Moopad.com (beta)

We realize that it's only been a little over a month since the last newsletter, but we decided to give everyone an update since the changes on our end have been rather numerous as of late. As we mentioned in the previous newsletter, we had planned on some major renovations both inside and outside the house. We just wanted to thank Dad with extreme sincerity for all the help and hard work over the course of his and Peggy's recent visit.

Once again, we managed to accomplish several rather daunting tasks in a very short period of time. Dad was instrumental in accomplishing what we did and we are very, very thankful for all his help. We ended up renting a small excavator which Dad used to dig out a makeshift wall in the dirt, as well as generally leveling the now divided top and bottom grassy areas. We picked up a little over two pallets worth of retaining wall block and began the arduous process of building the retaining wall itself. In an effort to assist with leveling the ground on the upper portion of the yard, we actually removed the old porch supports and the porch itself. We had planned to replace the porch in the near future anyway, because it was rather old and rickety. But now in addition to the wall and general landscaping, we had a new porch to build. This meant several more trips to Home Depot for materials and more planning.

To make a long story longer, we completed both deck and the wall in record time. We have continued in a somewhat slower fashion to complete projects both inside and out. After several days of hand raking and shoveling, I managed to get the ground ready to lay sod. It arrived on a Saturday morning and with the help of a friend was laid down in just under three hours. HeatherDawn took on the daunting task of interior house painting. Because I am working on outside projects, she has been a key player in getting all the painting done on the inside. In a very short amount of time, she has managed to get most of the main living areas and hallways completely painted to include trim work and new doors.

The projects will undoubtedly continue for some time as we will always come up with more things we want to add and/or change. I guess these things just come with owning a house. All in all, it's been a lot of fun and is even more fun when you get to share time with family, even though some might consider our work schedule a bit extreme. ;o)

Thanks again to Bilbo and Will for the helping hands during our "Sod Saturday" and especially to Dad for all his help and expertise. We hope to get the bulk of our proposed projects finished by the end of this summer and have a blowout housewarming of sorts to celebrate. Stay tuned to the site, especially the Photos section, as we will be continuously updating the pictures online. As the projects continue we have tried our best to get consistent photos outlining our progress. The Photos section has a brand new interface too which should make it easier for us to update, as well as family to visit and view our pictures.

I sincerely hope that everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we have been. But I also hope that you have taken some time away from life's business, to truly enjoy the people that surround you on a daily basis.