Life is starting to resemble a new normal. We have fallen into a routine in this 900 something sq ft house. We have less, we need less, we are closer together, we have less to maintain. All great things. We are one block from our new church which is also fantastic. In a matter of days we switch phases again as we will have keys to our new home. Packing in the pods was somewhat ridiculous. It isn’t your traditional boxes kind of move. You shove things in every nook and cranny to keep things from getting broken as they get jostled around in the drive. So unpacking them should be fairly chaotic. I think it might be like Christmas, which would be rad because we sorta missed Christmas this year. With all the focus on moving it was hard to take it all in.
My mind has started to think decorating. There is no Ikea here, imagine the horror, BUT there is a million antique stores and I am so grateful for that. I love them. I love that this is our home, not renting. A place to put roots down. A place where I can DIY to my heart’s content. Can’t. Wait. I can’t wait to get settled and start having people over and making memories.
I kind of am really bad at resting, but I have been resting a lot. A TON of HGTV. My new favorite is Property Brothers. Those dudes are hilarious. Snowy days, hot chocolate, school work, games, block building and too much take out. I kinda think God knew what He was doing when our first house hunting trip didn’t produce a home. I was so sad we wouldn’t be able to move straight into our place, but I think that my heart needed a transition to adjust. A time to rest.
So what’s up in Missouri? People are asking how it is…
*I enrolled the teens in a homeschool enrichment school, two mornings a week. It is fantastic. We all love it. It technically is in Kansas as we live right on the border. This year they are taking science, study hall, and lunch. I’ll leave the dissecting cow eyeballs to the experts and the kids can hang with some other homeschool teen’s for a bit. It’s a win win. It is about 20 minutes from our home, but right by Whole Foods and Trader Joes, my happy places You know what else? Tessemae’s products are sold in the Whole Food’s store here. Can I get an Amen?
*I found a gym. It’s $15.83 a month, which is about 25% of the price I paid in CA. I like cheap gym memberships. Indoor pools with water slides, lazy rivers, and splash zones, tracks to run indoors, lots of sports, cardio, weights, ugh…thank you Lees Summit. There is not much better after a long day then to go swim laps and sit in a hot tub. Especially for $15.83 a month. I’m so in.
* I opened a bank account. I almost own a house. I have a gym. I had dry cleaning done here. I have a library card. The Chick Fil A was playing 10,000 reasons {Christian music, really?} and it has crushed ice. There is a restaurant where a train drives around a track and stops at your table and delivers your food. Thanks for the tip, Jennifer. I will be checking it out soon. Next up is doctors, dentists, Dmv. This moving thing is time consuming.
* I found heaven. West Bottoms. Which is odd because in the middle of it there actually is a big building that is a haunted house that is called, the edge of hell. Not cool, but the whole district is really completely fabulous. My new friend took me there and it is a photographer’s dream really. I will be heading back to shop there and I’m pretty sure I will report it is a shopper’s dream as well.
*I love our church. Everything about it. Amen.
*practicing math facts. Call out a math problem and have the student jump to the right number. Then switch it up and let the student call it for you to jump. Sneak in a little cardio too 😉
Doing school “around a kitchen table” has been stretching for me. Stretching is good. I ended up without quite a bit of our school stuff somehow, not sure what happened, but I had to improvise. I borrowed some things and I found Mardel’s conveniently located next door to Hobby Lobby and I was back on track. I bought a planner for my youngest student and it is working brilliantly. I will do a post about that in the future. There are so many ways to track school and it changes as the kid’s grow. This is a great option and we will be working this way for as long as it continue’s to work.
*we seem to be taking our time with Charlotte’s Web. A barn full of talking animals? Really, why would you rush it. So many projects to be had. I heart Wilbur.
In heartbreaking news…
My sweet friend Joany went home to be with Jesus last Friday. I miss her. So much. She squeezed her husband’s hand 3 times {their symbol for I love You}. He told her her work on earth was done. She lifted her hand to her heart, arched her back, took her last breath….{check out her son’s sermon about this, worth a listen}. I am so glad she was able to die right next to the man that she loved most on this earth. I have to believe that brought her so much peace. I found out the news alone, sitting in a parking lot. I sobbed and sobbed that kind of sob you don’t do often in life. I knew this was coming, but was always hoping it wouldn’t. I sobbed for many reasons. Too many to even sort out. Her husband said, “the deeper you love, the deeper it hurts.” That is so true in this life.
In the conversations Joany and I often had, it seemed to come up a lot about living life to the fullest. I love that he said that. I think that is the thing that will stick with me always. Live without fear and not only without fear, but WITH trust. Free. Inspired. So beautiful.
Her death has inspired many conversations with my friends to the type of woman she was. Her legacy is clear. The most favorite statement I have read about her was “I love how you lived this life”. Maybe a modern day version of Well done good and faithful servant.
A sum of many moment’s make a life that this can be said about. No moment is too small. In fact, I am convinced that the insignificant moment’s are the most important. Many times we search for the big when in reality rockin’ the small produces the big.
Happy Tuesday.
*My favorite post I read this past week…Ann Voskamp. Don’t miss it.Â