Small Spaces, Cozy Places.

Lance and I (and our two massive golden retrievers) live in the house Lance bought as soon as he graduated from college. It's small, about 1000 square feet, and the backyard is definitely lacking in the acreage department.

The size has obviously worked for us, but with two big dogs and plans to start a family in the future, we've been feeling ready for something bigger!

This house was a starter house for Lance and he really put a lot of work into it during the first year after he bought it. Since I moved in, we've done little projects here and there to make the size work for us and I think the next buyers of the house will appreciate them.

The backyard, though... It's small. To make it feel even smaller, the driveway extends out as wide as the 2.5 car garage that takes up most of the space. There is room for a "patio" on the driveway but it has never felt the way a patio should - cozy, inviting, and relaxing. That is until now!

As a side note, I have always thought that tented gazebos (I don't know how else to describe them) were sort of cheesy. I've seen them in other peoples' backyards, and they just looked kind of gaudy. However, I changed my mind about them last week when we came across one on sale.

I am so happy I gave it a chance, because it makes our little yard feel a little more cozy. We feel like we have a little patio now where we can hang out, have dinner in the evening, and just enjoy.

We're putting our house on the market next week so it's definitely a temporary fix. But it will be nice to enjoy our last summer in our backyard :)