Yard Crashers!

(Optional Post Title: My husband, the Hero)

We hated out back yard.  It was non-functional and ugly.  Some decent grass, a few pathetic plants the builders put in, and a whole lot of weeds and nothingness.  We never ate or played out there; it was just a wasteland. 

For the last couple of years, we talked about putting a patio in, but never got serious about it.  Then, this spring, Taylor said, "I think we should really do the patio this year."

A few weeks later, I began planning Jessie's baby shower.  I really wanted a garden party.  I thought at first of using my parents' ranch, but the logistics for that were pretty crazy.  Taylor was in China at the time, and one night during one of our skype sessions, I proposed: "How about getting that patio in by June 23rd?!"  Taylor didn't hesitate to agree.   I love him.

At first we thought we'd hire some friends who do work like that with pavers.  But once we found out what they charge, we decided to do it ourselves.  (Read: we decided to have Taylor do it himself.)

It was an immense amount of work, and I was so impressed with Taylor's know-how, physical strength,  and commitment to the project.  Because we took a week off to go to Utah for Grandma's funeral, he really had to push it in the last week.

Here's basically how it went down:

1. Lawn Excavation

(The remaining lawn took quite a beating in the process, but it is coming back!)

2. Gravel

3. Leveled Sand and Pavers

4. Landscaping

Want to know something cool?  Taylor learned every bit of the process from HGTV, and especially DIY's Yard Crashers.  See?  TV has value.

I think the best part was watching the landscaping go in.  It was Saturday morning, just hours before the baby shower, and Taylor drove the truck up, absolutely stuffed to capacity with trees and bushes.  He got it all in the ground and mulched just in time for the shower.  Which, I kid you not, got rained out.  (Next blog post: How to Host an Indoor Garden Party.)

Terribly ironic, huh?  But now we have a patio.  I can't wait to furnish it and live out there all summer!  (Don't you worry, Taylor is going to build the patio table.  Because he's manly like that.)

I can't even begin to say how cool I think my husband is and how much it meant to me that he was up early in the morning, and working past dark every night (working around his work schedule and triathalon training!) to get this project done.  Here's what he's getting for his upcoming birthday:  a massage. 

(Big shout out to all of Taylor's help: brother Tanner and his kids (Katie was an absolute animal hauling pavers!), Tanner Shumway, Jake Morris, Matt Lake, cousin Nate.  Thanks for being our Yard Crashers crew!)