Our family moved into our house about seven years ago.  There were many great features in the house but the one that really hooked me was the potential beyond the fence. 

Our yard is fairly large with enough room up the side of the house to throw a frisbee with friends.  At the end of this piece of yard is a small creek.  I use the word creek loosely as it never gets more than an inche or two of water and is often dry.  Although there is a small land locked wooded peice of land beyond the creek, which we own, the previous owner installed a stockade fence just before the creek.

I like nature and being outdoors so when I moved into the house.... I made a plan in my head and the fence came down.

I've spent my spare time over the past 6 years 'working' in my woods clearing brush, removing piles of garbage, moving rocks and just cleaning up.  The toughest part was breaking all of the neighbors of their habit of dumping their yard waste back there.  (Some broke the habit easier than others.... that's a story for another time).  There were also friends and family that didn't understand what I was doing back there.  They couldn't see beyond the overgrowth, piles and weeds. 

In the fall of last year I finally put in the zip line for the kids, hung the tire swing and replaced the plank over the creek with a nice wide wooden bridge.  I also have a friend that removes trees for a living (Marquis Tree Removal) and he offered to drop a truck load of ground up trees in my driveway.  I moved 132 wheelbarrows full of tree mulch into the woods.

Last week, after seven years, some of my dreams came true.  My kids (and a friend each) helped me pitch a tent on the soft mulch.  We built a campfire in the new pit I had installed and three neighborhood families came over to toast marshmallows and eat smores.  The kids and I spent the night in the tent and as I drifted off to sleep, such a feeling of satisfaction came over me.  I had made a plan and after so many years I was reaping the benefits of all of the work I had put in.  I fell asleep very happy.

My kids now spend most of their outside time back there swinging on the tire swing, riding the zip line or just building little fairy houses.

Next step.... the tree house!