the new ride

You had to see this one coming. I mean, Matt and I are moving up in the world. We're going places. We bought the house, have our dog, workin on getting a kid...we've got jobs, going on a sweet vacay next month...we're livin the good life. All we need is white picket fence and we'll be set.

A white picket fence. For our YARD. Our beast of a yard. Our larger-than-life yard. Our yard that seems to need entirely too much mowing. It's like as soon as you finish mowing, it's time to start again. That's how long it takes to mow the whole thing. I am hardly even exaggerating.

And as fun as mowing is (I really do enjoy it...when I'm in the mood), it's just been too much. It takes HOURS. And it's HOT outside. And for some unknown reason it's been RAINING all the time, which makes the FRICKIN GRASS GROW. I hate to sound ungrateful for the rain, but seriously. One of us needs to quit our jobs and be a stay-at-home-mower. If I could get benefits with that, I'd do it.

Or.....

Or maybe it's time to take [yet another] family 'heirloom' off Matt's parents' hands. Us buying a house has been like winning the jackpot for basically Matt's whole extended family: Look!! People to take all our old stuff!! Now we can buy newer stuff!! And hey-- we take it, cause we need it!! That's how we got our mower in the first place-- hand me down!!

But look what rolled in to Statham today.

Oh yeah. If you're wondering is that a top-of-the-line Snapper Model X5somethingortheother?? then I would have to say no, probably not. Maybe it was in like year 245 B.C. or something, but not now. But if you, like me, are wondering is that a lawmower that someone put tricycle handles on? then I would have to say...that's where all the signs are pointing. Go figure.

Giggle as you may (or maybe you're turning green with envy! You should be!), that puppy is one sweet ride and it got the job done. We got off to a bit of a rough start (naturally I didn't even give Mattie a try...this was all me tonight) and my deepest apologies go out to about 15 feet of our front yard that are now completely barren of life (who knew that putting the blade on the lowest setting would actually not make it look like a golf course?)...I hope that some day grass will grow there again...but please no one come visit us anytime soon because you might laugh.

Maybe Matt had a point when he suggested I do my "learning" in the back yard. Whatever, I thrive under pressure. After that minor detail got adjusted, it was smooth sailing. And by "smooth", I actually mean incredibly bouncy. The seat, if you can call it that, is not exactly what I'd call cushy. Or stable. Or well-balanced. And our yard isn't exactly level. The combination of these things did, however, make for a very exciting thrill ride-- it was pretty much like being at Six Flags on one of the old wooden roller coasters. Pretty much.

So that's the new ride. And if there was ever any chance of Matt's car getting a spot in the garage, I'm pretty sure it's gone now. Although we did purchase a garage shelf today!! I can't wait to get it set up and organized. Here's Matt putting it together...ladies, please wipe the drool off your keyboards. I know...the sight of a man reading directions while putting something together is a bit overwhelming for me, too.

So in theory I should have a lot more time on my hands now, since mowing won't take up every waking hour of my weekends. But don't worry-- I have a way to fill that time. It's another blog for another day (mainly because we keep forgetting to take pictures), but I can whet your appetite with one word:

Rollerblades.