I’m sure you have picked up on it by now, but I’m more the artsy-fartsy type guy.  However, the last couple weeks at my place have been filled with all sort of new man-ly goodness.  We decided to fence in our backyard and we also decided we could do it ourselves.  Just a little background, up until this point, this is the largest tool I have ever owned or operated.

Yes, I realize it’s just a drill and most 5 year olds could run it.  Thank you.  Anyway, by the end of the project I had promoted myself up to full manhood and rented and operated one of these bad boys.  Check it.  I’m a man.

Not bad eh.  I started with a smaller auger.  Rental places know you are a manly man when you hook something up to the back of your minivan. :)

Each of the 50 fence posts had to be set in concrete. So you buy a bunch of bags of concrete and carry them over to each post.

Concrete bags that weigh 80lbs each.

I am not that strong.

This is how we ended up moving them.

Some of the ground was too hard to the little auger so I ended up having to rent the little tractor looking thing.  Here is photographic proof that I can operate heavy machinery.

And finally, here are a few before and after photos of the backyard.  I’m basically a mix between Bob Vila & Ty Pennington.  (A builder who is old AND good looking.)

HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to Danielle who not only encouraged me to do the project, but carried every single fence picket to the backyard while I nailed gunned those bad boys up.

Side note:  Working like a real person made me love my fake job that much more.  Thank you all for paying me to take photographs. :)

Luke has always and will always bee the coolest person in our family.  I’m just glad he lets us live with him.

Last week Sara had her birthday party.  She is totally into Tangled and decided that was going to be her “theme”.

Side note: I’ve realized that girls birthday parties are like practice weddings.
You spend more money than you should.
You invite people you feel “obligated” to invite.
No one is as impressed as you think they will be at your “event”.
Kids and parents argue over the details of the day.
Once everyone leaves you still have to clean up.

Here are a few shots from Sara’s 6th practice wedding.

This photo proves 2 things.  Danielle is awesome at cakes.  Sara is mediocre at smiling. :)

If there is one thing weddings have taught me, it’s that when you present forks like this, everyone KNOWS it’s a fancy event.

We then painted on the walls.  Rapunzel style.

Each year I am given the task of designing the invitations to all 4 birthday parties.  This year Danielle told me that Sara had done her own.  She drew each of these invitations and made sure everyone got a unique one.  (I’d like to see one of you super brides out there try that!)

What up party people?  Today’s post is a smorgasbord of goodies.  1st off, last week I had a little contest.  There were tons of great entries on what Danielle & I should do for our 9 year anniversary.  I think we’ll mix and match some of the ideas for dates later on, but the winning entry totally nailed it.  Both Danielle & I “picked it” without talking to each other.  Here is the entry we chose.

“Take a blast to the past! If your memory serves you well, and it should relive your first date. Where did you meet, what restaurant did you go to (is it still around?), what did you do afterwards?
Remap this special moment, and do your best to make it the same way it was when it first happened. Is this romantic? ABSOLUTELY, it also shows that you care, and most of all, you remembered your first date!!! Also have your favorite DJ make you a cd to play in the car on the way of your favorite songs during that time 
Happy 9th Anniversary Alex & Danielle!!!!!!” – Andrea Brown

This date idea fits us perfectly and we are really looking forward to it.  Also, bonus points for Andrea working her husband Casy Brown’s kick butt DJ skills into the idea.  Apparently CMB Music not only does wedding, but also 9 year mix tapes. :)  Congrats Andrea.

Next up is our little Mini-Cation we took as a family this past weekend.  I had a wedding in Galveston as well as a day after session and an engagement session in Houston so I figured we should all load up and head that way.  Here 9 photos and 1 run on sentence describing our weekend.  Sometimes we jump on the hotel beds when mom is not around, astronaut ice cream is fun, feeding sea gulls is more fun, Eli can stay awake for desert but not space ships, Jo found a big stick and Sara conquered her fear of the ocean, but above all brochures in hotels lobbies are the coolest.

AND FINALLY…. I got this little question from a bride and thought I’d toss it out to all you blog-stalkers out there.

Dear Mr Wedding Expert,

Do u have any suggestions for sleeping through the night the week b4 ur wedding? Wedding nightmares & wide awake @ 3 am…

Thanks,
Sleepy but Sleepless

So what of it ladies?  What did you do to combat the Wedding Week Sleepless Night Syndrome? (WWSNS) Leave your solutions and remedies for WWSNS in the comments and help this girl out.  She needs her sleep.

OK, so here is the deal.  This June is our 9th wedding anniversary.  Everyone makes a big deal about the 10th and we already have a few things planned for that one, but what about this year?  I mean, it should count for something right?  So, why not make a contest out of it.

I’m looking for the most creative/fun/memorable evening that cost me no more than $100 bucks.  It must be within a 4 hour driving distance of Palestine and you do NOT have to factor in gas or hotel expense.  Ideally, the date would happen in June.  If your idea is date specific it can NOT occur on a Saturday.  (I tend to be at weddings on Saturday.)

Here’s how the contest is gonna work.  Leave your date idea in the comments.  You have till Monday at 10:00 AM to post your idea. The sooner you post, the more time I have to start liking your idea. ;)  I’ll then go through them all and pick my favorite and the winner will revise a 16×20 canvas gallery wrap of any image I have shot of them.  (Those bad boys cost $300 bucks so you know you wanna win one.)

Here is where it gets AWESOME.  Other people are allowed to submit date ideas on your behalf.  If their idea wins they get a $25 Target gift card & you get the 16×20  canvas gallery wrap.  So… the more people you have submitting date ideas, the better your chance of winning.  The best way to do that is to jump on Facebook and point your friends towards this blog post.  I also know many of you follow this blog but don’t know anyone I have shot.  If you win I’ll let you pick your favorite couple and I’ll surprise them with the 16×20 gallery wrapped canvas and I’ll hook you up with a $25 Target gift card.  Cool?

On your marks…. get set…. GO!