we put on our redneck hat for the day

I did this once before, just at a different location and we had such a blast! This time I even brought the Dominator and Matt with us! My friend Toniel loves to do all the things and she knows all the things that are to be done. So she found this tubing spot and brought the tubes and a bunch of friends and after I asked her about a hundred questions off we went! I mean, there was a floating cooler. In a tube. It was quite the deal. 

The kids were a little cautious at first... I mean I get it I don't like wet sneakers either but once they got settled in with their friends (and with us, as in Dom's case) they loved it! They got off their tubes too at some point and even swam and splashed around a bit. 

And I had a Coors Light. 

the “finished” pool

I say finished with quotations because we still have so much we want to do out here! Matt is currently building a play set that was started after I took these photos... and we want to make a little patio under the birch for our fire pit and Adirondack chairs... Matt needs to stain the exposed foundation again, yes I see you Mrs. Williams! We did it once but then the concrete guys kinda got stuff on it again but it’s on the list! As I am typing this we moved all our stuff off the patio so it could be sealed and all that so we are just a litany of projects around here. But! We! Have! A! Pool! And we love it and are in it daily! The weather has been super hot and sunny and while I could use some rain over night I mean I shouldn’t complain!!

So here it is. Our favorite place to be right now...

a pool progression...

This is going to be a post and a half.... To say the least. But I thought I'd share some photos of what the whole in-ground pool process was like from the very start to the very (almost) end.... I'll share the final product of course but for now here is the backyard transformation! 

This has not been a project for the faint of heart! It was  messy and long and full of fits and starts and long waits in between any activity... but now that it is all said and done I know it was worth every single step along the way. Our backyard was a mess of dirt and mulch since last fall and then with Covid pushing back our install it was even more frustrating.... But all that to say it is done! And we are so in love with it. I can't wait to post all the photos of what it looks like now!

some stills from when life started to feel more normal...

Things started to look up. They are still up, up here anyways. We were able to get out and see people... go to restaurants... we stocked up on masks for the kids... Letty plays field hockey with her friends and David plays baseball on the field next door the same night.... drinks with friends while the girls play on a slip and slide...The. Bulls. I went to swim at my brother's because our pool wasn't done... there were fireworks in our development... then we went to swim at my brother-in-law's because, you guessed it, our pool wasn't done. There were outdoor fitness classes available through our gym and I was there for it! I returned all the kid's school stuff.... More Bulls! And then we swam at a friend's house because.... our pool wasn't  done!

cherries and pineview!

Oh me and my traditions. I love to pick fruit in the summer. All the fruit. So when the cherries opened up I made it my business to get there as soon as I could! With my mom and niece Lena of course! We had ourselves a picnic lunch at Pineview Dairy followed by ice cream before the picking... usually we do the opposite but it was just how the cherry fell this time. The cows were so tiny and cute and one had a thing for Nonna's shorts which gave us all a giggle.