Blogging my Blessings

BLOGGING MY BLESSINGS!

We just received a huge blessing today and I had to blog about it because I don't want to forget it. I will start off by saying this week has been a busy week. I know I mentioned a few days ago how the unfinished yard (both front and back) have gone by the wayside because Laren has worked extra, went to the temple and went to church meetings this week. We were supposed to get a huge snowstorm that was to drop 8-12 inches where we live, but it didn't materialize and all we got were flurries on Thursday and Friday.

Well, this morning Laren was out early with some of the kids helping him to do some shoveling around the edge of our dirt that will hopefully be lawn in the near future. I was busy hemming 2 pairs of sweat/yoga pants for Kayla and Rilyn for their soccer games this morning.

Then we had 2 soccer games. Kayla's team won and Rilyn's team lost. But both had a good experience. Sidenote: I talked to that girl who has been bullying Kayla. I asked her point blank if she was B. She said yes. I told her that she needs to stop bullying my daughter. She nodded her head. That was it. She was friendly to Kayla as the game wore on. I hope that is the end of that problem.

Anyway, fast forward to around noon. We had gotten home, had lunch and we were getting going on yardwork again. Laren and I were out in back surmising the daunting task. I noticed that Tylar and Jeanette, our neighbors, were also out. Since our fences are so high I climbed on one of our bistro chairs and said hello. They were very friendly and nice. Jeanette and I talked for awhile. In the course of the conversation she said that the neighbors on the other side of them had a Bobcat (machine) for the day so they could work in their backyard and they needed dirt, whereas we needed to get rid of dirt.

She encouraged me to get Laren to go and talk to Nick, the neighbor on the other side of Tylar and Jeanette to see if we could work out a trade. I said I would mention it. So I talked to Laren and he said no he didn't think it would work out because our yard is completely fenced, yada, yada, yada... Finally he agreed to go and talk to Nick and mention that if he wanted some dirt he could certainly get some from our front yard because we needed to get rid of some so we could have room for some topsoil and then grass on top of that.

So when Laren and I went over to talk to Nick he was busy working on his own backyard. When he saw us he immediately stopped what he was doing and came over to us. After we introduced ourselves, the first words he said were, "I know what you're going to say and the answer is yes!"

We were totally shocked. So Laren mentioned details. He followed us right over to our house in the Bobcat. He immediately cleared the front yard of the excess dirt. He ended up not needing our dirt because he was able to get what he needed from a vacant lot that has yet to be built on.

While Nick was removing excess dirt from our front yard, I convinced Laren to just ask Tylar if he would let us take the fence down (it is a shared fence) so we could get the Bobcat into our backyard to remove the dirt. It took me probably 10 minutes of talking but Laren finally agreed. We talked to Tylar, he came and looked and we discussed his concerns and details and time frame and he gave us the okay.

In the meantime I ran over to Hap and Amy's, some other neighbors to invite them for Sunday Dinner tomorrow. I had invited them earlier in the week but they didn't yet know their schedule. Anyway, they were happy to come and I ended up having another nice conversation with Amy.

I came back home to help Laren pull out some fence posts, move some landscape rocks and dig some dirt so we could make room for the Bobcat in our backyard. It took some doing and Tylar came over to help pull the fence posts and move some rocks. Also Alyssa, our 9 year old, was helping too. She was a hardworker today.

Alyssa helping Laren dig in the backyard today.

We finally got it all ready and made a ramp with the landscape rocks for the Bobcat. We were concerned about the Bobcat breaking our stamped concrete patio. But we got a decent ramp built up with dirt and rocks. Then Nick ended up spending almost 2 hours removing dirt from the back part of our backyard with the Bobcat today.

Nick hauling some dirt out of our yard today.

He got almost half way done and had to stop to go to a family party but said he would be back tomorrow. Laren and I both told him that was okay since tomorrow is Sunday, but that if he really wanted to he could but that we didn't expect him to do it then. He assured us it was no problem and he was happy to help!

In the meantime Nick's wife, Kristen, came over to introduce herself. She is blonde with a medium build and about our age or maybe a little bit younger. She came and said hello and told us if we ever needed anything they are just 2 doors down. I said, "Uh, you are already helping us tremendously by having your husband helping us move all of this dirt in the backyard." Laren had been hauling it out by the wheelbarrow full and it was a long and tedious process!

Anyway, Nick got done and we chatted and gave them a tour of our house and told them the story of how the previous owners had stolen half to two-thirds of the kitchen cabinets, all of the appliances, some doors, some door handles, the showerheads, and how they'd played paintball in the basement and family room, etc...

Nick and Kristen seem like the nicest couple. They both work at the same place, some refrigeration company here in Denver. They don't have any kids yet, but want to someday. They met at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO. He graduated with his degree in Business Management and she graduated with a degree in Public Relations. Anyway, as they left my heart was overpouring with gratitude!

I cannot help but think we got this wonderful blessing because Laren put the Temple and his Church calling as a priority this week. Not that he let the rest of his life go to do those things, but he just put them in the perspective they needed to be.

Earlier this week Laren made up this list of all that he wanted to get done in the next week or two. And then as we talked it through he remembered that Tuesday was Stake Temple Night and that he should probably go to that. I agreed, but groaned inwardly as I thought about how that meant the yard would slide another day and how I would not see him until late, late. Then he realized he had meetings for his calling on Wednesday night. So he thought about it and then put those 2 things at the top of his list.

Laren's list that has been sitting on our bathroom counter all week.

He did those 2 priorities and the rest of the week has somehow fallen into place. I don't think it's a coincidence that I just happened to lean over the fence and talk to the neighbors at just the right time. Or that it just happened that Tylar and Jeanette will be out of town this week and they will not be needing their fence up for their dogs. Or that it just happened to be the weekend that Nick's friend, Dustin, had offered to loan him his Bobcat for free.

Or that the FIRST time we ever met Nick he said, "I know what you're going to ask and the answer is yes." Or that the weather would be a beautiful and balmy 63 today, when earlier in the week we were expecting dreadfully snowy weather. There are just too many things that fell right into place for us.

I'm incredibly grateful! Hopefully this will mean getting our grass planted sooner than later so I don't have all of this dirt being tracked through my house constantly! Hopefully it will mean that we can have more time to help others out when they need us.

In the meantime, I went to the store and bought some cookies and some jerky for Nick. We also got some cash to pay him for his gas and a little extra. I just feel so spoiled to have neighbors this great! I don't know if I mentioned before but the rototiller we are using is our neighbors from the other side who offered to let us use it. That same neighbor has also helped Laren move some dirt from the backyard; one night when he saw Laren doing it with the wheelbarrow he came and just started pitching in too!