Big changes are afoot!

Let me start at the beginning...

Here's what our yard used to look like:

I know, it's not pretty. We're going to change that.

Here's what it looked like this past summer (more photos to come):

Raised garden beds alongside our composter and our ugly 1950s chain link fencing.

And here's what it looks like right now:

4 out of 6 beds have been removed; the peppers and big tomatoes
(plus our pumpkin patch on the side of the house) are staying put until the last possible moment.

We're in the process of pulling up our beautiful, bountiful garden of raised beds to make room for an in-ground pool! Madness, I know! Let me explain.

In June, we were married after 6 short years of dating. Then within 6 weeks of the wedding:

• we found out that our 11 year old dog, Blue, had cancer (a hemangiosarcoma) - which he succumbed to after only 6 weeks


• we got the news that Eric's mother was diagnosed with a rare type of skin cancer (thankfully, she caught it early and her prognosis is excellent)


• my mother's house was broken into while she was upstairs sleeping with her big dog - neither of them heard anything - and her car was stolen! (It has since been recovered.)

So all of that sent us right into the mindset that life is simply too short. Enter: pool! (Sorry, garden. Don't worry - like The Terminator, you'll be back.)

I'm going to use this site to post photos of the pool construction, fence construction (to be done by Eric), and rebuilding of the garden, along with tales of my cooking adventures. (And with me - trust me - it's always an adventure when I step into the kitchen.) I've signed up for four cooking classes in the next 6 weeks (I'm on the wait list on one of the four) and I'm beyond excited about it!

This weekend we're going to be very busy. Not only will Eric begin constructing the fence and I'll be pulling up the rest of the plants in preparation for pool construction beginning on Wednesday, but I also have two good friends with birthdays to celebrate! I have a feeling I'll be back at work on Monday more tired than before the weekend began!