From House to HOME!

 I firmly believe that people are what makes a house a home.  Any house can provide four walls and shelter, but until you put people in it who love, laugh, and live there, it is simply that- a shelter.

We want this house to be a home.  Not just for us, but for all who walk through our doors, whether for just a few minutes or for days.  We want people to feel welcome and loved.  Because they are!

Aside from a few boxes in the library/office and the garage (let's not talk about that yet) we are unpacked and settled! 

We are HOME! 

 And we have a calendar packed with names of people coming to visit already.  It is so exciting.  There are rooms ready and plenty of space and it makes me grin from ear to ear.

So for a quick tour- minus the library which is still a work in progress and will get its own post and the boys room, well, because...boys!

I tried to take the after picture from the same viewpoint as our before, but bear with me regardless- I do not claim to be a photographer.

This is the Master Bedroom. It is on the main floor, which makes me very happy.  I was going to get rid of the yellow paint, but it is growing on me so it may stay for a while.

This is the view from our kitchen eat in area to the living room.  The chandelier is lovely, but not our style so we will try to sell it and replace it at some point.  It's on the to-do list!

If you are sitting on the leather couch, this would be your view with the kitchen to the right.

This is our basement family room.  Currently on Sundays, it is filled with young adults having coffee, sharing food, playing games, and lots of laughter.  Makes my heart so happy that they feel welcome here.

 

And the view from sitting on the couches.

On the top floor is the boys' loft- also where their bedrooms are.  We pray it will be a great space for pre-teen and teen gatherings as well. The couch is also a pull out bed for kids to use.

Just a quick kitchen view.  The jury is still out as to how I feel about open cabinets.  In theory, I love them, but I am not convinced the visual clutter won't get to me in a few months.  Time will tell.

Yes, our hall bath was lavender.  Not sure why as it did not go with anything else in the house, but Ashton fixed it quickly for me and a sweet friend gave us the mirror!

The dining room- also where the boys and I do some school, so yes, the sideboard is full of current school supplies and curriculum.

And last but not least- YOUR room.  We do have a room currently being used as a workout room and sewing space for Ashton that will eventually be a guest room as well.  Baby steps...

 A quick peak at the girl's rooms-

Our new family mantra is LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE!  (I need a sign, Jennisa!) Pray for us to do that well!

And make your reservation soon! ;)  Your room is waiting.

So is the front porch!

Blessings,

Finally Home!

Yes, this is the news you have been waiting for.  OK, it is the news WE have been waiting for, but I know there are a few of you out there that are at least mumbling...finally!

That's how we feel!

FINALLY!  After exactly 13 weeks, we are moving into our new home- T-O-M-O-R-R-O-W!
 
 Did you hear me squeal?  Because I did.  Seriously!

You knew this southern family could not give up a front porch, right?

Or a back porch!

Clarke finally gets his 3 car garage, and I plan on a lot of parties by the pool!

 
And unlike all of our moves before, we will only have one night on the blow up mattresses, as the furniture will arrive Wednesday morning due to my hero husband's diligence.

There are projects to be done, but because this is being considered our forever house (until God tells us otherwise) we are going to take our time with settling in.  For those who know me well (stop laughing) you know this will be a challenge for me.  I like things done NOW, yesterday is an even better option.  But I have promised to pace myself.

Let me give you a quick tour before I go finish packing up this place.  I won't bore you with too many pictures, just a few highlights.  I apologize for the quality, Ashton managed to get three pictures before the camera battery died (my fault, not hers) and then we had to use my phone.

View as you enter the front door.  Clarke's office is to the left and the dining room to the left.

Clarke's office.  We are having built in bookcases put in on the wall to the right.  Don't ask me what Colby is doing!

Dining room- light will be replaced at some point.

Glare is horrible, but this is looking from the living room into the eat in kitchen area and kitchen on the right.

Standing in the eat in kitchen area looking into kitchen

Kitchen

The theater room- Clarke's favorite spot!

Den in the basement

Boys area on the top floor

Once we get set up I promise a better tour for those who are interested.  One of our desires in finding a new home was to find one that could house guests comfortably and have room to host and entertain.  We think we have found it and hope to make many memories with friends and family here.  Come on by, a guest room is waiting for you!

Oh friends, thank you for the prayers you have lifted in our behalf!  Thank you for the encouragement though numerous calls, texts, and cards!  Thank you for listening to my whining on hard days and celebrating with me on good ones.

It is our hope that, although there have been bumps in the road, we have learned along the way.  It seems there was a lot that the Lord wanted to teach us.  We pray we have learned well, despite our occasional stumbling.  Praise Him that he is faithful, even in moments we are not.

May we be more faithful with every passing day!


Blessings,

God is on the Move!

Well, isn't He always?

But how often do we miss it because our eyes are on something, other than Him?

Trust me, I am speaking to myself here.  I have missed a lot these past 11 weeks.  My eyes have been on our not so fun, and very stress-filled days most of the time.  Yes, I have seen some some glimmers of hope along the way, but mostly I have been anxious, worried, and impatient if I am being honest.

This is not how I planned things would go.
This is not where I thought we would be living 11 weeks into our move.
This is not the lovely picture I had in mind for our retirement.

I, I, I!  Yep, it has been pretty much about me and my comfort, or lack thereof.

As Ashton told a friend today, our family had to have a come-to-Jesus talk and re-adjust our attitudes.  Believe me, mom was first!  We have spent the past two weeks trying to adjust our attitudes and see the blessings in this season.  We have put our eyes back on Jesus where they belong.

How blessed we are to know that He never takes His eyes off of us!

And yes, He is always on the move.

Changing our hearts and drawing us closer to him in ALL circumstances.

Even in the yucky and much delayed sale of one house and buying of another.

Praise Him that we are actually nearing the end of this adventure.  If all goes according to plan, we will close on our Nebraska house in two weeks and move into our new one here a few days later.  It looks like it is actually going to happen.  There have been more than a few times that we thought it would not.   I cannot wait to share a few pictures with you!

Until then, we are still adjusting to Arizona.  We seem to be at the height of monsoon weather, with lots of heavy rain and dust storms every few days.  Pictures don't do it justice but they can be quite intense.  Luckily they move through pretty quickly.

Salem is headed to Alaska next week and the following week Riley heads back to Mississippi for her senior year at college. We are settling into a routine slowly but surely and making new friends.  Life is good.

And God is good!

And He is surely on the move in your lives AND ours!

Blessings,

What is This Civilain Life They Talk About?

Since Wednesday, we are officially living the "civilian life."  Ask me in a few months what I REALLY think about it!

Clarke and I were married right after college graduation and went directly to pilot training so really, my entire adult life has been that of an Air Force wife and mom.  Three of our four kids were born at different bases and our youngest came home to a beautiful, 100 year old historical brick house on FE Warren Air Force base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Guarded base gates, flights lines, military balls and constant moving are all our kids have ever known.  They have worn the label "military brat" well and with pride.

We reassured them a few nights ago that they will always be military brats.  We will always consider ourselves a military family.  It is who we are, deeply ingrained in every ounce of our being.

But now the outside world refers to us as civilians and I find myself wondering what that even means and looks like.

Doctors I get to choose who I go see?  Really?  Pardon while I ask, how exactly does one do that?  After all, I have had someone tell us what doctor we were assigned to the minute we moved to a new location.  The idea of just choosing someone out of a phone book (ok, ok, I know, GOOGLE!) is daunting.  And our list of needs is a mile long.

Grocery shopping Have you seen the prices of meat?  OK, I know you have.  And yes, I have shopped at a regular grocery store frequently though the years.  But meat, well let's just say the commissary has you civilians beat!  And while the closest base to us is a haul, we will be going once a month to stock up on meat.  Some habits die hard and some I just cannot give up!

Location, location, location  I get to choose.  Ummm, as hard as it was to wrap our minds around the idea of our newest assignment sometimes (Minot, ND, anyone?) it took far less brain cells to just go where you were told.  Yes, we did get asked a few times where we would like to go next, but I think they usually just asked to give someone a good laugh that day as they processed papers for as far away as possible.

Overseas travel  Guess what!  This is optional now!  While some of the places Clarke traveled and was assigned to were interesting places to visit, he is no longer being TOLD to go there.  Without those he loves. For a year at a time.  Just saying.  If he wants to go now he can choose and even take us.  Not that I am getting on a plane anytime soon, of course.

Friends  Who knew you actually had to go and look for them?  You see, I am used to a military community where you are fast friends with people who live in the base house next to you, ones you see at the OClub, and ones who are also waiting for their moving truck to arrive.  We bond quickly, knowing that our time together is short and we "get" each other because of our shared joys and struggles.  Actually searching for people with same interests...well, that is something new to me.

Identity  Yep, sounds silly but true story guys!  I have always been an Air Force wife and mom.  Apart from my identity in Christ it has been who I was AND what I did.  Sure, I am a blogger and a homeschool mom, but military wife- well, that was THE thing.  So who am I now?

That is a good question.  And one I am eagerly exploring as we try to settle into this new reality of civilian life.  There are so many possibilities out there that I am a bit overwhelmed.  To the average onlooker, our lives probably seem quite normal with no huge changes on the outside.  But boy, on the inside we are feeling like fish out of water currently.  And with our current housing situation, we are swimming upstream trying not to drown quite honestly.

One thing has NOT changed though.  Our faith.  It may be pushed to limits some days, but it is still there and guiding us in all we do.  Decisions, big and small, are more easily made with God in control.  We may not always understand what he is doing or what he is calling us to, but we rest in the fact that he is sovereign over every aspect of our life.

Whether we are military or civilian!

Blessings,

Nine Weeks, But Who's Counting?

Ok, I am.  Not sure if it is my obsessive personality or just to make a point, but yes, I am counting how many weeks we are living out of suitcase.

We did break down and buy some more hangers (among other stuff I won't even mention) and have hung a few things up but you get the point.  This little temporary stay in a fun AirBNB has turned into the never ending adventure.

9 weeks and counting.

And counting.  And counting.  With a possible end in sight, but I am too afraid to even get excited about that so let's just not mutter a date for now.  Suffice to say, we have rented this place for another month.

We have owned and sold other houses with little difficulty.  I do not remember losing sleep over inspections.  And appraisals.  And the closing dates.  To say this has been a lesson learned is an understatement.

To say I NEVER want to move again is an understatement.

I wanted to give Arizona a five year trial.  HA!  At this point I hope to grow ancient here.

I used to be adventurous when it came to moves.  I have done it a lot, written about it a lot, and actually found it to be quite fun a few times.  Now I just find it tiring.  And lonely.  But mostly tiring.

So for those who are still reading, eyes glazed over, what have we been up to?

Ashton started a full time job as an office manager at a local performing arts studio.  She will be back to taking quilt orders (two a month, so get on her calendar early!) once we get into the new house.

Riley completed her two online courses and is filling her time with voice lessons and reading a copious amount of books.  She leaves for school on August 25th, but we are not talking about that right now.

Salem has begun to study for the ACT,  spends a lot of time in coffee shops and exploring the area with his sisters, and is getting ready for a 10 day trip to Alaska with his grandparents.

Colby is doing full time school now, 6th grade.  He also just made the swim team and spends a lot of time trying to perfect his strokes.  He keeps busy in the pool here and begging people to play games with him.

Clarke and I are busy trying to sell one house and buy another without losing our minds.  In the meantime, he continues to enjoy his job.  Who knew just being around helicopters daily would bring a spring to his step.  OK, who are we kidding?  We ALL knew that, right?  We are settling into a church, making a few new friends, and eagerly awaiting the time we can feel like we have really begun this new chapter of our lives.

I made a note from church a few weeks ago when the pastor mentioned the phrase "just a vapor"  It reminded me that not only is this season of our lives, as crazy as it seems, it is just a vapor.  Indeed our time on this planet is indeed a vapor.

May we live it well, as God intends for us to.  May we bring him all the praise he deserves in our lives, whether we understand his plan or not.

Because believe me when I say, it IS ALL his plan.

And it is good.

Blessings,

Still in the Desert

Literally.  And figuratively!

Monday will mark our 6 week point of being in Arizona.  6 weeks!  It doesn't even seem possible in some ways.

We do love the area.  It is beautiful and it is sunny.  Seriously sunny!  We have seen rain once and it was just a few sprinkles (regardless of the fact that the weather app notified me of rain and flooding), and wispy clouds three different days.  It was funny, they were here and then they were not.  Not sure where they went but they didn't stick around for long.

That I can get used to!

So people keep asking if we are settling in.

That's where the STILL IN THE DESERT figuratively part fits in.

Another dust devil

 Oh my word, are we in a desert.  Dry and lonely.

Did I mention lonely?  We went to a family friend's house this past weekend (had a blast) and it hit me that they were the first people I had talked to, outside my family and the shop cashiers and a few sweet friends on the phone, in FIVE WEEKS!

OK, I said hi to the greeters at church and asked a few questions there, but I am talking about real conversations, people.   It's not that I don't like my kids and husband, but well, even then there is not much to talk about after 5 weeks in an Airbnb.


Needless to say, we are growing weary of our current housing status.  We are eager to move into a house we can call our own, establish some friendships, and move on with our lives.  Oh, and get our stuff out of storage!  I am ready for my own bed, my own dishes, and the rest of my clothes.  We have bought and read way too many books (there IS such a thing) and played way too many games!  It is like a never ending vacation, and while I know that may sound like fun to some, let me assure you it is not all rainbows and ponies.  The space seems to shrink daily, tempers run short, and there is a shortage of things to do. 

I have bought plates because I was tired of washing the same 6 three times a day, more forks for the same reason, a mixing bowl because there was not one here, and numerous other things to "get by".

Doing vacation in an Airbnb is one thing, but dong life is by far another.

By now I am sure you are saying what a whiny lady!  Right?  I promise I only whine a few times a week.  Mostly.  But this is a real blog with real people behind it and we are just trying to keep it real.  So while we are ever so thankful for this new job, and new state- we are anxious to find new friends and a new place to live.

Until then, would you whisper a prayer that our Nebraska house sells?  And that if you call me to chat you don't catch me in one of my whiny moments! ;)

Blessings,