Look at our creation.

We have been having problems with our basement flooding and it all came from the drain outside our basement door getting clogged during a really hard rain. So first my father and law and I built a tiny wall under the deck to stop gunk from flowing down the basement stairs from under the deck, but we were still getting stuff in the drain because it would fall from our tree.

Finally, my father in-law and I were able to spend the good part of the day today building an awning over the basement stairs. My father in-law had the plan, but we worked together to build it, and I am happy to say that I actually did a lot of work. I will be the first to admit that my talent in building things is small but with the help of my father in-law it is sturdy and looks good and I learned a lot. Now we just need a good hard rain to see its effectivness.

Thanks Paw-Paw for your help and vision. It was a successful day and I am really happy at the job well done and for the things I learned. Your guidance and expertise was amazing. You truly are a talented man. We kept saying that we better be careful people might actually believe we know what we are doing.

Before anymore time goes by....our most recent big adventure was the family (and when I mean family, I mean the WHOLE family) vacation to Topsail Beach! Neither N or M had ever seen the beach. N loved it. Or should I say, he loved to run up to the water, and then run away from it when the waves crashed. By the end of the week, he was getting brave! M on the other hand was not fond of it at all. The first time we walked to the beach, she screamed and wouldn't get down. Then, by Friday, she was more brave. She said it was "too loud."


The week was spent at the beach, going to Wilminton to the battleship (I leaned 2 things--- 1- don't wear a skirt when touring the battleship and 2- I DON'T like closed in places!!), cleaning up sand, looking for sharks teeth, cleaning up sand, Richard and I going out for a lovely lunch, cleaning up sand, shopping at the only grocery store around (oh how I missed you Kroger), cleaning up sand, watching a fabulous fireworks display thanks to mother nature, cleaning up sand, N getting everyone to play hide and go seek, cleaning up sand, going to the aracade, cleaning up sand, going putt-putting...oh, and did I say that there was a lot of sand to clean up!!!

It was a great time! Some of our favorite times when it was just the 4 of us. No offense to the rest of the family, but those few moments that it was just our small family was priceless. All the other times were great and fun-filled and we were just glad that we were finally able to go on a vacation that lasted longer than 1 day in our almost 6 years of marriage. In the words of N, "when can we go back?"