The backyard is complete (kind of): A before and after

All righty, we almost lost steam, but our backyard is pretttttty much done … for now. I mean, we accomplished the things we set out to accomplish this summer (I wrote about our goals here and here). Next year we need landscaping, but we’re feeling good about the hardscaping stuff for now. The biggest addition was this cedar patio. Here’s a before and after:

Last night we hosted a real dinner outside, and as I was setting the tables, I remembered a speech class where the teacher told us to never apologize for our speech before starting. That just sets up an audience to think you are unprepared or a loser.

The same, I guess, holds true for me at this juncture. No apologies for not having patio furniture (that’ll come someday). No apologies for mismatched knives. No apologies for folding metal chairs instead of Chiavaris. None of that. Just the dishes we have on the tablecloths we use for everything and a whole bunch of string lights.

And guess what? Dinner tasted great (I didn’t make it—that’s why), and the company was delightful. No one asked where our patio set was or why we had paper napkins.

I don’t know why we force ourselves to have things “perfect” before we host a party or take photos. I’m guilty of it, and it’s exhausting. So here’s to more authentic stuff and embracing life as it is right now. I’ll get to the landscaping later—it’s going to be okay. Cheers! •