Groundbreaking

It's official.

We broke ground on the future site for our new house. Well, sort of.

Tuesday, a guy was out to dig perk holes. You know, because the land was feeling pretty sad in this January weather (thank you, I'll be here all week). We couldn't be there, but my dad made sure to take plenty of pictures of The Event. Any event where there are backhoes involved is An Event, so naturally my dad even got a video of it on his super spiffy little camera that he refuses to give to me even though he gave my youngest brother one (she said bitterly).

True, these aren't holes that are going to be permanent, but they are somehow necessary to building the house. I don't know exactly what perk holes are, but I think it has something to do with whether or not we can put a septic tank in. Or a drain field. Whatever it is, I just want to make sure that I can take a nice hot bath in our new house, and this guy was the man to make sure that'll be possible.

Thank you, Mr. Perk Hole Digger. My future relaxation depends on you.

Here's the land as it faces south, where we will be just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Tyler and Sarah. Sydney can hardly contain herself, knowing that she's going to be living right next door to her bestest friend in the whole wide world.

And here's the land as it faces north. That's my parents' house on the left, otherwise known as the house I lived in my entire unmarried life. What you can't see in this picture is that over by the tallest tree in the picture is my grandma's house, and off the northwest is my aunt and uncle's house, and due west is my cousin's house. Yep, it isn't called the Family Farm for nothing.

Actual construction won't begin until this summer, and the move-in date is still many months beyond that, but every house has to start somewhere.

Ours starts with a perk hole.

Comments

[Katy Lewis]

What a day! I'm gald/happy/excited for you. YEA to the perk holes!

[Leslie]

How exciting! You'll have to definitely take pictures of all the progress for us. How neat to have a family farm, I would love that. I'm a little jealous of you.

[gretchen from lifenut]

What an exciting time for your whole family! It is going to be so much fun watching your new home grow.

And I can't contain my jealousy that you will be living on a family farm, next to your nearest and dearest. It looks beautiful. And GREEN. As a Colorado native, I am required by law to marvel at the color green. We just don't have it here, except for 2.5 weeks during May.

[felicia]

Congratulations!

[Jen]

How exciting! I dream of building a house someday and I can only imagine how great this must be for you.

[Karen]

Oh! I can't believe it is starting to happen!!!! Not sure if I am happy for you or not... ;)

[Jess]

That's so exciting! I hope the land perks well! My parents had their new house and our old house built for them, and my mom had so much fun choosing all the details from cabinet knobs to landscaping. I bet you will too!

[Margaret]

That's exciting news! Will you eventually be a Washingtonian then?

[Stephanie]

Ah yes, Margaret guessed it. In a year and a half, I'll become a Washingtonian once again, after a 12 year hiatus.

[Megan]

Steph, I am so excited for you! Enjoy your dream house! : )

[Jeri]

whee...how exciting for you...great start to 2008....perk holes and all.

[raehan]

You are a pretty lucky duck. Just thought you should know. I used to dream of a family farm exactly like yours, but it's just a pipe dream. Maybe I should make it a reality one day. I guess every utopia starts with a dream, no?

[Marilyn]

Wow, that really IS a family compound. Congratulations on this first step! :)

[Sarah]

oh yes, very exciting indeed! pretty soon we'll be able to toss the kids back and forth to each other...and yell if need a cup of sugar...and crash bbqs...oh the endless possibilities :)

[Alida]

Congratulations!!!! How exciting!