Tigers Fantasy Camp

We spent the weekend in Detroit where Brad participated in the Detroit Tigers Fantasy Baseball Camp at Comerica Park. He got a full uniform, and played 10 games back to back Friday night, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday. We all had a blast watching him in the stands - and it was an amazing experience for us all! Brad pitched several innings and played 1st base, 2nd base, and all outfield positions. Here's a picture I took of him in his Detroit Tigers uniform.

Stay tuned for more pictures and videos.

Before and After

I thought it would be cool to put the Before and After pics right next to each other. Here they are!

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Final Pictures

The project is now about 98% done and only a few minor details are left. We enjoyed our pool all weekend long and look forward to the rest of the summer and early fall to swim in our pool and party on our patio! Here are some pictures of the "final" product.

Fireplace Complete!

After three long weeks, the fireplace was finally finished this week. It looks so good! I'll take more pictures during the day, but here's an updated picture of the finished fireplace. We burned our first fire this evening. :)

Landscaping Complete!

Well, July 4th rolled around and we didn't quite get it all done. The pool was full of water...but no chemicals. However, this did allow us to swim in it that day...and that weekend too. Now, it's a little dirty and they have added the acid and will be balancing the water tonight in order to get the chemicals up and running tomorrow.

Here are some pics of the landscaping and the pool in use!

Oh...and we think Callie likes our backyard, too!

Pool filled and fireplace hearth done

The pool filled in about 18-20 hours. Also, the hearth was completed on the same day. It looks great! Take a look...

The Plaster Process

So...it's been a while since we posted. We were really hoping to let everyone see it in its completed form before seeing pictures, so I have some back blogging to do. Here are some pictures of the plaster just after it was added.

I THINK the fireplace is almost done

We had a crew of 4 masons working on the fireplace yesterday. They made some great progress, but they're still not done. They said they'd be done today, Sunday, but still have to cut out the hole in the roof, go up another 3-4 feet for the chimney with cinder blocks, cover the chimney with stone, put the flagstone in the tv area, build the mantle, add the bricks inside the fireplace...and that's all I can think of. That seems like a lot to do in a day.

But here are some pictures of the progress.

And the fireplace is still growing

It was a pretty quiet day, after the major rain storm last night - not good when electrical wires are exposed and the covered patio isn't quite so covered...anyway, Humberto came back out BY HIMSELF again today and made some significant progress on the fireplace. It looks great! Now, if he can just bring some buddies with him to help -- let's hope there are more masons tomorrow. But nevertheless, he's doing a great job!

By the way, where is the inspector???

Electrical and Some Fireplace Progress

I'm a little late...but the electricians came out on Monday to install the can light shells, put in a few outlets, and setup the wiring for the fan and television. Humberto, my new best friend, was also here to work on the fireplace. He's the only mason working on our huge fireplace...I think it will be a while before it's done. Here are some pics from earlier in the week.