Plenty of Sunshine and a Funk

I had a three day weekend…which was much needed and appreciated. But, it didn’t really feel too much like I had Friday off since I monitored my blackberry all day in case something disastrous happened at work (it didn’t). We had a nice weekend. But it fell short of my expectations…as most things do these days. I don’t know why.


I imagined that I would sleep in for three days straight. We’d hang out with friends and go shopping. Do some yard work. Spend time relaxing. For the most part, we did all that. Except that sleeping in for me is waking up at 6am. I mentioned last week that we have officially started our front porch project. Roger had been talking to a contractor that was going to install a composite wood deck in the front and side of our house. The price was pretty good for what we were getting, but there was a lot of miscommunication about the type/size of pergola we wanted. And that caused them to feel like they had to do more research and re-do the quote. All of that was good and fine, until it started taking way too long. Roger called them back mid-week and told them to forget the pergola. If they could contract with us to build the deck, we’d work out the details of the pergola later. That conversation led them to want to re-write the quote for us to sign (instead of just crossing off the pergola and initialing). They wanted to get back with us in “a couple of days”.

Well, the couple of days ended Friday and when they hadn’t called back by lunch time, I was frustrated. I’m impatient by nature, but especially impatient when it comes to contractors. I feel like if they can’t even pay attention to what I’m asking for and return calls when they say they will, then how can I expect them to follow through with the project the right way? I wanted Roger to call them and tell them that they needed to present the new quote that day or we’d go with someone else. He wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt because he’s just a nicer person than me. But, I was reminded that they’ve been slow with everything. Just getting the original quote to us took three weeks, then when they finally got it to us, they didn’t break the work out like we had asked, and specked the wrong pergola. Roger didn’t see it as bad as I did. He wanted me to be just a little more patient and wait until the next day for him to call.

I had none of it. Instead, I contacted the contractor I hired to landscape the backyard when I first moved into the house. He was reasonable and reliable. And the product was beautiful. He was able to come over Saturday morning and give us a quote for a stamped concrete porch with a stone wall/bench all the way around. More what we were picturing when we first started the project. It’s a little more money than the other guy had quoted, but he’s also doing more work (pulling out the roots, regarding the property, and extending the driveway). Roger agreed with me that we’d be better off going with this guy, so we signed with him. He starts in two weeks!

But, even though in the end, Roger said that it made more sense to use the second contractor and that what we’re getting will look nicer with our current architecture, etc, I sensed that he was frustrated that I didn’t just let him work things out with the other guy. I can see where I was wrong to just lose all my patience and take over. It’s a bad habit…one, I’m not sure I’ll ever have the strength to break.

And I think that set us up for the rest of the weekend. Not that it was bad, it just wasn’t great.

We went over to Vickie’s house on Friday so that Roger could move her AC unit (she’s having landscaping work done too). We had a small barbeque. Kaelyn ran around the backyard, and we stayed and watched a movie. We had planned to do some grocery shopping that afternoon, but didn’t leave Vickie’s until after 8pm. Kaelyn was sleeping, so I ended up going by myself, late at night, tired and frustrated.

Saturday, we had a camping expo to attend. Roger was a host. I pictured this being a few hours in the early afternoon and relaxing. I hate to admit it, but it was none of those. We both wanted to leave almost as soon as we got there. The idea itself was nice. Host a barbeque where people interested in camping/hiking events could come, browse at the displays, and meet the people that host the events. Since we do the rafting/camping trip every year, and that is coming up in a month, Roger was there to sell that trip. But, I think for people that maybe have never done anything with our group before, it was uncomfortable. The event was held in a member’s home, and I don’t think a lot of people felt at ease showing up to a stranger’s house. But, despite the low turnout, there was a good group of people there and we did have an ok time catching up with friends but I spent more time than anything chasing Kaelyn around…totally expected when you’re out with a toddler. The backyard had a pool, and open gate to the street, and a fire going…so all I saw is “danger, your daughter will die here!”. I was happy to finally leave and get her home safely.

Sunday, did turn out to be the day I had pictured. We made a trip to the dump to get rid of the trimmings from the bushes and trees we cut down last weekend, then back to the grocery store to pick up everything I had forgotten (which was a lot) on Friday night. We did some work in the backyard, grilled chicken and vegetables for a healthy dinner, and watched half of the latest Harry Potter movie.

Looking back, we had a good weekend. We enjoyed the nice weather and plenty of family time. But, I still couldn’t get my mood elevated enough to fully enjoy it. I sure hope I’m out of my funk soon. Maybe when things slow down at work…