Replanted in our Garden

I'm exhausted. It has been quite a week in our new home. Yes, it is true - we are moved in. And I'm reminded all the time that I love this house. It is truly perfect for us. The layout, the size, etc. We have bought a truly beautiful home that we can grow in to. I set up my office - incredible! I put up the Ikea furniture and all my equipment. Next step is fixing up the walls and working on my mural - more on that later. (I'm going to photo journal of that part)
Today I really hit the yard hard - since it smacked me seriously with some poison ivy this last week. I'm still dealing with the sores. But with a 100 degree day, I about fell into a lump on the lawn it was so tiring. The yard is rather pretty, with some fantastic landscaping, but it needs some love. Considering I also spent a bunch of money on a new lawn tractor and gas-powered weedwacker (it's a weedhacker vern! A weedhacker!), I'm spent. (ha ha)
The list of upcoming projects - and purchases - are long: fix the undersink laundry pump (yay Grundfos! It's free!), TV stand, office fix-up, new storage equipment, hot tub fix, and then the bigger stuff - more touch up of landscaping, an inground pool, new boiler (yes geothermal would be nice), etc. Better save that money.
This week, Amy and I drove into NYC to go see the BYU orchestra perform at Carnegie Hall. The drive in was long and filled with traffic, the food expensive, the Mormons all over the place, and the show fantastic. I especially enjoyed the numbers by Copland and Rossini (The Thieving Magpie). The Copland song was especially familiar, a song about a young couple starting out on a Pennsylvania homestead with all their hopes and worries. I definitely identified with that part given our new homestead here in Western New Jersey. And I identify with the portion of the song where Copland integrates the Shaker hymn Simplicity. My life truly is a gift.
HRP