Reunited: A Swing Set Story

Do you remember my story about my swing set? Last year thanks to Kalissa’s quick fingers, she scored me a swing set for $300 on Marketplace. My boys, Buck and Karl along with Craig and one of my childcare dads, put it together for me.

Today I’m going to tell you a recap about the swing set and then tell you a funny story about it. First, the recap. You can read the original post HERE.

The set from Marketplace had been damaged in a wind storm so it took a little finagling to get it up working and I wanted it modified so that I could have an extra swing put on it. Here is what it looked like when I bought it.

Buck and Karl borrowed a trainer from a friend of ours.

Then they put it together. It took a full day with all of the guys working.

The kids have loved the swing set. I love it…I don’t love mowing around it and the weed eating but the rest, I like.

When I bought it, the owner kept one of the slides. There is one that is supposed to go off the back. It’s 14′ long and needs to work on a 10′ deck. I priced one out and it was $800 if I could find one in stock. Shucks. That was too much.

Over the last year, I looked and looked at swing sets on Marketplace trying to find a slide for it but never found one. It’s really fine without it but part of me wanted that slide.

This is what the original set is supposed to look like…

Can you believe this set lists at $5579?? See that big slide to the left in the picture? That’s what is missing.

The kids played on the play set without the slide. Buck boarded up that area so kids couldn’t fall out that hole. It was really okay without the slide. BUT…

That was the recap…now for the funny part of the story…The guy that we bought the swing set from lives right along the highway where we often travel. He has a pond near his home and he kept the slide and used it with his pond. Swimmers could go down the slide and splash into the pond.

Every time we drove by on the highway, we could see the slide. I had told Carver the story and he would say, “That guy still has the slide”. It was somewhat of an ongoing joke in the family with us commenting about the slide as we drove by.

Well, a couple of weeks ago Kalissa and I were in the car together when we drove by the pond and the slide…but wait. The slide wasn’t there. What?? What happened to “our” slide?

Kalissa and I started talking. Where was the slide? What happened to the slide? Kalissa said I think I still have his contact info. I’m going to contact him and see if he still has it and wants to sell it. I said no…we’d seem like stalkers. Kalissa laughed and said, “Well, aren’t we? We look at that slide every time we go by.”

So Kalissa looked in her contacts and she did still have his number. She messaged him and guess what??

Here is what she wrote:
“Hello! Long time no talk, we purchased the play set from you last year. This is a strange question, but we noticed the slide at your pond was taken down, are you still using it? Or would you be willing to sell it so we could reunite it with the play set? I hope you don’t think we are stalking your slide, but we drive by your beautiful average often and couldn’t help but notice its absence.”

He would sell us the slide for $75. OH HAPPY DAY!!

I’m such a nerd. I don’t need a fancy car or vacation. I get just as excited about a slide I’ve been stalking for over a year. HA!!

So…the next problem…I have to get the boys on board. Oh my. I can’t pick up the slide and attach it all myself.

You all know my boys are good about doing stuff for me, but these weird odd jobs take a little convincing on my part.

They put it together on the weekend I was away at the retreat. I’m so excited.

Everyone is pretty tired of working on the swing set. I’m thankful they had one last push in them to complete the last piece of constructing it.

Ta-da!! The slide!! I just love it.

Lucy was the first one to try it out…

She wasn’t sure at first. She thought the slide was pretty tall.

But, she did it. Scotty was then brave enough to give it a try too.

So fun!!

The kiddos are just going to love playing on this in the years to come!!

So the cost of the swing set for me is…
$300 for the pieces I originally bought
$39 for tic tac toe
$70 for accessories
$50 for glider brackets
$300 for wood/screw/Buck bought
AND $75 FOR THE SLIDE…I’m so happy.

I’ll have about $900 into it after everything is said and done…that’s a steal compared to the $5579 it would cost new!! YAHOO!! I love a deal.

I feel like it’s complete now…except for one thing. I still haven’t gotten it all restained. Kalissa and I are splitting the cost of a power washer and she’s getting that next week. So…then I’ll power wash it and then let it dry and then…time to stain.

I’m gonna have that swing set just like new. WHOOT! WHOOT!!

I’m so glad my swing set got reunited with the slide. I can’t help but think of the old song by Peaches and Herb.

Hope you have a great day and can be happy about something as simple as a slide and a playset!! What a great day!