up for the rest of the year!

I guess you've wondered where I've been for the past few months. I've just been extremely busy with work, and have not had the time or brain power to write my blog.

We've had a quiet, but very nice Christmas this year, and Santa was very good to us. I'm posting new pictures of our pool project. We finally have it filled with water and are trying to get the ph balanced. We still have a great deal of work to do on the yard, but that will take us a few weeks or maybe months to finish it the way we want it to look.

Let us know what you think.

More Progress

Here are more pictures of the pool progress. I think I can really imagine water in it now.

More information and pictures on the pool. The process is moving along, but we still don't know how much longer until we can actually swim. If we're lucky, the weather will be warm at Thanksgiving, and we can enjoy an afternoon swim to work off all that turkey. Here are the latest pictures. If you're coming home for Thanksgiving, remember to bring your swimsuit.

Pool Update

Just wanted to update everybody on the pool progress. Here's a few pictures of what our yard looks like......I'll post more as the progress continues.

You should see Zack when he goes out in the back yard. He doesn't understand why there's such a BIG hole in his yard.

Mama, open the door!!!!!

Whenever I read the blogs of each of my "grown" children now, and experience just a little bit of their times of joy and times of frustration while rearing their own children, it always brings back some rare, unique, funny, exasperating, or embarrassing experience that each one of them managed to share with me through the years. The time that comes immediately to mind is the comical -- and scary story-- of "Brian and the Elevator".

I have had a recent request to tell the story about Brian and the elevator. It was a long time ago when he was about 2 years old. I had gone to the Mall to do some shopping before it was time to pick up Melissa from kindergarten. I was really in a hurry, but Brian saw the elevator that you could "see" out of, and of couse, wanted to ride it. Once we got on, someone on the very top floor (at that time there was a 3rd floor with eating tables set up)must have pushed the button because the elevator went straight to the top, the doors opened, surprising Brian, and when the lady got on, he shot off right past everyone. Before I could push my way to the front of the passengers, the doors closed, separating me and Brian. I was PETRIFIED! All I could do was ride back down on the elevator, as there were no stairs to get to the upper deck, but, of course, the elevator stopped on each floor to take on passengers, and I started thinking I might never get back up to the 3rd floor. When the doors shut and Brian realized his Mama was not with him, he became frightened and began banging on the elevator doors and calling "Mama" at the top of his lungs! (You can imagine how that echoed in the mall.) Needless to say, once I finally did get back up to him, we had a very serious understanding about why he needed to hold onto my hand, and not go running out elevator doors all alone! This is just one example of life with Brian. I have other good stories I could tell you some other time -- just always be prepared if you are the mother of a boy.
September 10, 2007 7:32 PM

The Quest Continues

Just wanted to finally update the blog..

The swimming pool saga continues. We now have two estimates from well-known area pool companies, but plan to get about 2-3 more before we sign any contracts. Maybe by next summer we will finally have everything completed. We're all very excited about the prospects of having a nice, cool pool to jump into after a hard day at work, but at the same time, are not really looking forward to having the yard torn up and a bunch of machinery coming and going -- and Zack(our 80 lb. yellow lab) will go crazy every time he looks out the back door and sees a yard full of swimming pool installers.

I'm also not looking forward to walking him on the leash whenever he has to go out because our fence will be down. I guess I'll just have to keep the finished product in mind whenever Zack approaches my side of the bed - because he always comes to my side -- and whispers a soft, non-stop "whoof" ( his method of whispering) at 2:00 AM every night. If there's one thing I've learned about Labrador Retrievers over the years, it's that they are all quite persistent - or maybe I should say - insistent - at getting what they want. Even so, they're simply the best! Every family should experience the joys (and challenges) of owning a Lab.

All in all, I guess we'll survive all of the disruption, and be very pleased with our end result. At least, we'll have something that all the family can enjoy, and maybe our children and grandchildren will come to visit just a little more often!