Now that is the "unofficial" start of summer, do you and DH have any BIG plans?  Share them with us!

DH and I are redoing our plumbing - we have well water and it is horrible.  We have to add filters and a softener.  We are also going to try and finish up clearing away the area on our property that we will eventually use as a garden next year.  I am also trying to put a little bit of money away so we can go on our delayed HM, as we have both been feeling a little overworked and in definite need of a vacation.  Crossing my fingers that I can make it happen. 

I hope that you all are going to enjoy your summers, as it seems like it is going to be a great season!!!

Good luck with the plumbing! You two have put such effort into that house - I can't imagine how fabulous it will be when you're all finished!

This summer is our one year anniversary, so we're planning to go away for a long weekend. Nothing fancy or expensive, just something within driving distance for a couple nights. By having so many weddings this year, we've really racked up our Hilton Honors Points, so I think we'll take advantage of a free room one night :) Right now our thoughts are Baltimore or Boston.

Really our focus is on finding and buying a house. Now that the condo is sold, we're just socking away money in hopes that we'll be able to find our perfect house before the school year starts and we're back to teaching.

Other than that, I imagine we'll have a couple day/weekend trips to the shore and NYC. Nothing that will really eat into our bank account.

Hi ladies :) Good luck on your house/pluming beccabride and you fromcoldtorfire with your house hunting, that's a chore on it's own....

DH and I are doing some backyard work adding more patio stones and laying interlocking bricks on the side of the house leading into our backyard.  We have done the majority over the last month so there really is not much there.  We are planning a trip to Ottawa for a week with our youngest who is graduating this year and will be going to University in Ottawa.  So we thought we would spend a week there so she could get to know what is there and how to get to the airport when she comes home for the holidays and such. It will be a new beginning for her away from her parents and siblings...(I'm terrified)

Other than that we will be spending a lot of our time with friends and family mostly with friends going boating, pool/dinner parties it will be a grea summer I think and knowing that I am with my loving husband makes it all the better!!!!

Thanks ladies - I have a confession - I never thought that getting the house to where we wanted would be so much work and we haven't even gotten started really (tearing down walls, making an addition to the bathroom).  It seems that when I think I have some free time, something else needs to be done with the house, BUT I absolutely love our home, so it's not a big deal.  I'm also learning a ton of things about building. 

@FCTF - I am keeping my fingers crossed that you guys find something soon!  I like your plan of doing day/weekend trips and NYC is so much fun for day trips.  Maybe we'll run into you some time there. 

@Maggie - Can't wait to see your backyard!  Are patio stones difficult to put down?  Next year or the yaer after, we are hoping to do these.  Awww about your daughter graduating and going away.  Congrats on her graduating!!  That sounds like a great idea of you showing her around!!!

beccabride I feel your pain...lol we did the same thing when we moved into our house 5 years ago.  We renovated the basement, tore everything out and started from scratch.  When we tore the walls down we found mold and had to scrub everything!!!! We built new walls because our daughter her FI and our son was going to live there.  So we decided to give them there own apartment, full kitchen/dining room & bath, laundry room & living room plus two bedrooms.  We managed to do a lot of it ourselves but we also hired a contractor for the hard stuff like electrical, plumbing and so on.  I remember getting up at 5 am to paint on weekends YUK!!!! But it was worth it.  As for patio stones they really are not that difficult, all you need is gravel, patio stones and those doohiky's (that shows you that it's leveled) lol and the really big thing that pounds the gravel flat (ask hubby to explain) LMAO he will know what I mean, like yourself I am learning too.  I am sure there are tones of books on it too that will be a big help.

Thanks for your well wishes for my daughter :)

I will try to post some picks of my Backyard for you :)

Oh yes, unofficial start to summer!!!!

Becca - yes huge GOOD LUCK with the plumbing!!!! Houses are a ton of work and DH and I have been dragging our heals for several years now.... we gutted and renovated our house before we moved in, literally an entire year of blood, sweat and tears of a house that we couldn't and hadn't even lived in yet..... slow and steady totally wins the race! 

FCTF - fingers crossed you score the perfect house!!!!!!

Maggie - props for the outdoor makeover! You should see the condition of our yard right now, we live in the wood and have let a lot of it go "all natural" aka too lazy to keep it up! 

Our summer plans consist of going down to the jersey shore every weekend..... FIL keeps his boat in Brielle, NJ which is across the river from a fun family beach.... we ended up scoring an amazing summer apartment with two bedrooms and DH and I split the cost with FIL and MIL..... We've had it three weeks now and so far it's been an amazing start to the summer! I'm ready to sell our house and move into this apartment.... its across the street from the beach and only a 5 minute car ride to the dog beach where furbaby is allowed to swim! 

Wow, you all have a bunch of plans! Good luck with the plumbing, house hunting and the backyard work!

@SpringBride: sounds like so much fun and just the best place to spend the summer!

We finally had some warmer weather over here, but the real summer is still not here. Hopefully by mid august the weather will be perfect. DH and I are going on our first holiday with our LO, he will the be 11 months and I bet it's going to be exciting :-). We will drive to the south of Switzerland and stay in a friends apartment for one week (which was a gift for our wedding), with lake views. I can't wait! It's a beautiful place and there's lots to do in the area, walking, great food and swimming in the lake.

Other than that I will have to plant some flowers and redecorate our balcony to even more enjoy the long and warm evenings outside, with friends and family.

Wow, it does sound like we all have a lot of great plans for the summer!!  Springbride, that apartment sounds awesome!  I have family down in Brigantine/AC and I'm hoping we can get down there for a weekend, although we live very very close to High Point State Park and they have a free beach there too; not the real beach, but nonetheless, water.  We live right above a lake, but you have to pay a fee to use it and it is so not worth the cost. 

@swissgirl - you are going to have a ton of fun with the LO.  Can't wait to hear all about your trip.  (ps, it's so awesome to have you back on the boards)

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

It sounds like everyone has some great plans. I am jealous of all of you who are doing home stuff (even if it is hard work!) We live in military housing, and while it is wonderful to live in a house, it has many of the same restrictions as a rental. We can't really paint or do anything permanent to the house, so we are limited in what we can do. I can't wait to OWN something and do projects like tiling and backyard work.

We unofficially started our summer with an anniversary trip to Asheville, NC last weekend. Best trip ever! I am in love with that city now. My family is coming to visit in a couple weeks, and I'm excited because I haven't seen them in three months. My DH is doing his first triathlon a couple weeks later, and then a couple weeks after that we have a family reunion for his mom's side of the family. And in August, we are going on our belated honeymoon! After that, all of the activities for my MOH's wedding will kick off, so I'm super excited! I feel like the summer is going to go by so quick, though!

And ditto Becca's last post -- so nice to see you back on the boards, swissgirl!

Deb, you are MORE than welcome to come up and help with home renos.  : )

I'm so jealous that you and T went to Asheville, NC.  I love, love, love Asheville!!  It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.  Yay for family reunions and more weddings!!!