Three Years In The Making... Our New Fence!!

In case you're reading this and don't know, we subscribe to the Dave Ramsey way of life. Well, with our finances, at least. That means that we buy cars that we can afford out-right (meaning having no payment/loan), we attempt to keep our monthly spending at a limit where we can add to our savings as suggested, we keep a 6 month reserve fund, and don't make big purchases until we've saved up for said purchase in advance. It takes some will power to not just go buy something that you might want whenever you want it, but writing that check out--all the zeroes included, feels SO good! And that means that the only monthly bills we have are utilities and the mortgage; we don't have any loans to pay on. (For more details on Dave and his suggestions, click here.)

We knew when we bought this house 3 years ago that it was coming with a fence (and retaining wall--made out of railroad ties) 25+ years old. We knew we'd have to replace everything eventually, and immediately began saving for it. We also knew that having a big back yard means having a big property line which makes installing a new fence/wall very costly. After three years of saving (and dreaming), we finally have a new fence, and it's GORGEOUS!!! We couldn't be happier with the outcome. And writing the check to pay cash for it (and the feeling of 100% complete ownership immediately, rather than paying back the bank while they technically own it) is SO awesome!

Now for the resident landscape man (aka Seth Spofford) to work his magic on the greens back there... the grass, the "trees," the undergrowth, etc. *sigh* I can see it now... carpet-like grass from edge to edge. Just you wait. ... This will be the backyard of my dreams before you know it! :-)

Here's a little tour (beginning with the old):

Georgia hates posing for pictures, but I wanted to document how low the fence had gotten. It was literally sitting on that chair, closer to the ground than a 45 degree angle.

In process:

The first thing they had to do was dig a trench to lay the retaining wall in. ... Along all 200 feet of the back property line.

I still don't understand why they left some of the demolition until the very end, but it allows me to show you how much yard we gained in the process. It was over 4 feet all along the back, and over three feet all along the side.

The finished product:

shows where it transitions from 7 to 8 feet

the fence that runs along the driveway

Our bigger, more beautiful backyard.

They tore down the "shed" that had been in this corner. That gained us 6 feet all the way across there.

There's a lot of yard work needed here, but it's so nice to not have that stupid deck in the corner.

All the small greenery things used to be on the outside of the fence. We're still determining what we'll keep.

the gate to the alley

It didn't occur to me until almost too late to have Austin's hand print put in the concrete.

in the alley to the west

they also poured this slab for the garbage and recycling bins

This picture shows the transition of the 8 feet to the 6 feet. But, I took the picture at eye-level, so you can see how far the top of the 6 foot fence is from the ground. No one would see over it by just walking down the alley.

From the east property line looking west to where our property line curves, cutting the remaining 80 feet or so off from view.

That deck in the corner was good for at least one thing: concealing balls! We had a whole bag of trashed balls to throw away. And for the record, the majority of these are not ours. That deck had been hiding balls for years!

For those interested in details, the retaining wall is poured concrete, with re-bar, trenched into the ground, stands approximately 2 feet tall, and runs the entire back of the property which is 200 feet. The fence is a board-on-board using pre-stained Western Red Cedar. The front (visible from the street) is 7 feet high, it increases to 8 feet high along the property line between us and the next-door neighbors, and then decreases to 6 feet in the back (which, when added to the height of the wall make it well over 8 feet from ground level). The half fence along the driveway is the same wood, skipping the top boards and is about 4 feet high. (It's see-through so we can see children playing in the driveway, and yet secure enough that Georgia is contained.) All told, that's over 335 feet of fence! They tore down all the fence, remaining retaining wall, the deck in the corner, and the "shed" that had been along the front and hauled it away. They were here a total of 12 days working on everything.

The Story (of how I came to be struck by a truck)

For those that are new to my blog, my writing style, my personality, this isn't going to be quick. I seem incapable (or simply unwilling?) to tell stories in the Cliff Notes versions. If that's all you're looking for, scroll to the end of this post and you'll find my best attempt. Otherwise, keep reading.

Seth took Austin to the Dallas Zoo today. For those that don't already know this, I don't do zoos. So this was a Mommy Day Off as well as a Manventure for the Mans. I emailed. I scrapbooked. I got my toes done. After I got my toes done, I decided to be sweet to Seth (as a Thank You) and spent some of my blow money on getting his car washed, took it to the QT to fill up the tank (even though he had a half a tank. The man drives to Ft. Worth every day. He'll burn through it soon enough. I then even had plans to go to Discount Tire to have them check the air pressure. Just little things.)

While I was filling up, a big duel-y (sp?) truck pulled up on the other side of the pump. He got out, began pumping, and then climbed back into his idling truck to enjoy the comforts of his AC. I pushed the Help button on the pump because I was quite certain that this practice is unsafe if not illegal. The attendant couldn't understand what I was saying and replied "I'll come out" and I told him not to bother because I had to come in anyways (I was going to buy some washer fluid.)

He must not have heard me say I was coming in because we met outside the doors, about 4 feet behind an empty parking space. 

Attendant: Now, what's the problem?

Me: That huge red truck over there is pumping gas while his engine is running. Isn't that illegal or at minimum unsafe? I mean, couldn't we all go up in flames?

Attendant: WellWATCH OUT!

BAM!

A black Ford Ranger which was parked in the parking space NEXT to the one we were standing behind, backed up with his wheel turned, and thusly entered the space in which we were standing. I was facing away from said truck about 90 degrees and hadn't heard it turn on, seen it moving, anything. All I knew was the Attendant reaching for me, yelling to watch out, and then I was slammed to the ground.

His bumper hit my thigh and tailgate hit my belly, knocking me off my feet and onto my back on the blacktop. I screamed sometime mid-fall, and must have attempted to catch myself because I have a skinned elbow, sore wrist, and jammed pinkie to prove it. The man was out of his truck apologizing very quickly--I was still on the ground. The Attendant then helped me stand up (the blacktop was HOT!), and helped me inside. He explained he needed to call 911 and fill out a report for QT's purposes. After he hung up from 911, I asked to borrow his phone and called Seth. 

Thankfully, Seth was just loading Austin into the car after arriving at our DART station, having spent the morning and early afternoon having fun at the zoo. I said "Can you come to the QT on Forest?" "Sure..." "I was just hit by a car." "Ok." "Not the Envoy, my BODY was just hit by a truck." "On my way!"

During this time, I tried to explain to the truck guy and the QT guy that it wasn't me I was worried about, but Little Man #2. I could tell I would be super sore, but that I wasn't seriously injured in any way. Nothing pouring blood. Nothing broken. Etc. But it's impossible to tell what's going on inside my belly, and so couldn't get calm.

The firetruck, ambulance, and cop cars were there in a matter of seconds. I was examined by the EMTs. He could do nothing but check my blood pressure (which was fine), and said he could take me to the ER or I could have my husband take me, but that either way he suggested I go. Seth and Austin arrive at that point and he hears the story and relays it to the cops, the truck guy, the QT guy, etc. I couldn't get a clear thought, so I basically stood around willing the whole scenario to be over. I just wanted to call my doctor. I just wanted to go home. 

All the while the truck guy is apologizing over and over and over again. To which I'm vaguely mumbling that I'm not mad, that I realize it was an accident, that I'm ok, but I'm worried about my baby. He gives us his contact information and tries to give us his insurance information, but finds out that he doesn't have any with him. He calls his wife to bring it to QT. The cops give me a card with the incident number on it. Austin is either squirming in Seth's arms or trying to shoplift a red tractor (which I think has gum in it or something) from the candy section. Seth is talking with the cops and the truck guy while I'm filling out a QT incident report and developing a rapport with Kenneth, the helpful attendant who turns out to be our neighbor! He says that QT will be calling me in the coming days, and the truck guy is apologizing again and again and again. I look at Seth ask if I can please go home. Then I'm buying the red tractor for Austin and some purple Skittles for myself, dumping cash on the counter, and leaving. It was such a blur of activity and people. 

I come home with Austin and put him down for a nap. Seth arrives several minutes later because he was finishing up with the truck guy after I left, and we call my doctor's office. He tells me to come in to get monitored and so they can run some tests. I call my MIL and ask her to come now to the house to watch Austin for us while Seth tracks down a neighbor to fill in the gap between us leaving and Kim arriving.

We get to the hospital and they immediately hook up the monitors to my belly and find that his heart rate is fine. The doctor orders a blood draw to look for some (baby?) cells in my blood which would indicate a problem. He also orders a sonogram to check that everything is attached correctly, that he doesn't have any broken bones, etc. The doctor then suggests some pain medicine because "Tylenol isn't going to touch how sore you are or are going to be." He gives me a few saltines and some cranberry juice to put in my tummy too since I hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was now after 3pm.

They tell us it's going to be 3+ hours so Seth leaves to get a haircut and I watch bad television whilst getting the monitors adjusted (this little guy had her chasing him all over the place. He's quite the little feisty man. I think we're going to have our hands full!), blood drawn, and then wheeled down for my sonogram. (Thank God for the wheelchair man. I could NOT have walked all the way over there.) I arrived back in the room just a few minutes after Seth did. The nurse has me filling out a bunch of paperwork (so long as I'm there, I might as well get my pre-admission stuff filled out), and I'm signing somewhere in the fourth page range when I can't finish the date. It's like "Sena Spofford" "7-7....  can't do the 12... Seth get the nurse!" I've passed out enough times in my life to know when it's about to happen. I was sweating, I couldn't grip the pen, the room was getting dark.

The nurse is in. She lowers my head, put ice on my neck, forces some juice into me, takes my blood pressure, and tells Seth to keep feeding me crackers. Before long, the hot flash passes, I can feel the blood coming back to my face, and my blood pressure regains a normal level. The nurse explains that I might be a bit of a light weight in regards to medicine, had been through quite a lot today, and hadn't eaten since breakfast (and it was now nearly 7pm). I finish the paperwork by having her hold it over me and signing upside down.

The test results come back normal, and we're allowed to leave, but she cautions me that I might still have problems. I'm instructed to eat, rest, drink lots of fluids, and call if anything happens (bleeding, contractions, etc). She even calls for a wheelchair ride for me. I was VERY thankful. We try to drop off the prescription for the pain medicine. It's closed. We stop at El Fenix for my favorite, and then come home to relieve Kim from Austin duties. 

After getting a chance to eat dinner, lay flat, and take a shower, I'm feeling much better. I am still very sore, quite tired, and nervous about how stiff I will be in the morning, but am VERY thankful that myself and Little Man #2 are fine.

Thank you VERY much for all the prayers and well wishes!!! I definitely felt the love today, and it means so much to me to have people in my life willing to be so wonderful and helpful. A shout out to Franki, our neighbor who came to watch Austin immediately upon being asked, and to Kim who came as quickly as her FJ would take her. Knowing Little Man #1 was in good hands made it easier on us to get Little Man #2 checked out.

Cliff Notes: I was in the QT parking lot when a truck backed up into me, knocking me to the ground. Me and Little Man #2 are fine.

4th of July weekend, 2012

Our neighborhood always has an annual 4th of July parade and pool party each year. Since the 4th fell in the middle of the week this year, the committee decided to have it on the Saturday before, June 30th.

Our parade-watching "crew." The Smiths, Bartleys, and Spoffords.

I was trying to get a picture of the outfit, of the R, W, & B outfit (#1) Nonnie bought.

As she hates posing for pictures, this was the best I could get--the side of her face, but I love how it turned out!

That Smith family... always up to something cool!

The kiddos sorting through the candy haul.

Isn't this sweet face just the cutest thing you've ever seen!?

On the actual 4th of July, Austin had swim lessons in the morning, but we were still able to spend the rest of the day at Nonnie and Gramps', per our tradition. We sit around and hang out as a family, and I LOVE it. I think it's probably my second favorite holiday event because we just get to BE. No presents to open, no fancy meal to worry about (we ate burgers on our laps), no egg hunt activity, etc. Just family enjoying one another. (And if you ever wonder where you'll find my SIL and myself on that day, it'll be sharing a blanket while reclining in the LaZBoy loveseat in the den. We just chill, minimally manage the children, and talk. It's awesome!)

Such a cool dude! (Wearing R, W, & B outfit #2 provided by Nonnie.)

Again, it's just standing/sitting around and hanging out.

He loved scaring me half-to-death by climbing up and sitting on these folding chairs again and again.

LOVE this picture that Kim got of Austin and Seth. Such genuine smiles!!!

Kim actually let me contribute something, and I was thrilled to get to make this dessert.

Kim gets all four kids R, W, & B outfits, and so we take a picture of them in them. Once Austin realized they were being sat on the couch for a photo, he became the biggest poser--hands on his thighs and smiling for the camera; it was SO cute.