Sunday, March 31, 2013

Sounds of Spring

FINALLY!
Mother Nature did right by us this weekend. It's currently raining and chilly so she maintains her fickle status, but at least Saturday was beautiful!

Saturday was 54 degrees. A sunny, clear 54. It felt warmer, although anything above 50 feels 'warm' now. it was an open-the-windows-to-get-rid-of-winter-germs kinda day.
Aah the sounds of spring..
Birds chirping..
Lawn mowers going..
Neighbor kids laughing and yelling..
Neighbor kids hurling threats to kill each other over basketball..
Teenage girls complaining and gossiping..
I need to keep my office window closed!

It was a great Spring day so we took full advantage. On a whim, the husband decided to finally put a paving stone walkway on the side yard leading to the back. He went to the store, came home then looked at me.
Here is the difference between us: MY parents used to take "spring cleaning" to heart and rearrange the yard, plant new stuff, clean cabinets and stuff inside, you get the idea. It was always an "all hands on deck" series of projects, every single year. HIS parents, on the other hand, never forced him to do much yard work, save for mowing the lawn once in a while. He never did any landscaping or anything so he had no idea how to proceed.
I knew doing the project together would probably end with him on the ground with my hands around his throat, so I gave him instructions then demonstrated on one and left him to his lonesome. I didn't really care what it looked like when it was done. I knew I could futz around with it later, but it didn't come out half-bad.

Winter certainly did a number on our yard (and our fencing) so I'm hoping we can turn it around by Mini's birthday party in June. Here's hoping!

Happy Easter to all who celebrate. Happy Candy Day for those who don't :)
How was your weekend? 


Friday, March 15, 2013

An Accident and The Fix

After 2 weeks of waiting and wondering, my 07 Equinox is back in my driveway and I couldn't be happier!
A couple of weeks ago, it was snowing really bad. My husband had taken my truck to work and had gotten into an accident. Thankfully, it wasn't his fault and there was little damage to my car (or so we thought). The front bumper had a sizeable dent in it and I could see a small piece of the grill had cracked. We debated on whether we should even bother fixing it. 
I had noticed it drove a little differently, but of course I was told it was all in my head (typical dude response). My husband asked me if I felt the need to have it fixed being that there was "barely any damage". I said yes for cosmetic purposes (I'm strangely protective of my car) and because my gut said I should. 
Good thing I listened to myself!
The body shop had my truck for about a week before the new bumper came in. I was driving a rental car which I absolutely hated. I had no elbow room. The sideview mirrors were so so so tiny. The rearview mirror was smaller. There was no rear wiper. I missed my truck something fierce! Mini enjoyed the rental (hello sunroof!) and I was grateful to have it, but I was miserable driving it. Let's not forget my knee problems and the fact that it was causing me pain getting in and out of the car. So anyways, the new bumper came in and they took off the old one. 
Bad news.
There was more damage behind the bumper than they originally thought. I almost had a breakdown when my husband called me. I thought I was going to have to end up getting a new car. I was afraid it wouldn't drive the same. "Once you start screwing with the underbelly of a car, it's never the same" is what everyone told me. After another week of worrying, I got my truck back. It feels a little different, but I think that might be due to me getting used to the other car. 
I hope so. 
I love my Silver Bullet (If you've ever seen me drive, you'll know why I named her this). 
I'm not ready to give her up!