Summer 2016...
A few years ago my hubby and I started considering a backyard play structure for the kiddies to play on. At the time we envisioned one of those assemble yourself kits that you can purchase from stores such as Costco or Home Depot. And so the initial search began...we looked high and low for the ultimate play house. Eventually we came to the realization that what we wanted and what we had budgeted for didn't even come close. It was at that point we started to backtrack a little and reconsider our original plan. Perhaps the play house would have to wait and we most definitely needed to start saving. My mom opened an account for us and right away we started putting money into it. For nearly one year we saved every birthday and Christmas gift the kids received from family.
Summer 2017...
Fast forward a little (to the following summer) and we had finally put aside enough money to purchase something substantial. Just in time for the warmer weather we found a play house online that was nearly half the cost and completely on board with what we had been searching for. We decided to purchase it and I'll never forget how excited we all were. For the kids especially, it seemed as though they had been waiting years for this to happen...and now it finally was (or so we thought).
We figured it would take at least a couple days to put together, so we set our calendar for the first available weekend. We even managed to secure some helping hands, my hubby's cousin joined us for the big day. We got about 3 pieces into building it and can you believe it? We couldn't find the fourth one. We literally spent 4 hours opening up the boxes and spreading out all the pieces, only to realize the kit we had purchased was missing several intricate parts. The afternoon was a complete fail...ending with my hubby throwing all the opened boxes and materials back into his truck and the kiddies feeling beyond disappointed. We were all very frustrated and even worse we were right back to where we started, but this time we had no hope of moving forward
That was August...so thankfully summer was coming to an end. After a few days of feeling completely let down, we all decided it was time to move on. Everything was temporarily put on hold.
Early fall 2017...
The kiddies were back in school and our summer project failure was now just distant memory. We were starting to look forward to other things...birthdays, Halloween and even the Holidays. Then one day in early October my grandfather showed up at our house for an unexpected visit. He had brought with him several images of a play house that he had created and drawn himself. At first I thought to myself wow, these are incredible, but my grandfather who at the time was 99 would never be able to build it himself. But that didn't stop him...he had built my play house nearly 30 years ago and I knew there was nothing preventing him from being a part of the construction of a new one for his great-grand-children. Even if it was just creating the initial blueprints.
Let's stop right there. This all sounded so wonderful and exciting, but in all honesty it was completely unrealistic. Even if we did have a plan that made sense, who in the heck was going to build this thing? And even if we found someone...how on earth were we going to pay them for the hours upon hours of labour it would take to fully construct this mini backyard dream house? (because that's what it was becoming -ha!) Once again we decided to put the idea aside, and while we were completely accepting of the fact that it wasn't going to happen right now, my persistent grandfather (whose got a heart of gold) just kept bringing it up. I literally had no choice but to make it happen - but I didn't have a clue what that would look like.
Later that fall (still 2017)...
Then one day I had an idea. I ran it by my hubby and he agreed that the person I was thinking of was the most perfect person for the job, but would he actually want to do it (and would he have time?). Regardless of our concerns, we knew it was worth a chance, and maybe our last hope.
This person I was thinking of is literally the definition of "A Jack of All Trades". He had spent years making his own home into a creative masterpiece. Revamping his entire main floor, building a spectacular outdoor kitchen and separate bar, incorporating beer taps into virtually every imaginable location (9 to be exact throughout his entire house)...and when he's not busy working on a construction project, you'll find him outdoors in the gardens, maintaining the grounds, his wife often by his side...they take pride of ownership to an entire new level. At Halloween he spends weeks creating the biggest haunted house our neighbourhood has ever seen and at Christmas you'll find him indoors assembling a 1500 piece holiday village that spans the entire length of their home. When he and his wife aren't busy working on projects they are often entertaining friends and neighbours alike...when the days get longer and the nights are warmer you can pretty much guarantee that there's a fire burning and smores to be made (and drinks for those who are of age). His name is not Jack but it's Joe and he is our neighbour. They say you can't choose your neighbours, but if you could there are no two people in the world my hubby and I could have chosen better ourselves, than Joe and his wife Stephanie.
Christmas 2017...
We asked...and he said YES! He didn't just say yes, it was almost as if he felt honoured to have been asked and he was just as excited as we were about the entire project. We spent that evening sharing ideas and looking through online images for inspiration. When you combine Joe's creativity and craftsmanship with my visions, mix in a few drinks and good conversation - you know the result is going to be something special. With a projected start date of spring 2018 we had never felt closer to fulfilling our dream of having a play house our kids could enjoy for years to come.
Spring 2018...
A series of unfortunate events meant that Joe had to postpone the start of construction, but we knew that he was a man of his word, and when he makes a promise - you can rest assured that he's going to follow through. And it would be well worth the wait.
April 2019...
We get the news that Joe it set to begin. To be honest it caught us a little off guard but we were more than ready and eager to get the ball rolling.
May 2019...
It rained nearly every day so as a result construction was postponed - once again!
Early June 2019...
Joe begins the initial stages of building and all of a sudden our dream which has been 3 years in the making is starting to become a reality.
Where we are now...
Joe has recently informed us that we are currently just weeks away from the completion of the play house, and I can't even describe how excited the kiddies are (my hubby and I are pretty delighted too). Everyday we come home eagerly expecting to see the progression and everyday it's looking more and more like we imagined. It's almost surreal...we ask ourselves daily, how did we get so lucky? What did we do to deserve this and how on earth will we ever repay Joe?
Something tells me that Joe isn't expecting anything in return and even if we did come up with the most amazing thank you gift (which we're trying to), nothing will compare to the overwhelming feeling of joy that Joe and his wife Stephanie will feel when they see not just our kids, but all of the neighbourhood kids enjoying the play house that he built. I'm including his wife, because I'm certain she to has had to be very patient with this entire process - he's literally been putting in full days, working around the clock, then heading home to finish up the numerous things he's always got on the go within his own house (Joe never stops).
Here's the end to our story...there are several types of people in this world, and most certainly a lot of good ones, but once in a while (if you're lucky) you'll come across someone like our neighbour Joe. Sometimes my hubby and I look back and feel like we hit the jackpot when we moved into our new home nearly 5 years ago. Little did we know then that the relationship we began that August in 2014, would someday blossom into a friendship we never could have imagined.
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| The initial plans my grandfather illustrated himself...our inspiration for this project. |
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| The early stages. |
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| Where we're at now...we can't wait to see the finished project! |
So #grateful
#wewonthejackpot most definitely
Our #neighboursarethebest
Thank you Joe (and Stephanie)
Have a great weekend!
Katie
xo
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