Happy Holidays

It’s hard to believe another year has flown by, but when we look back through our photos, it becomes a little more real. Especially when we look outside and realize we went from a hole in the ground on Oct. 7, 2008, to a Tvyek-covered structure with porch overhangs exactly a year later. So – as you can imagine, the majority of 2009 was spent working with drill guns, air nailers, spray foam and 2x6s.

We are thrilled to have met our goal of “drying in” the house. That means we have a stucco-covered, fully roofed and windowed house (that is also framed on the interior). Completing the porch overhangs was one step beyond what we hoped to accomplish, and on Dec. 21, our spiral staircase was installed.

While it was an exciting year with building progress, we also enjoyed visits from my mom, dad and nephew, and Steve’s brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Millie, from New Jersey. As usual, we saw our normal host of desert dwellers – javelina, mule deer, hummingbirds and coyotes. But we also had the excitement of baby roadrunners nesting in our new garage, and a large rattlesnake that Steve grazed with the screen door, inadvertently ripping off his rattle (see blog below). We also were fortunate to have the help of wonderful friends and family in Mammoth, Phoenix, Denver – and from Pennsylvania – who helped with our construction efforts.

The year ended, however, on a sad note, as we had to say our final goodbyes to our girl, Chloe. She literally walked into Steve’s life 14 years ago as a stray, so the decision to let her go, after trying to fight her congestive heart failure, was truly devastating. We miss her terribly, but are forever grateful for the years of joy she brought us.

Please feel free to read-up on some of our previous blogs if you weren’t able to keep up during the year. And leave a comment in one of our blogs, use our contact page, watch our videos, or check out our photo gallery. Have a great 2010.