Sunday, June 1, 2008

Week of Loneliness

It has been a pretty lonely week without Shell. When she left she asked me if I was going to do a post while she was gone. I really like this blog thing quite a bit. It is fun to check up on what everyone else is up to and what my cousins kids are looking like so I will recognize them the next time I see them.
Shell has been gone this week. She went to Texas to help with her brother Jared with his kids while his wife is in the hospital anxiously awaiting the arrival of their twins. I am so glad that she was able to go and see Jared and his family. I know she has wanted to do that for a long time.
My mom has the kids in Delta and has had them all this week. Thank you so much for watching them. It has been a huge help and I hope they really were good and you aren't making stuff up. While they're there they got to go to the Stock Show. My dad is on the Stock Show board so they had to go even though they didn't have any kids showing for the first time in more than almost twenty years. But I don't know which was more stressful for him, having animals to show or parents to ref? Anyway the boys had a awesome time. I got this picture of Gabe on my cell phone. Hiett was there too but he wouldn't look at me. All I got was a shot of the back of his head.

When I got home to the semi empty house. (I have the dog) I set to work on the yard. Under a down spout in the front I made a creek bed thing for the water to go down. I did try and consult her on where and how she wanted the rocks and she said "I don't care suprise me." I told her the last time that I used that phrase I got my lovely green bean green walls in the dining, kitchen and living room and she better be sure and like it no matter what. I don't want her moving my rocks like she moved her dads when she was younger.
Shell wanted some grass for the boys to play on so I made her decide where she wanted it. I got the sod on Friday and we had a good crew to put it in. Jake, Brett, David, Daniel and Kim all came out and helped put it down. I am grateful for the extra help. The lady was crazy thinking that 2200 square feet of sod would take one man 5 hours to put down. We did it in 2 1/2 with 4 of us. I over estimated and ordered about 400 feet of extra sod got put about everywhere around the house. Good thing I didn't round up 10% like they suggest. So all we can do is wait for that water bill and see how much of it we will let die because we can't afford it. This is a picture of the front from the driveway.

It was a lot of work but thanks again to those who came and helped. It made life a lot easier. I am grateful to have those like you around us to help us.
Thankfully Shellie will be back on Wednesday, so I can start eating balanced meals again. I don't think that Oreos, Ice Cream, Chips and pop will be the main staples anymore. I will also sleep a little better knowing that there will be others in the house and not jump at every sound thinking someone broke in. This dog won't protect me. I didn't think I would miss the kids waking up all the time. Shellie kicking me or nudging me to go and get Hiett. Listening to Gabe say "Me slept good last night, I want to watch a car show or play games." I just think of that song by Trace Atkins "Your going to miss this". Things that seem like such a nucience seem to be the things I miss and it has only been a week. What will it be like when it is gone forever? I will be glad to have my wife and kids home.
Sorry if my post isn't as good as Shell's. She'll be back soon.

6 comments:

Bon said...

Oh "HOnts"- )sorry I have to write it like I say it!:)) That was a sweet post and I am impressed that you knew how to do it!! As for Shellie being gone...maybe you should never let her leave again! I am having withdrawals!! I am excited to hear all about her trip and hang out with her again!!

p.S. You should have told us about laying the sod- Beau would have loved to help too!!

Hans, Shell, Gabe, Hiett and Tait said...

Oh, Sweetie! It looks so nice! I Am soooo excited to come home and romp all over the lawn. ANd see you too of course!!! You did such a good job and thank you so much, once again for getting me some grass- you will never know. . . I have missed you and the boys more than I thought and am anxiously waiting for my flight that will leave in approximatley 21 hours and twenty minutes give or take a few seconds. Love you, and can't wait to see you-
SHELL

Gardner Family said...

Okay Hans - way to make me tear up! That was so sweet. Hopefully things will still be working out for this weekend because we can't wait to see all of you. The yard looks amazing! Anytime you feel the need to buy more sod and lay it - you are welcome to do so at our house! Love ya

Jenny said...

I loved this post! I bet you will be so happy when Shellie comes home. You sure got a lot done though - WOW!

{Lindsey} said...

Hans~
You are a great blogger. I enjoyed reading your post and having a few laughs at your expense.
You should blog more often.
Glad life will get back to normal for you all and that you will be eating more healthly foods.

Mom and Dad said...

Hans,
The yard looks amazing! Great job. It is pretty sobering to realize how much we miss and appreciate people/things when they are not around anymore. Sometimes we don't realize what we have until it is no longer there. You are a good man for letting Shell go and stay with Jared, I think it was a good thing all the way around. We so enjoyed the time we go to spend with her before and after her flight. I feel your pain in missing her, now you have a glimpse of what it is like for us!! Thanks goodness for phones and blogs. Again the sod looks so nice!

WELCOME to our new home

We got moved in settled a few weeks ago, but it has taken me longer than I thought to get back into my groove. I hadn't realized that I HAD a groove, maybe it was more like a rut, but anyway, I am comfortably back into it and that is that. So, I am sure that you are all curious to see what exactly we moved into. You have to promise to not be jealous!!! Really.... everybody seems to think that I mind terribly our new home, but I don't mind it that much. I am with Hans, the boys have their dad and unlimited roaming space and so much more family close by, I would make the trade again anyday. Not to mention the projects that I am planning that will keep me busy for quite some time. Ready?
Well, the power plant pays for all of their employees to move within 40 miles of the plant so they packed us up and shipped us off. This is the truck arriving. It was huge! Our stuff only took up about 1/3 of the truck!


Hans and I are still in debate about what is happening with the exterior of the house. I want to get some paint and paint it, then get a good color match and do the shutters differently. The porch will be fixed- it sags in the middle and threatens to collapse whenever you step on it. I want to put a little roof over it, a simple little peak that stretches back to the trailer, that would hopefully break up the ugliness a little bit. we will probably be here for 21/2 to 3 years so I want to make it look like a home for us.

OK- let me explain that roof looking thing. Nevermind- can't explain it. But I am going to try to put little support strut things off from it to support a new piece of wood that will make it look like a beam instead of a chintzy shingled roof inside of a house. And that is faux brick paneling. he he he. I have never seen it before. I giggle when I see it. The next pic is the kitchen dining combo. The floor is newish lineolium, so that is good to stay. But the wallpaper is falling off and so I am going to practice my tiling and do a medium dark greyish tile and then strip the cupboards and paint them a white. The door knobs will be replaced too. Hopefully this will work with the mustard yellow stove- this trailer is 30 years old, so it is very 70's with the wood paneling EVERYWHERE!!


UNGH. The paneling is sooo dark! This hallway could use a coat of paint. Hans' grandma is skeptical of us painting the paneling, truthfully I am too, but this is so drab I have got to do something! The light fixture is going to be replaced so my dad doesn't hit his head everytime he comes over. Well, for that matter, most of the light fixtures will get to be replaced soon.


I saved the best for last!!! Our bathroom is horrid! Seriously- I don't mind it, it just makes me laugh it is that ugly. The floral nasty green print coordinates with the yellos tub, toilet and sink. The linoleum is the same shades and that crazy design you could sit and stare at for hours trying to figure out the pattern. A new sink is already in the works. A new shower curtain already bought, and so many plans floating in my head. Wall paper off, new linoleum, tiling another backspash, paint the walls, build a frame around the mirror to make it the focal point. So much to do. Will I get it done in my 3 year time limit?? Oh and the kicker, the washer and dryer are in the bathroom! Convienent!!!


We had such a fun Halloween! It got kicked off with an adult( that sounds naughty!) Halloween Party which was fun as it always is to get together with all of everybody. I love seeing all the costumes and wish I knew which file Hans put them uner so I could post them. Beau and Bonnie won my prize for best dressed- Beau looked hot in that eyeliner and black nail polish. Anyway, then on Halloween we had a bunch of the kids over for a little party and had a great time- I did anyway, I hope the kids did too. We went trick or treating in the "old ward" just to say hi to some folks we hadn't seen in a while. The boys had a great time. Tait slept through it all in his comfy bear outfit and Hiett only fell down two sets of stairs with his AWESOME hoomemade batman mask. I don't know how much longer I will get away with homemade costumes but until then- $6 always beats out $20-40 in my opinion, and I think the kids have more fun being "creative". HA ha. We had a great time and the candy is almost gone already- I swear I haven't helped too much!

My happy boy

My happy boy
How can you not smile when you see that!? Tait hung out on this blanket while we were fishing on Monday- he loves to be outside- and it's a good thing since that's where we are most of the time!

Our hike

Our hike
Yes, that is the road down there. We found this trail off the road up the Five MIle Canyon. We have loved the red rock scenery that is so prevelant in the Parowan area

Birthday Boy riding his new bike

Birthday Boy riding his new bike
He loves riding with Gabe on their"motorbikes"

The swinging of the pinata

The swinging of the pinata
Gabe is the only one who inflicted any damage at all

Argh MAtey!

Argh  MAtey!
Me and my pirate buddies- we had so much fun. Sometimes I really wich I were still a kid ro everyday was a birthday so I had a reason to be all creative and fun

Hiett

Hiett
The birthday crown for the king of the day