2012-The Year to Update the Outside

Remember when you went to buy your new home and you were dreaming of all the wonderful things you would do once it was yours?

Yeah, that feeling....

In all of our house hunting plans, the front yard and especially the back yard seemed to be a priority {I mean come on, we have a 10 lb dog who needs to have a huge space-right?} Little did Ryan and I know that with that extra space comes obligations to keep it up.

WHAT? You mean a yard requires maintenance? Hold the phone.

Fast forward 4 years {yup, that's how long we've been living in our humble abode} and you won't see any improvement on the yards since we purchased the home. Take a gander...

Yeah, that's what is next to our beautiful new deck in the backyard!

The pond in the backyard...who likes ponds?

The front yard, previously there was a pond {yes, previous owners loved them} not much curb appeal huh?

Bushes in the front of the driveway

Side of the house near the AC unit

I promise we aren't terrible homeowners. We, meaning me, typically stick to what we know which is on the inside of the home. I have never been good at keeping plants alive, that's why it made my 30 Before 30 List. So yard work with trimming hedges, pulling weeks and all that jazz is not my cup of tea. Therefore, we called in an expert!

I've been seeing signs all around the neighborhood for Koastal Landscaping Services. The owner, Carter, has been super amazing and really taking into account our lack of skills in this area.  He's devised up a plan to remove all of the crap in the back yard & just put mulch down. Yup, I want it simple and maintenance free. And in the side/front yard, he'll be getting rid of the overgrown plants and building a beautiful flower garden. That's a huge risk for people such as ourselves; however, Carter has promised me it'll be little to no maintenance!

And if that wasn't enough, we are also getting our front deck pressure washed, stained and sealed. As you can see, it is in desperate need of it {again, I must request you not judge us}

Stay tuned as this transformation takes place. I'm very excited to see it all complete so we can check that off our home improvement list!