101 CHALLENGE {#4. Get a Pool}

I have finally started realizing that I've been neglecting my 101 things challenge. I scanned through the list a week or so ago and noticed that I could actually mark some things off! I have got to buckle down! I wanted to have a coordinating post to go with each task that is completed. So the first thing going down the list is #4. Get a pool for the backyard.

We got extremely luck at the end of last summer. Marc was surfing CraigsList like normal and noticed an add for a free pool. "If you come take it apart and move it, you can have it." So of course he emailed the guy. Someone beat us to it and was supposed to come get it that weekend. We gave up hope. No use in building yourself up over something that isn't going to happen. So we moved on. Two weeks later, out of the blue, Marc gets an email. The guy who beat us never showed up to claim the pool so it was now ours if we still wanted it. Um, of course! We loaded up my dad's trailer the next day and went and got that pool! It was a slow process cleaning up the backyard to prepare for it. The day after Thanksgiving we rented a small excavator and Marc dug out a level surface. Bought some cement blocks for all the poles to stand on and filled it all in with sand.

The putting up of the pool was the issue. Marc's friend C came out to help. There were several mishaps. We laughed, Marc cussed, we laughed some more. Finally we got the outer wall up. Once we tried to put in the liner, more mishaps. Turns out once a liner has been drained, it shrinks and can never be used again. No one told us this. So $400 later, we have a new liner. Then we filled and filled and filled with water. Then the pump, oh the pump. It didn't work right. We had to replace the top mechanism thngy. So $100 later, we have a working pump. Now it's up and running and we love it. The water is still a little chilly, but it's getting there. We've also started expanding our deck to reach half way around the pool. I can't wait to spend long summer days outside, relaxing by the pool! And for the $500 or so dollars we did have to put into this thing, we still got a heck of a deal! (Did I mention it's 27 feet round and 52" high?)