For the love of Bobcats

Fast forward several months to Summer 2005.  Mark and I had gotten engaged in February and planned a July 29 wedding.  His father, brother and a couple close friends would be traveling from Australia to witness the wedding.  But that's not all they'd be doing.

Mark decided to take the opportunity for free help to install pavers in our gravel driveway.  He and the other Aussies were delighted to learn that one could rent a Bobcat in the States and operate it without a special license.  They couldn't wait to take turns driving the Bobcat.

Before his family and friends arrived, Mark measured, planned and ordered materials so that they could get right to work and finish the job before we hosted about 40 people at our Rehearsal Dinner in the backyard.  They got an early start the first morning, ready to get started digging just after the eagerly-awaited Bobcat was delivered.  Soon enough, the driveway area had been dug out deep enough to put down the base layers of sand and gravel. The Bobcat wasn't going to be picked up, however, for hours.  Rather than waste those hours with the Bobcat sitting still, Mark and his helpers decided to re-grade the soil around the house to improve water runoff.  Apparently, the only way this project could be achieved was to tear up most of the backyard lawn.  Two days before we hosted family and friends for a Rehearsal Dinner.  I had not anticipated this side project.  I was not pleased when I returned home from work that day.

I admit, the results of the paving project were great.  Gone were the messy gravel and weeds we had driven on over the past year, replaced with a level, smooth driveway paved with paving stones.  Shoveling snow would be a lot easier that winter!

I was still a little annoyed when we set up tables and chairs in our backyard for our guests, but we had a nice dinner party with family and friends who came not to judge our lawn care skills, but to enjoy the company of others and congratulate Mark and I on the occasion of our wedding.