Resolution

The pictures posted in my previous entry depicted what my front yard looked like Wednesday night (and Thursday morning as I left for work).

The plan of what was to follow:

THURSDAY

1. County Inspection at 9:00am
2. Plumbers fill the holes back in (planning on being done by noon)
3. I get off work and go to Home Depot to pick up grass seed, fertilizer, and straw to spread.
4. Meet plumber at 6:00 to give him my severed arm and leg as payment.

FRIDAY (or whenever forcasted rain finishes passing through)

1. Spread grass seed and fertilizer
2. Cover lawn with straw
3. Wait for grass to "like magic appear"
4. Be ultimately happy with things turned out, despite paying through the nose, because this is a permanent fix to some shoddy work done years ago.

What actually happened:

THURSDAY

1. Inspection goes just fine
2. 10:45, I stop by to see the plumber leaving (with earth-moving equipment on trailer). I see that Kimberly's uncle Mark is using the family-owned Bobcat to smooth the dirt. When I stopped to talk to him he said "Yeah, I told that guy he didn't know what he was doing, and to get outta here." I was actually thankful for this, because I know that Mark is really good with the Bobcat, and he does, in fact, know what he's doing. As I'm talking to Mark about the future of my front yard, Kristopher (Kimberly's brother) pulled up in a pickup truck full of seed, fertilizer, and straw, thus preventing me from having to go after work and pick up the stuff myself.
3. 5:35, I got home from work, and within minutes, the plumber showed up. I gave him said arm and leg.
4. 6:00, I got started on the yard. Thankfully, Kimberly's dad was there to offer up advice on how to actually prepare the packed dirt, and Kimberly's mom helped me rake, spread seed and fertilizer, and lay the straw, which was made much easier because my dad let me borrow his seed-spreader (which may have a proper name, but I don't know what it may be). We finished just as the last little bit of daylight was fading just after 8:00. Despite not being able to move for the rest of the night and still being sore today (Saturday morning), it's done. It was finished before this rain came in, which, of course, is ideal.

The point of it all...well, several points, I suppose, are as follows:

• It's all over. With the exception of waiting for the grass to come in, we are major-problem-free. Now, we're just left with all the minor problems that have always been there...but we can deal with those.
• You may think from reading this that Kimberly's family seems intrusive and meddlesome. This is not the case. They were awesome through all this, and I'm very thankful. The yard would have never been ready to seed if Mark had not worked his magic on it. It also wouldn't have happened if Kimberly's dad hadn't sent Kristopher to pick up and deliver the seed, fertilizer, and straw early in the day, and there's ABSOLUTELY no way it would have been done so fast if Kimberly's mom hadn't helped me work in the yard. It's a huge family, but they really help each other out. Sometimes I forget that. Kimberly's dad also gave me lots of advice along the way (which was helpful, given that I've never dealt with this before), and he also went and talked to the plumber himself just to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off.
• Despite having big, expensive problems, which are very trying on the nerves (not to mention the health of relationships), it's just good to know that the whole "for better or worse" thing actually holds true. Regardless of the fact that we were without running water for a lot of this time, Kimberly had to shower at her parents' house a few times, and it was just a general inconvenience on everybody...we could still find some sanity and some humor at some points of the night. We were at each other's throats a few times, but ultimately, we were fine, and we knew it. Cohen would smile at us, and that is something that will make every one of your worries seem do disappear, even if just for a moment.

Now, maybe I can put up a blog that has nothing to do with what happens to my poop after it leaves my body.