My house smells sweet. Of fruit. Kiwi and cantaloupe to be exact.
There is a canvas that my sister painted hanging in the hallway leading to my bedroom that I am keenly aware needs to be raised a good 6 inches.
I finally put a lamp, a few books, and a Scentsy warmer over the mantle in my bedroom.
And after too many months and a daily schedule that doesn't seem to allow for pictures to be hung on the walls, I'm settling in.
This house is starting to feel like home.
{Except when the heat or air is on, when it continues to smell like something died or sewer or trash. I can't quite put my finger on it.}
But besides that unaccounted for smell, this house feels like home.
There is a Bradford Pear right outside the front door covered in beautiful white blossoms, and every night at dusk the sky turns a beautiful pinkish orange color.....seriously every night.
Our neighbor across the street told us that our house sits on one of the highest points in Oklahoma county which apparently equals beautiful sunsets every night. I have no clue if that's true or not, but I'll take it.
As I'm typing, I'm wishing I had this urge and desire and yearning that I have right now to write every single night. I love looking back over my year of writing. There are so many memories. So much life lived and recorded.
It's weird how it comes and goes with me.
But back to the house.....
For someone who loves to entertain (one of my spiritual gifts is hospitality), it's taken me much longer than usual to settle in. I'll blame that on the precious little upstairs who happens to be stirring at the moment.
It feels good to settle in. It feels good to feel like home....even if that baby is waking up at midnight. : )
Showing posts with label And we're staying here for a while. Show all posts
Showing posts with label And we're staying here for a while. Show all posts
Settling in
Thursday, December 13, 2012
I've got a sweet little guy snuggled up on my chest for the night. My hubby is out at Wal-mart buying a new TV for our bedroom (Merry Christmas babe!), and my other 2 littles are snuggled up in their new rooms.
We did it! We moved. It wasn't across the country like I thought. It was just 3 miles north. But oh, how it feels like home.
I can't really explain it. My babies sleep good here. We sleep good here. It is just us. And it feels good.
I loved our other house. And when we moved in 3 years ago, we thought it would be our 20 year home. We didn't know the Lord would grow our business the way he did, and grow our hearts into wanting more babies. We didn't really know anything then. (And we still don't know anything for the record.)
But I do love it here. We see turkey everyday.
This is our backyard. We have 3 1/2 acres and a creek back there. (There will be a pool soon enough!)
Here are the turkey in the front yard.
Luke and I saw 3 deer in the backyard one morning.
It's just like a little slice of heaven.
It's a mess. Don't get me wrong....I have had a moment everyday since we moved in of being completely overwhelmed.....moving is absolutely crazy. I'm ready for everything to be in it's place and for us to be settled. I want to get back to work and to some kind of normalcy and schedule. I know it's going to take a bit of time. That's okay.
I can't wait to host here. Christmas is going to be a blast. There is so much room for the kids to run and play. And we finally have a house big enough to comfortably host the Dalke clan!
My kids are already exploring. Daddy took them on an adventure exploring the creek yesterday. Oh, the adventures they'll have back there!
What can I say? Life is good. I'm beginning to see the end of the moving madness approaching. And life will go on.
It's not what I thought it would be, but it's still the beginning of something new. And I can't wait to see what happens next.
It's always an adventure.....
We did it! We moved. It wasn't across the country like I thought. It was just 3 miles north. But oh, how it feels like home.
I can't really explain it. My babies sleep good here. We sleep good here. It is just us. And it feels good.
I loved our other house. And when we moved in 3 years ago, we thought it would be our 20 year home. We didn't know the Lord would grow our business the way he did, and grow our hearts into wanting more babies. We didn't really know anything then. (And we still don't know anything for the record.)
But I do love it here. We see turkey everyday.
This is our backyard. We have 3 1/2 acres and a creek back there. (There will be a pool soon enough!)
Luke and I saw 3 deer in the backyard one morning.
It's just like a little slice of heaven.
It's a mess. Don't get me wrong....I have had a moment everyday since we moved in of being completely overwhelmed.....moving is absolutely crazy. I'm ready for everything to be in it's place and for us to be settled. I want to get back to work and to some kind of normalcy and schedule. I know it's going to take a bit of time. That's okay.
I can't wait to host here. Christmas is going to be a blast. There is so much room for the kids to run and play. And we finally have a house big enough to comfortably host the Dalke clan!
My kids are already exploring. Daddy took them on an adventure exploring the creek yesterday. Oh, the adventures they'll have back there!
What can I say? Life is good. I'm beginning to see the end of the moving madness approaching. And life will go on.
It's not what I thought it would be, but it's still the beginning of something new. And I can't wait to see what happens next.
It's always an adventure.....
Sunday, December 2, 2012
I've lived in this city for over 20 years now. It's where I met my husband, where I birthed my children, and where I fell in love with the Lord.
It's where I've met great friends, and where I met myself. It's where I overcame my fear, got my first real job, and where I grew a business that changed our lives.
We've lived in this house for almost 4 years now. And oh, if these walls could talk.
Inside the walls of this house we have learned that money doesn't make you happy but love does. We've learned how to work together and how to work apart. We've learned what it's like to serve because we felt led to. We've learned that we're not always right.
We've learned that living for the Lord doesn't always make sense to the world (or to us for that matter). We've learned that babies sometimes come.....and then go.
We've known love, pain, fear, chaos, and peace within these walls.
And next week, we'll hand the keys to someone else and move on.
I thought I knew exactly what this would look like.
I thought I had it all figured out.
And on October 31st, everything changed.
With Brian asleep on the hospital couch and a new baby boy asleep in my arms, I found that no matter what I did, sleep wouldn't come.
I kept asking myself and the Lord, what on earth we were doing. Why now? Why California? Why now?
I couldn't wrap my head around it.
What seemed like a solid plan only hours before suddenly seemed like the worst idea we'd ever had.
And 2 days later on our way home from the hospital with the newest addition to our family, I asked him the question, "What are you thinking about California?" I couldn't hold it in any longer. I thought I might explode if I didn't get it out.
I had prayed unceasingly while we welcomed visitor after visitor into our hospital room. "Lord, do you really want us to leave all this right now?"
Neither of us were sure anymore. And before I knew it, I was looking at local real estate and so was Brian (we just weren't talking about it). I thought that maybe I was running away from what I felt the lord called us to do, and I didn't want to be a coward.
Neither of us knew why we were moving to California. We just felt the Lord leading us there. And suddenly (with no warning at all) I felt like I was flipped around and instructed to run the other way with no explanation at all.
You see, we had already sold our house (thanks to a knock on the door that I believed was an answer to a prayer), so if we wanted to stay here, we had to find a new house and quick.
A few days later, with tears barely able to contain themselves in my eyes, we made a decision to stay here, and just like that, peace overflowed my soul. I knew it was right (just like I knew moving to Cali was right only days before).
What do I know really?
Nothing.
Nothing except that this is a journey.
Tonight I ran the streets of my neighborhood and thought about all the prayer and worship and questioning and searching I had done on those streets. The Lord used running to change me into someone different.
It was on those streets that I feel in love with my savior, that I learned how to overcome fear, that I really became me.
In mere days, we will walk away from the walls where we have been changed, away from the streets that made us different, and into a new adventure.
It's not near the adventure that I thought it would be. It's not across the country. It's not as uncertain. But it will be an adventure none the less.
I still don't know where we'll be or what we'll be doing in a year. That's just the life you live when you let the Lord be in charge. But I have a pretty good feeling that we'll be here for a while longer.
I don't know why. I don't know why He sold our house with nothing more than a knock on the door from strangers. I was so sure at the time that that knock was all about us.
But the more I pray about it, the more I believe that it had nothing to do with us, and more to do with 2 people on the other side of the door.
They are not strangers anymore. They are becoming our friends, and for that, I am grateful.
Now we're moving 3 miles instead of 1,300 miles. And I still don't know why. What I do know is that surrounding this move is nothing but peace. And if there is anything I will chase after, it is peace.
Awaiting what's next.......
It's where I've met great friends, and where I met myself. It's where I overcame my fear, got my first real job, and where I grew a business that changed our lives.
We've lived in this house for almost 4 years now. And oh, if these walls could talk.
Inside the walls of this house we have learned that money doesn't make you happy but love does. We've learned how to work together and how to work apart. We've learned what it's like to serve because we felt led to. We've learned that we're not always right.
We've learned that living for the Lord doesn't always make sense to the world (or to us for that matter). We've learned that babies sometimes come.....and then go.
We've known love, pain, fear, chaos, and peace within these walls.
And next week, we'll hand the keys to someone else and move on.
I thought I knew exactly what this would look like.
I thought I had it all figured out.
And on October 31st, everything changed.
With Brian asleep on the hospital couch and a new baby boy asleep in my arms, I found that no matter what I did, sleep wouldn't come.
I kept asking myself and the Lord, what on earth we were doing. Why now? Why California? Why now?
I couldn't wrap my head around it.
What seemed like a solid plan only hours before suddenly seemed like the worst idea we'd ever had.
And 2 days later on our way home from the hospital with the newest addition to our family, I asked him the question, "What are you thinking about California?" I couldn't hold it in any longer. I thought I might explode if I didn't get it out.
I had prayed unceasingly while we welcomed visitor after visitor into our hospital room. "Lord, do you really want us to leave all this right now?"
Neither of us were sure anymore. And before I knew it, I was looking at local real estate and so was Brian (we just weren't talking about it). I thought that maybe I was running away from what I felt the lord called us to do, and I didn't want to be a coward.
Neither of us knew why we were moving to California. We just felt the Lord leading us there. And suddenly (with no warning at all) I felt like I was flipped around and instructed to run the other way with no explanation at all.
You see, we had already sold our house (thanks to a knock on the door that I believed was an answer to a prayer), so if we wanted to stay here, we had to find a new house and quick.
A few days later, with tears barely able to contain themselves in my eyes, we made a decision to stay here, and just like that, peace overflowed my soul. I knew it was right (just like I knew moving to Cali was right only days before).
What do I know really?
Nothing.
Nothing except that this is a journey.
Tonight I ran the streets of my neighborhood and thought about all the prayer and worship and questioning and searching I had done on those streets. The Lord used running to change me into someone different.
It was on those streets that I feel in love with my savior, that I learned how to overcome fear, that I really became me.
In mere days, we will walk away from the walls where we have been changed, away from the streets that made us different, and into a new adventure.
It's not near the adventure that I thought it would be. It's not across the country. It's not as uncertain. But it will be an adventure none the less.
I still don't know where we'll be or what we'll be doing in a year. That's just the life you live when you let the Lord be in charge. But I have a pretty good feeling that we'll be here for a while longer.
I don't know why. I don't know why He sold our house with nothing more than a knock on the door from strangers. I was so sure at the time that that knock was all about us.
But the more I pray about it, the more I believe that it had nothing to do with us, and more to do with 2 people on the other side of the door.
They are not strangers anymore. They are becoming our friends, and for that, I am grateful.
Now we're moving 3 miles instead of 1,300 miles. And I still don't know why. What I do know is that surrounding this move is nothing but peace. And if there is anything I will chase after, it is peace.
Awaiting what's next.......
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
For a while we have been looking for a house and then looking for land to build, and now we think we're finally settled on staying here for the time being.
Brian would move to southern California in a second if I said let's go, but now is not the time. I told him I would pray about it and consider it.
We were pretty set on building and had even found land that we loved, but for some reason it just doesn't feel right yet.
So for the time being, we think we'll stay right where we are.
That decision does mean making some changes. We have a separate office space that we lease right now, but I never ever work there. It's basically just one big tax write off right now. We have our meetings there, but that's about the only purpose it serves.
We've had the office for almost two years now, and have decided not to renew our lease. But, that means that I desperately need a space to work in our home. Right now I work from the tiny built in desk located in our kitchen, and from our back porch, and kitchen table, and dining room table, and basically wherever I can find to lay all my stuff out.
So upon deciding to stay where we are, we decided that having an office space for me in our home is vital.
The only place we have to do that is in our current playroom which is currently Bailey's room and was at one time the attic.
The plan is to make a large portion of that space an office for me. We'll also still have part of it be our guest bedroom, and I'm sure a fair amount of toys and baby items will make their way into the space as well.
The "soon to be office" is only accessed through our fourth bedroom (soon to be a nursery), so it's not ideal, but it'll be a great solution for the next year while we pray about where we really want to be.
Of course, all this planning has me searching for ideas. Thank you pinterest for a little inspiration.
Won't this be a fun adventure? It's always an adventure.
Brian would move to southern California in a second if I said let's go, but now is not the time. I told him I would pray about it and consider it.
We were pretty set on building and had even found land that we loved, but for some reason it just doesn't feel right yet.
So for the time being, we think we'll stay right where we are.
That decision does mean making some changes. We have a separate office space that we lease right now, but I never ever work there. It's basically just one big tax write off right now. We have our meetings there, but that's about the only purpose it serves.
We've had the office for almost two years now, and have decided not to renew our lease. But, that means that I desperately need a space to work in our home. Right now I work from the tiny built in desk located in our kitchen, and from our back porch, and kitchen table, and dining room table, and basically wherever I can find to lay all my stuff out.
So upon deciding to stay where we are, we decided that having an office space for me in our home is vital.
The only place we have to do that is in our current playroom which is currently Bailey's room and was at one time the attic.
The plan is to make a large portion of that space an office for me. We'll also still have part of it be our guest bedroom, and I'm sure a fair amount of toys and baby items will make their way into the space as well.
The "soon to be office" is only accessed through our fourth bedroom (soon to be a nursery), so it's not ideal, but it'll be a great solution for the next year while we pray about where we really want to be.
Of course, all this planning has me searching for ideas. Thank you pinterest for a little inspiration.
Won't this be a fun adventure? It's always an adventure.
.....day 327 of a year of writing.....
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