DIY

I hadn't realized that it had been nearly three weeks since my last post! Time just got away from me. We bought our first house when we moved here. A beautiful home that almost reduced me to tears with the thought that once the ink had dried it would belong to us. At the time we didn't realize the amount of stuff that would need to be done to the house. Some stuff needed to be done immediately while other things we will work on over time. All of these projects we have taken on in here have used up my otherwise limited down time and so I have neglected my computer and my blog.
It is definitely different being a homeowner. It is an awesome feeling to be able to have your own home. When we lived in our apartments I dreamed of the day our children would have a yard they could run around in as opposed to the 1-2 hours a day we would spend at the park every day. The park was great, they could run and play and exhaust some of their energy but to have the freedom to go outside as you please is truly a blessing.
There is also a lot of responsibility that goes along with owning your own home too. At first it was overwhelming with the thought of the things that we needed to do but the silver lining is we get to put our own touches in here and make it our own home. My husband commented recently that by the time we are finished with our big projects it will be like a brand new house. I actually enjoy these projects. I suppose though there will always be projects coming up. Sometimes little things you are wanting to change or unfortunate big unexpected projects like the ones we experienced once we got moved in but that is just part of life and being a homeowner. I hope to one day get back to my limited crafty ways and do some DIY projects that are maybe a little more fun than patching and painting an entire bedroom and bathroom but all in good time. Besides we have to get these big projects done before my productivity level decreases some in December! :)

Back To The Grind

Well it was a good run here in our house. My husband had just about a month off in between completing his fellowship and starting his first job. Despite having to work on some papers he's writing and doing some reading it afforded him quality time with the kids. It took some adjustment having daddy at home. Between a lot of traveling and his presence our daily routine got a little shaken up. Nap times got missed, cookies were given for breakfast and my dress got shrunk in his attempt to help me switch out the laundry one day. All in all though it was nice to see the kids have that time with him. I would watch them play and listen to their laughter worrying in the back of my mind what would happen when he went back to work. Fortunately the first two weeks were mostly orientation types of days where even if they didn't get to see him in the morning he would usually make it home for dinner. This last week however he started back operating and though I was hoping his absence wouldn't be too hard to transition back to, his presence was definitely missed. During the day at random intervals the kids would ask when he would be coming home. A knock on the door by the UPS man would elicit yells for daddy and running to the door only to be disappointed it was just a box. And then two nights ago while finishing up dinner our son tells me he doesn't think he wants to be a surgeon like daddy. I asked him why, to which he responded, "you would be so lonely if we are both gone and then you would only have my sister to eat dinner with." Though I appreciate his thoughtful and loving heart it reminds me that he is getting older now and is more perceptive about his surroundings and the day to day life and events that transpire. Thankfully though I believe they will have more time on the weekends with him as the demand on his time will not be quite like the last few years.
I do know that though he misses the kids he is glad to be back helping those that need his help. He comes in to his new position with a lot of pressure from different directions but he knows that one pressure he doesn't have to worry about is pressure from home. We are getting our routine back in order and the kids absolutely love this new area and we enjoy exploring it!

Back to three seats at the dinner table

Home

I once read a quote that said, "home is not a place, it is a feeling." I have lived in many places in my life and I feel confident in saying this could not be truer. A few weeks ago we moved to a lovely town in West Virginia. Ironically known for the actor Don Knotts, it feels very Mayberry-ish to me here. Although significantly larger than that storybook town, the people are friendly and it maintains that small town feel, where neighbors help neighbors and everyone knows everyone. In my previous post I wrote about how at first when my husband accepted the job here I was nervous with the ideas conjured up in my head of what life in West Virginia would be like. Life here has proven to be peaceful and serene.
It took us a month to get our things here. 

It took a week but we got all of our boxes unpacked!

 After a big fiasco with the moving company, that I assure you we will not use EVER again, a truck driver who to the colorful language of my uncle and father obviously did not know how to actually DRIVE his truck, except on the straight interstate. Things brought to us broken, crushed up and/or missing we survived. And to be honest I was ok here. As soon as we got here it felt like home to me. It is a hard feeling to explain to someone that doesn't understand that 'home' doesn't have to be a place but a feeling. Yes, we are both miles from our family, our comfort zone, but we don't feel unease about it. 
My mom once told me she knew I would likely never live where I grew up because I had a gypsy soul and I find that in my years, in my many moves I have always found 'home' everywhere I have been. I have been able to make a life despite the locations or distance from anyone I knew. I have been able to pack up my small amount of possessions and find adventure and life everywhere I went. I of course will always have my hometown. The place I was born and raised. The place where the foundation of my life was set. The place I know I can always return to if or when I need to but every piece of my 'home' I have found in my travels and living in different locations. It is comprised of the people I surround myself with, the beauty of the scenery around me, watching my children's happy faces as they run and explore, where my heart feels full and life is satisfying.

The Road Home

I grew up in the beautiful surroundings of the Pacific Northwest (PNW). When I was a young girl, having just finished nursing school, I moved to the south. One of the first things someone would ask me, upon meeting me, was how could I have left such a beautiful place. Like anyone who grows up around something day in and day out, I became accustomed to it and often took it for granted. Yes I hiked, camped and spent countless hours outdoors but it wasn't until I left Washington that I grew to truly appreciate the beauty of that area of the country. I believe that anyone can find fault and flaws in places but every place has something amazing to offer. Sometimes you have to look harder than others but if you give a place time and put in the effort you will find a diamond in the rough.

That being said when my husband was interviewing for jobs I was unable to attend because our daughter, as previously mentioned, does not do well traveling and that was a battle I did not want to take on. When he was offered a job in West Virginia I was a little nervous at first with the pictures my mind conjured up about what this place would look like. I, of course, started scouring the internet but am always a little skeptical about what you find on the there. But I love a good adventure and I had faith that he wouldn't take us to a place that did not suit our family. As we pulled out of his parents driveway in Georgia saying our goodbyes I was so excited for the unknown, not really sure what to expect. I had texted my uncle to let him know we were leaving and explaining my curiosity to what I would see along the way and of course quoting "Country Road." He insisted I would be pleasantly surprised and reminded me that there were numerous songs written about that area of the country.

We crossed into eastern Tennessee and the smoky mountain, continuing our drive through the state of Virginia and into West Virginia. To say I was amazed, awestruck or even captivated does not come close to how I felt driving through this area. It was like I was still back home in my beloved PNW. I could not believe the majesty and beauty of this area. When I lived in Memphis I of course always missed my family but I also missed the PNW. Driving through these areas and having lived here now for two weeks I can say I will always miss my family but I still feel like I am home here. John Denver couldn't have described it better than the very first line of his song "Almost Heaven, West Virginia..." I wish I could describe it to someone or a professional photographer so I could capture the pristine landscape of this area. The lush green rolling hills, the misty sunny mornings, even the storms we have encountered are something that makes you feel serene. And let me not forget the magic of the fireflies or lightening bugs that captured the amazement of our son.
I cannot wait for our road trips and exploring this land. I already have quite a few places on my list to visit and it will only continue to grow!

(Just a few pictures on the road to our new home)

Getting Settled

On Thursday the 14th we drove 11 hours from my in-laws' home in Georgia to our new hometown in West Virginia. I have so much to say about our drive and the beauty of this region but I will save that for my next post. We weren't sure how the drive would go, as our daughter is not the best traveler by car or plane, but we were pleasantly surprised. We stopped four times along the way for bathroom breaks and leg stretches and made it safely in to town that evening.
The next day we closed on our very first home (more on that later) and were getting our few possessions that drove up with us settled in. Our stuff from Seattle was scheduled to arrive originally on the the 15th. However, on the 13th the representative from the moving truck company contacted us to notify us it would actually be the 18th. We were fine with that because that would give us time to figure out a few things in the area and clean up around the house before our stuff arrived. On the 15th, two days after the first phone call, the representative notified us that in fact our stuff would actually not arrive until the 26th to the 28th! They informed us that our belongings had actually not even left Seattle yet and was scheduled to depart Tuesday the 19th.
So for the last week and a half we have been camping out in our new home. We are not strangers to doing camp outs with our kids inside the home, as it was actually one of their favorite things to do in our apartment in Seattle however it has been a bit challenging at times. Thank goodness for the kindness of my mother-in-law who cooked us some food and froze it for us before we left Georgia, so that we would only have to warm it in the microwave. After a few days though we realized it would be beneficial to at least buy a pan and cookie sheet so we could make some eggs for breakfast and cook things in the oven.
We purposely sent our stuff two weeks before we were scheduled to arrive here to allow the 7-10 days of travel time as they had told us. We could've really been upset about  the delay but there is no point. We cannot change the circumstances and we are truly blessed to have what we do have. So this is just another part of our new adventure. As I sit here typing this post on the fire place hearth, our only place to sit in the house, I am thankful for these opportunities. It has given us a chance to fully enjoy the things we do have and our new surroundings. Every meal is spent eating outside on our newly purchased plastic outdoor furniture, using our Coleman cooler as a universal table to place our food. Our nights are spent sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags and our food is ate on paper plates with plastic utensils. We hope that our stuff arrives this week as promised but I can't deny that even this little road bump is a fun and memorable part of our adventure.

Our son enjoying his breakfast on a beautiful W. Va sunny morning

Road Trip

On the eve of our road trip to West Virginia I am reminded of the same feeling three years ago when we were packing up to head out west to Washington. We will be driving from Georgia to West Virginia tomorrow and though the mileage is significantly less it will be a fun adventure non the less. In an era where faster is better and the convenience of flying gives us extra time to spend in places, it is also nice to take the time to drive around the country.

When we drove from Memphis to Seattle, we did it in four days. In retrospect, we wish we had the time to spend at more places along the way but we were still able to absorb the beauty of our surroundings. The vast landscapes in Iowa, beautiful mountains in Utah, Wyoming's rock formations and wild horses (to our delight). Water cascading down rocky hillsides and amazing mountain scenery as we drove up the Oregon coast.

This time, our travels will take us through eastern Tennessee and on through the Appalachian mountains to our new home in Morgantown, WV.

I look forward to this trip.

As nice as it is to fly, I will admit I much prefer driving. There is no other way you can appreciate God's beauty in creating this stunning landscape than driving.  

In My Abscence

I'm back. The last month has gone by so quickly and so many things have gone on in the world of my little family. The third week of June my husband was gone to a conference and so I took the opportunity to take our little ones to visit my family for five days. They had a wonderful time and I was glad they were able to have that time with them as we likely won't be back for a visit until next summer. We also drove up to Canada for a day to say goodbye to my husband's Aunt and Uncle and their family in B.C. I will miss them as much as I will miss my own family. I have enjoyed our visits up there over the last few years and watching my kids play with their cousins.

The following week was a whirlwind of sorting and packing so we were ready for the movers to come pick up our stuff to ship to our new home. When we left Memphis for Seattle three years ago we arrived like modern day pioneers.

Everything we owned fit in our Pilot and the U-Haul trailer. Which we drove nearly 2,500 miles in three days. This time around our stuff will be meeting us upon our arrival. Thank goodness!

Our things were picked up on Thursday afternoon and we drove down to my hometown so that Saturday morning my parents could drop us at the airport to fly to Georgia to visit my husbands parents and siblings. We have not been able to make it out to see them in over a year due to his schedule so they were happy to have the time with us.

We have spent the week here enjoying family time and the holiday. My husband and I have spent the week trying to sort out the necessities to transition to our new home shortly and prepare for our drive from Georgia to West Virginia. We thought about flying initially but we do love a good road trip! So that should catch us up briefly in what's been going on in our world presently. Looking forward to writing about our new adventure!

(While we are excited about all of the new things in our life, we are deeply saddened by the horrific week of destruction of human lives and loss of all qualities that characterize our humanity in our country and in the entire world. Like so many others, we pray for peace, tolerance and understanding.)