Paint!!

The painting in the main part of the house is done and I absolutely love it!! It's even better that I didn't have to paint it myself. We've never hired painters before because I don't think it's that hard to do and I can do a pretty good job myself, but there was so much painting that needed to be done, it would have taken me weeks! It took three guys 2 days. Here are the before and after pictures:

We spent much of the weekend figuring out where to hang things on our newly painted walls. We hung a few things but didn't make much progress. Oh well.

We also had the pool heater replaced last week, a pretty large expense that we weren't planning on. Turns out there were a couple of mice that had built a nest in the old one, and their waste ruined it. Imagine that! So, now we have a nice new mouse-free pool heater that works like a charm. And Brian set a mouse motel next to it to make sure it stays that way!

Friday night, Brian and I went on our first date since moving to Bakersfield. We went to a Bakersfield establishment, Buck Owens Crystal Palace. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was pretty darn cool. It's a restaurant, dance hall, and museum all in one! The Buckaroos (Buck Owens's band from when he was on Hee-Haw) still play there regularly. Some of those guys have been in the band for over 40 years! We ate dinner and danced a little and listened to the band play, while Sarah babysat Katie for the first time and did a really good job. We were quite impressed with her.

Saturday we heated up the hot tub and soaked for a while. It was very relaxing! We also used the outdoor kitchen for the first time on Saturday. Brian grilled a pork tenderloin and zucchini that I bought at the farmer's market. It was delicious! A pretty good day in my book.