Advil

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After a busy, busy Saturday, my watch telling me to sit down after logging more than 16,000 steps in six hours, I woke up Sunday morning, reached for a couple of Advil, and began my day... by laying bricks.

Okay, so I may be pushing this old body to its limits, but once I got started, I just wanted to finish one more row. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I had made it about halfway through the patio before finally calling it quits, just before my body started to rebel.

A quick shower, a couple more Advil, and I was good to go. Tim and I met up with friends for live music and dancing because I had to squeeze a little fun into the weekend. Otherwise, it would have been all work and no play... and we all know how that story ends!

The band played from 4:00 to 7:30, the perfect Sunday evening schedule. Tim and I danced, sang along to our favorite songs, chatted with friends, and enjoyed a warm spring evening outdoors. Thank you, Mother Nature, for the gift of sunshine and a rain-free day.

But back to that brick patio.

Tim has worked incredibly hard to get it to this point. He hired a backhoe and a professional operator (thank the Lord), laid down weed barrier fabric, had sand and stone delivered, tamped everything into place, and prepared the area like a pro. Then he patiently waited for me to arrive and add my artistic flair by fitting each brick into a pattern that not only works but somehow makes sense.

I'm not exactly sure where, when, or why I developed this oddly specific skill set, but surprisingly, this isn't my first brick patio. I can, however, confidently guarantee that it will be my last!

Once it's finished, all of the hard work will become a distant memory. We'll finally reclaim the space and enjoy it the way it was intended, whether that's sharing a meal with friends, entertaining family, or setting up a second table for games on a summer evening.

My goal is to have the area looking a little less "construction zone" and a little more "backyard oasis" by the Fourth of July. A girl can dream. Getting Tim on board with all of my grand landscaping visions is another goal entirely. It always seems to come back to the same problem: not enough time.

Maybe we'll have the perfect yard when we're retired. Then again, knowing me, I'll simply find a dozen new projects to tackle and continue avoiding weeding at all costs. Some things never change.

For now, though, progress is progress. The patio is halfway finished, and that's worth celebrating. We'll admire what we've accomplished, appreciate how far we've come, and smile at the sight of those neatly laid bricks, at least the first half of them.

"Energy and persistence conquer all things." ~ Benjamin Franklin