Swinging Aspirations

Ok, so we've been in this house for almost a year now (gasp!) and the men folk still have not managed to install my wooden swing.

My swing is very special to me. My father bought it for me as a birthday present 8 years ago and as a house-warming gift for our last house(in SC). It's not JUST a swing either.

It is a wooden-base filled overflowing with memories of many Springs with flowers blooming and my children hunting for colorful Easter eggs and perching on the swing for precious photos.
It is many Summers hunting for lightning bugs and counting them in jars while swinging, and sitting and blowing dandelion fluff, and watching wet, happy kids laughing through sprinklers.
It's Fall leaves crunching as I swing, read and laugh with my kids and watch as they carve pumpkins in the grass nearby.
It's Winter, curled up in blankets together watching snowflakes fall all round, while sitting, swinging and sipping hot cocoa.
It's all those things and more.

On Saturday they tried to 'install' our base of memories for me.....it was really quite the effort, too. Jackson crawled into the attic looking for studs, John pounded the ceiling trying to find studs while grumbling at the 'stud-finder', and Jeremiah ran to and fro giving updates to all of us.

Many holes were drilled, hooks and screw set, and multiple trips back and forth to Home Depot....until finally the swing was....IN. Well sort of.

I had asked Jackson if the studs were 2x4 or 4x4 and he said he thought they were 2x4. Not good. John said he wanted to try anyway. Uh Oh.

So when it was finally.....IN.....I sat on it. John assured me it was strong and would hold us. I snuck in a little bit of swinging...Ahhhhh....
Then Jenna sat down beside me....still swinging. So far so good.

Then along came Jackson. I swung a little bit more....until....we heard this creaking, squeaking noise well up in the ceiling.
Just as I said, "John, Something's not right with the.....swing...."

CRASH!!!

The screw hooks exploded from the celiing, and Jackson, Jenna and I plummeted all the way down onto the concrete porch floor.

OUCH! Jenna started crying....then I started crying. My leg hurt..badly! Jenna stopped crying and gave me a hug. Jackson lifted me up from the swing, while John apologized profusely.
My calf was already turning black and blue and it was painful for me to put weight on it. Ouch. Jackson ran to get ice for my leg.....even without anyone asking(dear sweet boy!) and I limped to my bed with the ice.

So, I really am not sure who was the most pathetic here: John? For installing a wooden swing to a 2x4. Or Me: For believing that a 2x4 would hold us?
Sheesh!


Some holes and cracks...a bit are patched.
Doesn't our poor swing have a forlorn and lonely look?