Concrete

Home improvement continues with some concrete work we've been putting off for a while. One side of our house has dirt coated with red tan bark, and we would like to put in a tool shed there for extra storage. We decided to re-pave with concrete so the shed could sit on a structurally sound foundation.

First Step: Hauling away the red tan bark

 The small wooden fence that separates the front yard from the back had to be temporarily taken down for the project. We are thinking of pushing the fence all the way to the front of the house so that we could get more space in the "backyard" for future storage.

Next comes the rebar, when the contractors lay down a wire foundation to make the concrete more structurally sound.

Watering to pack the loose dirt

 The contractors called for a concrete truck to come onsite to pour the square footage of concrete that we needed. A separate "pourer" contractor had to come at this time to pour the concrete. Some neighbors came to gawk at the huge concrete truck parked on our street. They wanted to know if we were putting in a swimming pool. Maybe a project for another house or lifetime...

Next comes the messy part--donning waterproof boots, the contractors mixed and spread the thick concrete to even it out on the wire foundation.

Using a piece of wood, they evened out the surface of the concrete.

The concrete was poured in one huge slab! I always thought the partition lines meant that it was laid down slab-by-slab. Our lines were added after the concrete pour with a special tool for an even look of uniformity. Like wiping a floor starting from the inside, the contractor knelt on a square wood slab to spread out the pressure on the wet concrete and avoid deep indentations/surface scars. He then used a paving tool to detail the surface to smoothness.

View of the finished project from the front yard

View of the finished project from the backyard

With the fence replaced the next day

Here's a Before/After shot that Odin photo-bombed. The concrete was dry when we allowed him to walk on it. He was glad to not have to get leashed up to visit the backyard after the contractors departed.

First-Year Anniversary

August 25, 2013 came around way too fast. As Einstein's theory of relativity goes, Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it'll feel like an hour. Spend an hour in good company, and it'll feel like a minute. We had such a lovely first year filled with so much fun that our anniversary quickly came around.

Our aikido wedding cake topper

The festivities began on our actual anniversary weekend when we celebrated with breakfast at Bill's Cafe. There's always a wait a Bill's, especially on weekends, but with mimosas and breakfasts this good, it's worth the occasional indulgence.

The "Parisian" French Toast, in honor of us soon going to Paris for a vacation

We also went by Crabaholic for dinner for a delicious bucket of seafood seeped in Southern-style, Cajun spices. I sure do love my crab.

The week after, when the Hilton was not booked out, we redeemed our complimentary first-year anniversary suite for an overnight stay.

The perks of getting married at a Hilton

View from our 6th-floor suite

After we checked in, we found a wrapped gift tray waiting for us, bursting with chocolates and nuts, compliments of our Hilton Catering Manager, Gigi. She left a handwritten note welcoming us back and hoping that we enjoy our stay.

The Hilton even comped us with two appetizers, two buffet breakfast tickets, and two drink tickets, redeemable at their downstairs restaurant.

Nice, comfy King bed

Tung kicking back in his coveted round chairs

The appetizers were a meal in themselves. We ordered calamari rings and buffalo wings (no way Tung is skipping out on these when they're on the menu). I got a rum-and-citrus infusion, and Tung had a Blue Moon beer.

After meeting us for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Downtown, a group of our friends joined us in our suite for a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity.

What makes this raunchy game even more diabolical? A round of booze, of course. Chester brought a delicious Tintero Moscato D'Asti. The uncorking seemed normal until...

It was clear that extra force had to be applied to get the cork out.

The guys are using some hardcore wine-opening techniques

Finally, the reward

Our anniversary cake was a yellow cake with mango cream, compliments of Cake Expressions.

So glad we are not eating top-tier wedding cake frozen for a year

The morning after the festivities, we took a walk to our Alma Mater where we met, SJSU, to digest the huge buffet breakfast. Right outside the Faculty Offices Building stands a pine tree that was smaller than me when I went to school there, since it had just gotten planted around that time. I dubbed it "The Tree that Never Grows." I guess it grew just a little bit eight years after my graduation.

Time flies. Trees grow. Love is eternal.