Trampolines

Ever since I was little, I wanted a trampoline. Although really, what kid doesn't? And like almost every kid, my parents said no. Sad times.

But one of the benefits of being a grown up is that you can get the things you want -- no parental permission required! So I decided that I needed a trampoline for my backyard. And I have to admit -- it is every bit as much fun as I always thought that it would be! Getting a trampoline is something I HIGHLY recommend. Because it's super fun.

It was also NOT EASY to put up. A friend of mine and I went to lunch with her girls, then decided that surely between the two of us we could manage to put up a trampoline without a problem. After all...how hard could it be?!

Answer: HARD.

It took us over five hours. In 90 degree heat. Although in our defense, we did have *help* from a 3 month old and a 6 year old.


But now that it's up, I can say that it was totally worth it.

Baby Kate was screaming unless she was being held. And since trampoline construction requires both hands, into the sling she went. Unfortunately, the sling I have doesn't fit her mother, which meant that I got to wear the baby. In the 90 degree heat. Oy.



We also had help from the dogs. Who were only too happy to make themselves comfortable on baby Kate's blanket. Since she wasn't using it.



After watching her mom and I mess with the trampoline for HOURS, Makayla was only too happy to test out our building abilities. I am pleased to report that the trampoline didn't fall over when she jumped on it :)






Garrett and Bennett are only too happy to come over and jump on the newest toy!

Bouncy

When I was little, I always thought it would be SO FUN to have a trampoline.

My parents did not really agree. Or maybe they did, but they still wouldn't let me have one.

The beauty of being a grown up is that now I can make my own decisions. That's right, I got myself a trampoline.

SO FUN!

I figured it was mostly just fabric stretched out with springs on a metal frame....how hard is that to assemble?

Answer?

Holy hell Harder than you think.

It took two of us almost six hours. In nearly 90 degree heat.

Of course the fact that a three month old and a six year old were "helping" might have made it a tad bit harder...

But still...it's so much fun, and totally worth it!

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A Lesson In Laundry

I have a lot of clothes, which means that I can go for an eternity quite a while without doing laundry. This is most definitely a good thing, as laundry is not high on my list of enjoyed household tasks.

But I think I might have learned my lesson.



Seriously. From laundry.

I was walking into the laundry room to let the dogs out yesterday, and there was a pile of laundry waiting to go into the washing machine. And, you guessed it, I stepped on one of the laundry items. And went flying.

And later that night got to take a trip to the ED. And walked out like this:



Stylish, don't you think?

*I am hopefully going to be able to lose this stylish accessory on Wednesday after I see the orthopedic surgeon. Who is *hopefully* going to tell me that I am just fine, just a klutz.

A klutz who should keep more on top of her laundry.

The Things You Find

I moved almost four months ago, after living in the same apartment for SEVEN YEARS.

I know.

I had lots of reasons for staying, which is a different post entirely. But we'll save that for another time. But really, I stayed because it was home -- because I made it my home.

It was my first home that was mine. It was the first place I lived after graduating from college. The first place I lived when I had a grown up job. And got to do grown up things in - have dinner parties, host out of town guests, decorate for holidays. It wasn't always good, but the good certainly outweighed the bad. Because, really, when you think about it, life is pretty awesomely good.

I unpacked most of my boxes a long time ago, but there was still a random assortment of stuff in the garage that I just hadn't gotten to yet. To be honest, I really wasn't even sure what all was in there - things that had gotten moved in a last minute rush just to get everything out of my apartment.

And last night I was struck with an overwhelming urge to get everything out of the garage. RIGHT THEN. Probably due in part to the fact that I was studying for the fourth day straight a test, but due in part because I just felt like it had to be done NOW.

So I did it. All the random stuff -- okay, MOST of the random stuff -- got brought inside and sorted out. And then I came to a box that didn't have any type of label on it at all. And had also clearly been closed up for a very long time -- much longer than the few months ago I moved. And I thought that I should probably just toss it -- after all, if it had been so long that I didn't even know what was in it, then I surely didn't need whatever it was, right?

But life doesn't ever work that way. So I opened it.

And I was shocked. The box had been closed up a long time alright...since before I moved into my apartment, to be exact. See, I dated the same person for the vast majority of college. Made life plans, blah blah blah. And then, as they so often do, things changed. Or got hard. Or grew up. Or whatever.

I should take a moment to mention here that I am not a good decision maker. What do I want for dinner? What movie do I want to see? What should I wear? What do I think about any specific topic? These are questions that I could hem and haw on FOREVER.

But the big decisions? I decide and I don't look back. For better or for worse.

So I walked away.

I boxed everything up, put it away, and didn't look back. And we all know what box I found, now don't we? Of course. It held all sorts of things that I had long forgotten about. And, as it turns out, at the bottom of the box there was a card that I'm not sure I had ever even opened. A card not even from him -- but from his sister. You would expect that it wouldn't be too kind, given that after being together quite a while I walked away and didn't look back.

But it wasn't unkind at all. Of all things? It was a thank you card of sorts, reminding me that no matter where I went or what I did with my life, that I should remember the impact I had, and that it was something she would be forever grateful for.

And finding that card? Was one of the best things that has happened to me in a long time.

Wordless Wednesday: How does YOUR garden grow?

Wordless Wednesday!

Summary Saturday 2009: Project 365, Week 16

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Summary Saturday 2009: Project 365, Week 15

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Summary Saturday 2009: Project 365, Week 13 & 14

First, a note on PAD 2009. Due to scheduling conflicts, Kimberly has asked me to begin hosting PAD 2009. So here it is!

If you would like to play along, leave your link in comments! And if you would like the code for the new button, send me an email at andtheducksaid [at] gmail [dot] com!

Since I was behind with posting for the month of March, here are the last two weeks. And now I'm all caught up again.


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Summary Saturday 2009: Project 365, Week 11 & 12

Because I am horribly behind in posting my project 365 (to the tune of three weeks - gah!), I am going to post two weeks this week and two weeks next week. And then I will stay on top of it for the rest of the year...probably anyway...


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