The Holiday Weekend

For the last three weeks, we have been getting our yard ready for the holiday weekend. I had the landscapers come in and do their spring cleanup, apply the appropriate treatments to our lawn and refresh the mulch in our flowerbeds. We put out our patio and deck furniture, hung the new lights for our patio, cleaned out our fire pit, cleaned the bar area and opened our pool. We struggled with the pool because the snowstorm caused our pool cover to collapse which turned the water green and filled it with a lot of leaves and debris from the storm. To say it was in bad shape, was an understatement. It took numerous trips to Leslie Pools to test the water, pounds and pounds of chemicals, dozens of vacuuming and filter cleaning before we began to see a trace of sparkling blue water, but we did it!

My husband and I went to Home Depot and bought 2 new umbrellas for our patio, white rock to replenish the border of our firepit and an outdoor carpet to put down behind the bar to prevent weeds from growing behind it. I also bought a few plants to add to our front yard. Everything was coming together nicely and I was really happy with the finished product.

By Thursday, I was ready to enjoy our backyard, get some much-needed sun, go swimming in our now exceptionally clean pool and enjoy the simplicity of barbecuing. But then Friday came and the skies opened and it rained and continued to rain through most of the weekend. In addition to the rain, it was cold, bone chilling cold!  It felt like winter all over again. Did I mention our pool was finally perfect? Not only was the water clean, but it was warming up and at an acceptable temperature. But, with the cold front, our pool now qualifies for a polar bear club challenge!

So much for planning. But, I made the best of the situation and got to curl up with a good book, watch the Friends Reunion multiple times and spend time with my husband and kids. By Monday afternoon, the skies cleared, the sun came out and we were finally able to have our barbeque. There’s nothing like the first hot dog of the season!

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend and I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to honor all the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom. There are no words to fully express how grateful I am to all of them and their families. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.