Day 210

We always hoped that our new home would be a social gathering place for friends and family. Now, with outdoor restoration projects underway, a much improved backyard, and a fully renovated first floor, we hoped to make that hope a reality.

We decided to host our end-of-the school year gathering at our home. I  am not going to go into a long diatribe about the current state of education and the intense scrutiny and pressure teachers go through each and every day trying to fulfill the overwhelming (and often developmentally-inappropriate) expectations placed on them, but I will say this: teachers need a break. Yes, we have extended time in the summer away from the daily grind of the classroom but “summers off” is a major misnomer. But I digress.

We looked forward to opening up our doors and allowing our home to be a place to celebrate. Because education offers an all hands on deck mentality, we used a potluck strategy. Interested and available individuals signed up to bring a dish and we collected money for beverages. One of our teachers is a musical expert with an eclectic taste so he gathered up favorite songs from attendees and gave us all a brief music questionnaire to assemble an amazingly diverse and entertaining playlist. On the evening of the bash, the pleasant weather allowed us to use our garage and deck as places to connect and unwind on a  more personal level. Our spanking brand new kitchen served as a buffet line of snacks and appetizers. The chickens and children provided the entertainment.

It was great to host this event for a second year, especially with the house’s renovation just underway. People who attended both were able to appreciate the transformation. We know that the transformation will continue as we work to improve the indoor and outdoor settings of Craneview on Plainview.

While the school year was winding down, we looked forward to hosting even more events and gatherings in the future. We had many ideas about what our space could become. While we worked towards that vision, with a few years of renovating and updating, we were starting to share our space with the community.