Happy Birthday to me!

I know what you're thinking! Oh My GOD! Did I miss Amanda's birthday? no, you didn't. I was in January. Suckiest month to have a birthday ever (ok, except for November and December). Anyhoo, for my birthday, aside from whisking me away for a romantic weekend, Brian bought me what he has dubbed my "most expensive birthday present to date". Which is encouraging because it implies that there might be future birthdays with even more elaborate gifts :-)
Anyway, you might be wondering what could possibly top my ski trip birthdays from 2 and 3 years ago, and my New York trip birthday from the year before that. And while this present isn't in the same league as the valentine's present of 2007, it is most definitely blog-worthy. In our circle of friends, and between family, we joke about how cheap Brian is. In fact some would say that Brian is so tight that he squeaks when he walks. But if you look back at past history, all joking aside, he's not as cheap as he would have you believe. This birthday he asked me what I wanted. I said a covered patio. After months of research, gathering estimates, and waiting for the time to be just right, I finally am getting my present.
The construction crew arrived on Tuesday and worked their butts off to build me a roof over my existing patio slab that matches the house exactly. They even opened up the side of the house to attach the patio to the 1st floor ceiling joists, set the posts in concrete, mirrored the roofline of the house, and matched the trim of our house. I'm thrilled with the progress so far. We have the basic structure built. All it needs now is shingles, paint, and the ceiling fan installed. We're getting the roof on the rest of the house replaced also.
The guys that did the work were amazing. I tried not to hover over them watching because I didn't want them to think I was doing it because I didn't trust them. But I kept sneaking peaks as they progressed purely because it was so interesting to watch. They did it seemingly from memory. Nobody busted out blueprints. These guys just knew what to do. I can't wait to see the final result. Whenever I drive or run past the back of the house now I admire it from the road and think about how much more interesting the back of the house looks now that it's there.
You can see pictures of the work-in-progress here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/keylimeypie/PatioConstruction

I probably should say a quick "thank you" to my dear friend Wassim, who so wisely told Brian that "Amanda deserves whatever she wants". Your cheque is in the mail ;-)