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Making Memories

Written on May 18, 2013 by just a night owl in Favorite Posts, Memories, Random, Uncategorized

I was 16 or 17. We had a G R E A T youth group and a fantastic youth pastor. He was all about making memories. He was all about telling us, he was all about making memories.

Every summer we went on a trip called Endless Summer. 1.5 weeks of non stop fun. Camping, amusement parks, beaches, and everything in between. It was A W E S O M E. Well, this one year, we took one of those accordian style busses. It was our transportation for the whole trip. Maybe 70 or 80 of us left for our Endless Summer Trip.

For weeks prior to this particular year, our youth pastor had been telling us he had a special surprise that we would not want to miss. To say we were all excited would be a severe understatement. There was SUCH a buzz about our surprise. We could not figure it out.

Heading southbound on Highway 5 toward Los Angeles, a famous stench exists. It is the familiar smell to all Californians and travelers of highway 5 known as Harris Ranch. I think it is home to about 5 gazillion cows, give or take.

Remember that Endless Summer surprise? Yes, a tour. On the bus. Driving the roads in between said cows. In the middle of July. Hot. Flys. Groaning teenagers. AND a gleefully happy youth pastor walking the aisles of the bus yelling “you will never forget this”. He was right. I haven’t.

…and I love it.

A few months ago I get a phone call from my husband in the middle of the day, asking if we could take May 16th off school. Of course. He informs me that there is a frog jumping gig at the Calaveras County fair. He wants to surprise the kids. I immediately thought of the cows. I was in.

Anticipation built with my munchkins.

It was a total crack up and a total surprise until we arrived at our destination.

You see, they didn’t even know that frog jumping existed. Neither did I.

*this picture is titled, WHY WE USE A STROLLER.

It was an unusally wet rainy morning in CA, that we set out. It was cold, damp, and entirely entertaining.

We had a great day.

Here’s to hoping the kids never forget it.

Somehow, I don’t think they will. I can hear it now…”remember when dad took us to that frog jumping fair.”

One of the highlights of the day was when we were walking through all the animals. One of the 4H kids started chatting with us. “Where y’all from?” he says. “Sacramento area”, my husband replies. Them the kid went there….

“YOU CAME ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE, JUST FOR THIS?”

“Y U P”, my husband says proudly.

Making Memories.

because frogs are cool.

Living At Home

Written on May 14, 2013 by just a night owl in Life

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In the midst of finishing up school, continuing with house projects, creating our school room, and the rest that life brings, I am planning for summer and school, next year. I was just contemplating last night the delicate balance of the “keeping up with the Joneses” in regards to sports, clubs, and the extracurricular. In addition to maintaining sanity and family as the top priority. I suppose this looks different for every single family.

*BLESSED…our new school room got some padding and carpet this past weekend. Oh, it is so fabulous.

I am of the old school mindset that the kitchen table should be used for dinner {in addition to folding laundry} and that evenings are for family, not for driving in your car. It goes against the normal. It just does.

And you know what I love? I woke up to dear Alicia putting her foot down on the same issue for the summer. We work hard at protecting our home as the central point of our lives and our family. Not a place to sleep and eat and bathe, but a place to create memories and live.

*spring soccer for my 8 year old.

My husband works a demanding schedule. Six days a week including three nights. When you put that into a master schedule, there isn’t room for a lot else if we are to maintain H O M E. Up until this point we have always pretty much allowed church activities, Awana, and one child at a time having a sport or theatre class. It has worked and worked well.

For the first time we are contemplating allowing both girls to play soccer this fall, but honestly, I don’t think it will happen. Signing them both up could then bring our already full schedule to a ridiculous level. Soccer practice 2 nights a week for 2 girls, which could be on different nights. Youth group two nights a week. Awana one night a week. Plus my husbands three work nights a week. No thank you. If I need an excel spreadsheet, an increased gas budget, as well as splitting the family up each Saturday for different fields, it really just might be the red flag of too much! When is the down time? If I have to schedule down time, there is a BIG FAT PROBLEM! That’s my line.

*planting flowers for Mother’s Day

We had thought about having a family sit down breakfast each morning rather than a dinner, but somehow it just isn’t the same. The thing is, this has all worked fine for us over the years, but as my older two continue to get older, it is going to change as they stretch their wings and fly. They will be transitioning to their adult lives.

How all this looks, I don’t know. Just my honest thoughts as we contemplate our way through this all.

All I know is family is important. It needs T I M E. Lots of it. Because at the end of the day, when I am waving goodbye to these once littles ones, all the soocer games in the world won’t matter half as much as the time we invested together and in them will.

Looking for the balance….

How do you do it in your home?

Thirteen

Written on May 9, 2013 by just a night owl in Let's Party, My kids

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You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

*my 8 year old made a birthday breakfast with a little help from Pinterest and her daddy.

*and she spent her quarter chore money on a Target gift card for her sister. Every last cent.

You make me happy when skies are gray

You’ll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don’t take my sunshine away

Man, I love her.

A bittersweet (for mama’s heart) celebration of the end of her childhood and the beginning of her teen years.

Time indeed does fly swiftly by.

I love you Taylor Grace.

NORM

Written on May 8, 2013 by just a night owl in Random

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When things can start to get to be a mess in life, it tends to drag you down and it can become easy to view things as negative. It is easy to forget to see the positive. I remember just recently on our actual move day, a Sunday, my husband had to work in the morning, so I started things off by myself. I can’t remember what it was, but something went wrong early on and I texted him about it. His response, “no joy stealers today”. He was right. We had been wanting to move, literally for a couple of years, and the day had finally arrived. No. Joy. Stealers.

I chose joy.

*we are absolutely adoring our new home.

*****

We have about 3.5 weeks until official summer break and I can NOT wait. I mentioned our garage is going to become our school room/music room/bonus room extravaganza. Both time and money do not allow this to take place right now. SO, I have become the homeschooler who schools all over the house. In the toddlers room, in the hall on the floor, at the kitchen counter, couch, and my bed. I know lots of different people who do school like this regularly. I always thought I was not capable of such flexibility and this couple of weeks has proved to me that I was, in fact, correct. I am not. Our garage is a mess, unfinished, and I am unorganized. From the minute I started homeschooling I knew that I would need a “room” or a “space” that was for school. One that says when we are here, we are focusing on learning. When I sit in my toddler’s room, all I hear is let’s play trains. When we do school on the porch, I put the baby in the swing and say wheeee. When I do school on my bed, zzzzzz.

For the sake of my children, I am disciplining myself to actually get through the end of the year. In the end, having a bit of separation from the house by being in the garage is going to be fantastic. It’s just going to take some work to de garage our new space. I love a decorating challenge. It will be perfectly ready for school by fall. I have embraced the fact that we are on the mobile plan for the remainder of the year. Once I have embraced it, it is going smoother.

*****

*Table vs. Greyson. Table -1 Greyson-0.

Curriculum planning was almost done, but then I pulled something typical. One of my loveliest friends and I were texting each other across the miles and we started the curriculum chat. It led me to a company that I have considered, heard amazing things about, but never really investigated. So after staying up hours to late to research, read reviews, and look at samples, I think think think that I am making a big fat switch. This is why I don’t tell my plan until I order! I am excited and a bit overwhelmed with how to get everything accomplished before fall. Summer’s off? um, no. I really need a couple weeks in the classroom with no students to get everything ready. However, the students live with me, so, um, yeah .

*****

Tomorrow my girl is going to be a teen. She was my easiest birth and my fastest. My tall, thin, beautiful blonde girl entered this world at 10.6 lbs and 23 inches long. She had multiple chins and huge blue eyes and she was an awesome sleeper from the beginning. She arrived just 16 months after her brother and the two of them grew up little besties.

The other night I dragged myself out of my sick bed to make a celebration happen for her. I was not going to bail on that. I went all over town to purchase a couple of gifts and get things ready. I found myself at the mall at a little store we like to call Forever 21. You see she just now is fitting into junior clothes and is pretty excited to shop here. SO, I thought I would get something from here. I wandered aimlessly picking up item of clothing after item of clothing and wondering how I was shopping for my girl in a store that sold heels taller then my baby was at birth. Why, oh why, was I not down the way at the Children’s Place. I desperately wanted to be looking at stacks of shirts deciding between hearts and rainbows. NOT looking at stacks of clothes trying to figure out what part of the body they were supposed to cover.

*****

Mother’s day is a comin’ and I am going to win in the romance department. I asked my family if we could get the shed put up this weekend. I believe our chicken coup is being built this weekend as well. Can. Not. Wait. The ladies have gotten HUGE. Hopefully I can plant some flowers too! It’ll be awesome. That’ll knock out 3 out of the 4 big projects we have left from the move! I mean a shed for Mother’s Day. What more could a girl dream of???

*****

Today, I finally feel a bit better. Day 8. Whew. That. Was. Long. I am so glad to be on the mend and looking forward to the end of allergies.

*****

My baby announces the presence of every one who enters the room. “MAMA”. “DADA”. At. the. top. of. his. lungs. USUALLY, a giant hug accompanies his declaration. It doesn’t matter if it has been five seconds since he has seen you. “CAM” “EMMA “TAY”. It’s so Norm-like.

I love my family. Yes, a place where everybody knows your name.

Perfect.

Today

Written on May 4, 2013 by just a night owl in Random

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I am on day 6 of a pretty nasty cold. I haven’t been this sick in a very long time. My husband has been working thirteen hour days all week. I have no real break in sight until probably next Thursday at about 5:30. It’s Saturday. I’m not totally complaining, just partially. In my NyQuil commercial spokesperson state of being, I am completely aware that many live with chronic illness on a regular basis and this cold and allergy season will pass as quickly as it came. However, the daily mundane while under the weather can still get to me.

It has been an incredibly emotional six weeks around here. A lot of life. Life that makes you question who has your back, what’s your purpose, who is your support system, and why do we work so hard anyway. Is it worth it?

The answers? Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and yes.

The answer? Make God your audience, not people.

The answer? Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.

Take the road less traveled, rise above it, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent and every other empowering saying you could possibly find on Pinterest. If I embroidered, I would whip up some fabulous creations of all of these sayings and perhaps make a room full of them. Maybe even shrine like. I need the reminders. I am a slow learner. However, I read them and I find my non sick self screaming AMEN AMEN AMEN. Ya know? Hurt brings you to a place of sweet vulnerability and that vulnerability makes me want to just take all the bad and shake it right out and fill up it’s place with a vat full of fantastic. To work my butt off to be different. To live a good life.

When I look at all the heartache in the world around me, it can make me want to stick my head in a toilet and flush it, quite frankly. It can all just be too much. It’s hard to fathom how downright evil some people in our world can be. It’s heartbreaking.

Praise Jesus….because without Him, the mean and nasties of the world, the people who thrive on living for themselves and tearing you down would just overwhelm and do you in.

…and dude, with each passing day I seem to recognize how tightly I need to value those who seek Him first. Those who choose good, and right, and Jesus. Those are my people, ya know?

God’s got me.

Praise Him for that.

I have been in a season of life of watching…and waiting… and oh my goodness, the stillness can be deafening. The watching can be overwhelming. The view from the cheap seats, as they say, so enlightening. I wouldn’t trade this period in my life for anything. I live at a turtle’s pace in a world spinning so fast that everything has become a blur. I know this is a season and while it is here, I appreciate it, like the gold that it is.

I fell in love with homeschooling again this past week. I kinda mentioned something about being under the weather . With our recent move we just can’t afford to take any more time off of school and I can’t muster up the energy to put on clothes that involve zippers and buttons. SO, school on my bed in jammies happened. I sat cuddled up with my 8 year old and we read, and read, and read…. and I thought yet again for the millionth time – this is how life SHOULD be.

Despite all, It is well with my soul. The song plays over and over through my head. Then God confirmed it. Check out what my bloggy crush Kelly posted…

It Is Well With My soul

…and it is. It truly, truly is.

On a lighter note.

1. The man finally has an actual legitimate reason to wear his boots, rather than just the I am so cute no matter what I wear reason. We are country livin’ now and lovin’ it.

2. Dare I say we are just about settled?

3. Curriculum plans are about final for next year and DUDE? so excited.

4. I have said dude twice in this post, not sure why.

5. I have lost 32 pounds. BooYAH! Old word I know. It just fits. Sorry.

6. When allergies are over this year, I am startin’ running again. My half marathon IS happening in twenty thirteen.

7. My husband is going on a missions trip to Ecuador this year. Um, I am going on a girls trip to Disneyland. Do with that information what you will. One of these things is not like the other. M-I-C…K-E-Y……

8. I am addicted to Shark Tank and Justin Timberlake.

9. I am working on turning our garage into a completely live able and comfortable homeschool room. In addition, figuring out how to keep the crickets from joining in as my students. I have had to expel two of them already.

10. Going to find a random act of kindness to do today, right after my nap.

11. No your eyes do not deceive you. Those are Easter baskets. The pictures are THAT old. I have been swamped with photography work this spring {so grateful} and have failed to pick up the camera for my own enjoyment and my own kiddos. Must fix that. STAT. #hazzardofthejob

Happy Weekend!

Moving Day

Written on April 20, 2013 by just a night owl in Memories, My home

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*Goodbye old house

This post is like a month past due! It took about 4 times as long to unpack as I suspected. Which is funny, because that is the exact number of helpers I had that slowed this whole thing down. My husband’s favorite thing to say these days is, “It’ll all get done. Don’t worry.” I have had a couple of near minor meltdowns, but mostly just enjoying our beautiful new home so much, I can hardly stand it.

* I am not sure I totally agree with moving and easier ever in the same sentence

The combination of my spring allergies and a nasty cold that spread though the troops added a whole new level to the unpacking process. The colds are gone and I am anxiously awaiting the departure of the allergies as well.

*Auntie Nicole playing with Greyson before bed in his new room

Life is beginning to feel more normal. It has been four weeks today since moving day, but I do still sort of feel like I am on some weird unpacking vacation in a resort house.

We are figuring out new routines, where everything is in our ginormous kitchen, and enjoying the peace and quiet of the country.

*Every country home with a wrap around porch comes with a swing, right?

Actual moving day was such a gift. We had so many people come to help. Three hours and five minutes to bring the entire contents of our old house to our new house. We had done a little bit of moving prior, but the bulk of it was done by the fabulous peeps that helped us.

It was the very first party of many in this new house. Moving, sweating, eating cheap pizza, and prayer for our new place. Good times.

*The most important part

Couldn’t have done it without you guys! Meant the world to us! Thanks!

My Truth.

Written on April 8, 2013 by just a night owl in Favorite Posts, Health, One Change {food makeover}

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I am deeply excited about my health journey. Not because after 2.5 years I still have not reached my goal weight and stayed there. Rather, because I have been running to Jesus to ask Him for help, to learn to know Him better, to live with Him in the number one spot in my life. I have talked many times about Made to Crave. One sentence that stuck out to me in early 2011 when I started this path of being healthy is that ,”It is a spiritual journey, with great physical benefits”. Lysa TerKeurest is, in fact, quite right.

I have been super transparent with this journey and held nothing back. This has brought me support, connection with others, and criticism and while the criticism can be hard, that is o.k. The main thing that God has been reminding me lately, very loud and clear, is that He loves me. He has also been teaching me to keep my eyes upward and not on other people. What may be right for one, may not be right for another. Our struggles are all different.

I have prayed for God’s help for a long time in regards to my health. Then one article I read talked about processed food being created to actually cause us to crave it. Light bulb and a serious oh my gosh moment ensued. So, I am eating food that makes me crave more, overeating it, and then I pray to God for help to not eat it and be healthy. Anyone wanna stand in the freeway and ask God to save us with me? Seriously, it’s pretty much the same thing.

So, FOR ME, I feel like this journey has led me to a permanent change in my food. I was searching for a way to follow a nutrition plan to guide me into that change. I am a straight carb girl and I mean almost 100%. My foods have become more unprocessed and clean over the last year, but still remain a lot of carbs.

After I finished Insanity last year, I panicked. I was tripping out on how to have a plan and not make it my idol or my saving grace. This may sound like a hot mess of crazy, but this is honestly where I have been. I was in search of the thing that would click and make it all work. You know what I have realized in the last month? I have had it all along. It’s Jesus and utter dependence on Him. Whatever tool or plan or program He leads me to to follow, I still need Him to make it work long term. The plans are o.k. How I used them were not.

So, for some sheer honesty…I was getting kind of anxious because I had a fear that somewhere, sometime, someone would point out the amount of effort I have put forth and the lack of outward results that have come from it. The scale is not reflective of the work I have done, but my heart is and no one may be able to see that…yet. I am not going to be quiet about my health because too much good comes from bringing darkness to the light and there has been so much darkness in this area of my life.

I know my truth. I know my Jesus. I know my path.

I recently began a program of 121 days of crazy strict rules. A program designed at its core to teach healthy eating, reset your metabolism, and lose unhealthy weight. There is nothing like removing something from your life to realize its hold on you both emotionally and physically. This program is a perfect fit for me because it is addressing all of my personal vices. This program is a perfect fit because for the remainder of the 121 days I have given up control. That, my friends, is the core of my struggle. This program arrived in my life days after the morning conversation I had with God where I said, “You get it all. I’m all in. Whatever the cost.” It’s almost like He planned it.

Today, I have given my health completely to the Lord and what I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that He made our earthly bodies for His purposes and we are to maintain them for His glory. I have had too many problems over the years with eating disorders, control, yo yo dieting and the like, to think that I can remain divided. These dietary changes I am currently learning through this plan are permanent for me. That is the first time I can say that. They must be. For me.

The change is to eat a diet primarily of things God straight up created all on His own without our help.

He’s a pretty fantastic creator. He did it right. He thought of everything.

He knows what He is doing a million times over.

I. will. trust. Him.

Happy Monday, my lovelies! Have an awesome day!

P.S. the book that my family and I were in a small part of about our food changes has been released! It’s super good You can get your copy here.

The Day I Turned Blue

Written on April 2, 2013 by just a night owl in Random

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Moving Day has come and gone. It was amazing on all accounts. Before I get to that, I have a story to document. It was the culmination of sheer exhaustion, meeting my flair for the overdramatic, and a little bit of crazy thrown in.

This new charming country home we are living in has the most charming upstairs hideaway little girl attic extravaganza. It is darling and closet less. So, after about a week of my girls living in boxes, we took a break and I headed up to Ikea with my oldest daughter to pick up a couple of wardrobes for their hideaway.

We headed upstairs to look at all of the options in person. It was confirmed that our online choice was indeed the best option for our budget and space in their new room. We took down the aisle and bin number and began to head downstairs.

I looked down and suddenly my heart practically stopped. I was turning blue. My palms, my knuckles. This couldn’t be good. I texted my sister and my husband. I panicked because it wouldn’t rub off. Even after a trip to soap and water. Nothing. I was definitely blue. Smurf like really.

I had my 12 year old with me and I was trying to maintain my calm, but I seriously began to think that something would in fact have to be seriously wrong with my blood flow to cause blue palms and knuckles. Right?

I called my friend who is an er nurse. She didn’t answer.

Then I did it. I know I shouldn’t have, but I did. I had no choice really.

I googled.

Oh my word. Diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, blood clots. Now I feel sick with worry and I stop. I begin to wonder if I should drive with my daughter.

We purchase the wardrobes. Four boxes of 340 pounds worth of fabulousness and out the door we were. If I was going down, the wardrobes were coming along.

I leave my daughter and the boxes at the loading zone to go get the car. I decided to call my sister and hash this out live because really by this point I am sorta thinking it could be my last call. In a last desperate attempt to heal myself and upon my sisters recommendation, I take the box of baby wipes to my skin and low and behold the wipes turn blue. I was cured. A miracle.

Dear Ikea,

That armoire was the prettiest shade of blue I ever did see. It forced me to pet it. Multiple times. I couldn’t understand why such a pretty color would be on clearance. Now I know.

Thank you for the anxiety attack.

Sincerely,

The girl with the blue hands.

The Day Off

Written on March 18, 2013 by just a night owl in Life, Random

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I am T I R E D. That’s to be expected considering what is on my plate right now. I could give you my list of why, but we each have our own to do lists and they can equally do us in and bless our socks off all in the same 24 hours. That’s this little thing called life. In the spirit of continuing to find the joy and live our life, not work it to death, we declared today a “get absolutely not one thing done today day.”

We really had no business doing so, in some regard, because in just three more days we get the shiny keys to our new digs and I am not done packing. I like things done well, even moving. We have fabulous people coming to help us move and I want to make it easy for them. Which is actually fairly funny considering that they are coming to help us work. They know what they are in for and I do not think they will be alarmed if a lot of the boxes got put together upside down or our couch is so disgustingly dirty that it should be in the dump. Let. it. go.

My husband and I went on a long walk this morning with our little guy. He said,”You know what I would like? A Noah’s Bagel.” It was one of our favorite places where we used to live. The closest one around these parts is about 20 minutes. So we got home and loaded up the crew and went and had a half bagel box and some water, on the patio. It seemed spring like but in actually was freezing so we didn’t linger. However, it was nice. Really nice.

Then we decided to head up the road to spend a gift card that has been burning a hole in my wallet since Christmas of 2011. Stride Rite Outlet had a buy one get one half off. Bring on summer. I’m done with ~~pollen~~ spring already. Please and thank you.

Next, the light rail seemed fantastic. You see, my two year old thinks trains are about the best thing ever and when we asked him if he wanted to go on one I am certain he peed his diaper while squealing in tones I didn’t know existed. Oh, how he loved it. Oh, how I love him. I sat staring and memorizing every detail of his little face, knowing that the carefree uncomplicated baby days are quickly diminishing and while their are plenty more fabulous days on the horizon, there is something so entirely special about the innocence of the beginning of life.

We rode the light rail to historic downtown Folsom, had some pizza on a patio, and then ran to catch the light rail back to the car. After we got off and waved goodbye to the train, the look of horror came. The one where Greyson realized that the train was in fact gone and we were done. Yes there were tears. BIG. FAT. ONES.

The rest of the day consisted of naps and leftovers. I did not pack one box, clean out a drawer, administer a test, or touch packing tape.

The troops are getting restless over here. Non order does not sit well with a couple of my kiddos. They have done really well so far, but its unraveling. I am praying fervently for their little hearts. Change can be tough. We have lived here for almost 8 years. Seeing it empty and leaving for the last time will be hard for them. BUT we are so excited too and isn’t life just like that. The good and the sad. The happy and the tired. A big ‘ol mixed pot.

The day ended with the Biggest Loser finale and I think I cried on and off for two hours. I’m now emotionally exhausted too, lol. So, as I wrap up today I am thanking God for rest.

For now? I sleep.

zzzzzz

Tomorrow, I pack.

xo.

p.s. my monthly post is up over at HHM. Come on over and say hello!

Hugs

Written on March 9, 2013 by just a night owl in Life

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I think I love spring mini sessions.

These kids, these baby animals, these pastel colors.

It makes me all warm ‘n fuzzy. My job is fantastic. If you can even call it that in the first place. BECAUSE this month alone I get to experience kids meeting baby chicks, first born daughters going on proms, couples celebrating their commitment to marriage, mommy’s and their baby bumps, and senior’s celebrating a major milestone.

This “job” has taken my heart and allowed me to experience beauty with people in the most fantastic way.

Pinch me.

**********

Recently, I posted about my kids begging to move to a farm. By nightfall, we had a new property to move into that I didn’t even pursue. God dropped it in our lap via Facebook.

And you know what? When I was on my way to look at this home for the first time, I just kinda had a feeling this was going to happen. I was chattin’ with God and I said something to the effect of, I will be grateful with absolutely anything, I will, but I would just love to LOVE this home. Like pet the walls, heart stopping kind of love. You know what would just be the icing on top, God? If slate was involved. Maybe even a whole bathroom of it.

Look. Can you even believe this? Not one, but two slate bathrooms.

In 15 more days I will pull up into the driveway that leads me here.

I count my blessings over and over.

I consider this house a big ‘ol hug from my Savior . I get to live in my giant hug. Pretty great, huh?

I am excited to get in and begin a new chapter.

Hugs to you, my friends.

Off for more packing…..