Le Deck

While I've referred to our house as "the little house that could," with all it's potential and the love we've put into it, our back deck was "the little deck that really shouldn't have." Really.  

At some point last fall, we gathered bids to rebuild our old deck and realized how unsafe it was. No part of it had ever been to code; not the beams themselves, not the stairs, not the way it was anchored to the house...not even the nails that were used, fergodsakes. How did we not discover this when we bought the house?! It's been a lesson...

We counted our blessings,  pinched our pennies, and decided to rebuild...just in time for the warm weather.

Sayanora old deck! We won't miss you! 

    

We expanded the deck, making it deeper and wider.  Of course, we made sure that every part of it was done to code, and safe for little people, especially.

Our contractor has been great. His schtick is that he only builds decks and screened-in porches.  We trusted that he was the right person for the job. The name of his business is sort of a clever play on words...

"Home Deck". Get it?  Kidding... We like how no-nonsense he is.

And here's where we are now...

 Tucker is in the midst of staining and sealing it.
That whole "pregnancy card" is really working out for me...

To see the final product, you'll need to come visit!

On Patrol

You know Margot means business when she steps out of the vehicle.

The weather has instantly turned into summer and we LOVE it! It's been in the 80s for the past few days and it feels so good. We've spent afternoons in the yard, evenings on the deck (pics to come), and nights with the windows open. This weather can stay as long as it likes!

Kiawah

With a little luck and good timing, Tucker, Margot, and I recently went on something referred to as a "vacation". While we make trips to see family and friends as often as we can, vacations with just the three of us haven't been something we've done. Since Tucker's time off between jobs and my spring break lined up perfectly, we flew to Charleston, SC, rented a car, and were able to explore Charleston a little while spending the week on Kiawah Island.

Margot had grits for the first time and loved them. I remember liking Cream of Wheat as a kid, but these southern grits were a whole different story....savory, buttery, and a whole lot of goodness.

Kiawah Island is a pretty incredible place. It's about 10 square miles and much of the island is protected land. We stayed at the resort there which encompasses almost the entire island. There are beaches, bike paths, tennis courts, pools and golf courses all over the island, though it felt more like a small town than a resort. 

 It was chilly the first couple of days we were there, but the sunshine still felt wonderful.

 We fell in love with Charleston. It felt similar to Georgetown or Baltimore, just with a very strong southern flare and palm trees! We ate all kinds of fresh seafood, biscuits, po' boys, fried green tomatoes, and ice cream, which made it really feel like vacation.  The French Quarter was our favorite part of the city.

Our last night on Kiawah, we had dinner at Jasmine Porch which was one of the restaurants at The Sanctuary Hotel. (Think: the southern version of the Sagamore). 

It was a perfect way to end our stay in South Carolina.

In the lobby at The Sanctuary.

As usual, Margot had the best seat on the plane on the flight home.

While vacation with Margot was a little different than vacations in the past, (dinner at 6pm and in our room by 7pm every night; staying in for nap time in the middle of the day; up at 7AM!) it was nice to have some time away from home together in a slightly warmer, beautiful place.