Before and After

When we moved to San Diego we were thrilled with the weather and the backyard with a view. We were less than thrilled with the state of the backyard. It was rundown and yucky and our three boys did nothing to make it better. It was an eye sore that truthfully I was embarrassed of for almost two years. We did nothing to improve it since we are renting and are not permanent here, but finally we decided to sink a little money and time into it. And Josh has found that he has a hobby! He loves to garden.

Here is the backyard at the end of May this year. Ugh! You can't see all the weeds here, but trust me, it was even worse than this picture looks. When I told my cousin Laura that we had "gardners" she laughed. All they do is mow the lawn.

And here it is today:

I don't know if the pictures do it justice, but it is so improved and I love Josh for it.

This is the most beautiful addition:

And just for fun, here are some of our beauties. Meet Miss Amber. No really, this rose was called Miss Amber-that's why Josh bought it. And isn't she a beauty? :)
Signature Rose:
And our hibiscus tree who we affectionately refer to as Hibby or Sparky. (Actually the boys have named all the plants.)
We figure that putting down roots, literally, is a sure fire way to get uprooted. I am crossing my fingers that won't happen yet. (Oh and you can't see it, but we have an orange tree-a tiny baby one. I wish we would be long enough to see him (Heber) grow up.)