Who Says We Shouldn’t Build a Wall?

A six foot wall that is…at the Hardesty residence.

Over the past few months the boys have gotten faster, sneakier, and just plain obstinate. After my non-verbal four year old was caught three doors down naked as a Jay bird, we said enough is enough. We’re building a wall; we’re going to make America great again. Seriously, we have got to contain these crazies. Now that my belly is growing, it’s becoming exceedingly difficult to catch them. Oh, and they don’t listen or respond to whippins or time outs. They are the type that think it’s worth it. “Bring it on, mom and dad…I’m just going to do it again because it’s fun.” This is what I think they are thinking as they are climbing up the neighbor’s back deck steps (naked). I have prophetic visuals of what things may be like when they are teenagers, and I quickly shut down those thoughts because it’s just plain terrifying. So back to the wall – it’s built and it’s beautiful and it has made America great again (or so we thought). We used a company called Reliable Fencing out of Mount Juliet, TN. Talk to Rosie, she was great. They sent a crew out and they worked. Like actually worked even in the pouring rain. They even worked while smoking. I was so impressed. In addition, I’m quite impressed with my husband’s handyman skills. He knew exactly what he was going to do to make a motorized gate and make sure it matched the fence. There’s something really beautiful about watching your partner grow into the man he is supposed to be. I’ve known Ben for 15 years. When I met him, I was 20 years old sitting in Management 310 class watching him. We went to a really redneck college and I show up wearing Umbro soccer shorts, a ratty t-shirt and a pony-tail. What did Ben wear? He wore tight, plaid shorts, a sweater vest, and crazy, spiked hair. I would think who is that guy? Why is he wearing that? He is either really confident or still drunk (turns out a little bit of both). I remember him speaking in a debate about import/export policies at 9 am on a Friday morning (Thursday nights are party nights at WKU – fyi for any parents reading this.) My point is that Ben was so different back then. Then I watched him finagle his way through corporate world and then become a business owner which is where he is today. Today, he loves where he is. He owns his own alarm company. He wears Dickies work shorts from Walmart (which he LOVES) and he drives a minivan for work (which he LOVES). And best of all, I get to witness his journey as a dad and his relationship with the Lord. By the way, I have a great story about our minivan purchasing experience which I will share soon.  Back to the fence. It made America great again, until this happened…..