A smooth driveway!

 For the past two years that we've lived in our house, our one tenth of a mile-long dirt driveway was a dust cloud in the summer and a slippery pothole-riddled mud pit in the winter. The high number of cars (from the three teams that work out in our barn) driving up and down our driveway caused it to age and erode way faster than the average single family driveway. But that's country life! We could live with it.

I heard that paving a driveway is super expensive, but I didn't know how expensive, last spring I asked a paving company for an estimate, to see if this was a project for our five year plan, our ten year plan, or never. When the estimate came back, we knew immediately that this was not something we could even put in a 20 year plan. My Dad has broader resources and planning abilities, and he generously covered the cost of paving our driveway! 

The project commenced on Monday November 10th. Our house was shaking and vibrating all week long while the large machinery carved, graded, packed, and smoothed our lumpy bumpy driveway into a silky smooth wide road. We parked our cars in the field out front and drove in and out on the canal road while they worked. All of that prep work took six days. Then it was time to pave. The crew paved the entire driveway on Tuesday, November 18th. It took all day long, from 7:30am to 4pm. The loud groaning floor shaking machinery really kicked it up several notches that day. It was unsettling to feel the couch shake while I sat on it! Jeff had to move swim practice from the barn to the track so the fresh hot driveway had time to cool before dozens of cars drove on it. 

Wednesday, November 19th it was ready to drive on! The crew returned to clean up the edges on Wednesday, and we had the final walk through on Thursday. Now the approach to our house is silent and smooth. I'm still getting used to the lack of bumpy sensory feedback when I drive down our driveway! But I rode my kick scooter down to the road to get the mail on Thursday and it was so fun!

The dozens of cars that come and go for swim team practice come and go in smooth safe mud free bliss now. It feels so decadent and special to have such a wide smooth driveway! We are so thankful!

The boys' swim team pre-season meeting was held with the roar of large machinery in the background. You can see the CAT machine through the windows in this picture.

The work begins!

It was a very scientific process, grading the driveway with proper water drainage.

Bungee band swimming.

The driveway guys got creative with their drainage markings: "Just keep swimming." They were so surprised with how many kids came to the barn to work out, but they loved it!

The first asphalt, steaming on the south wing of the driveway!

Progress!

More progress.

The finished product!

View of the driveway from where it connects to the road.

There's a lot of pavement in front of the barn, but it is amazing!!

Amber and I ran down the driveway together at the beginning of our 1.5 mile run on Wednesday.

Taking out the trash is so easy and quiet now! No more roaring rattling lid as it bumps and jumps holes and rocks.

Had to take a Welcome to Sunnyside selfie after a run on the south side of town one day. I drove there to run after dropping Amber off at school because I didn't like figuring out how to exit my house on foot in front of the driveway crew, haha.

We hosted a primary girls biscuit making activity in our kitchen the first day the driveway was drive-able. These small girls (and short leaders!) had to stand on tippy toes to work on our tall counters! 

The high school boys' swim team has been doing dryland practices for two weeks, waiting for the heater in the pool that they use at the fitness club to be repaired. After finding out that the pool water was still too glacially cold for swimming one day, Jay and a few teammates wore their swimsuits, caps, goggles, and flippers in the barn while they did bunge band swimming. Jeff and Rose told me the team cheer that was born that day:

What do we want? 

A pool!

When do we want it?

Right now!

How warm do we want the water?

67 degrees!

This chant almost makes me feel bad for getting the driveway paved and eliminating the pools of water that collected in the divots, even if they weren't ever quite deep enough for swimming! Haha, not really. I'm 100% happy with our gorgeous smooth driveway!