Home

I'm writing this post for a few reasons, some I will always cherish, and some I'd like to forget.

My husband and his siblings speak of their Grandma's house back on Channing in Palo Alto with such fond memories and love. I hope that one day my babies will speak of our home on Oreana the same.

1. Our first home that we ever bought, not rented ~ All of our kids learned to ride their bikes out front, learned to swim in our "giant tub" out back, and learned about their Heavenly Father, His son, Jesus Christ, love, family, and patience inside. The sale of our home is complete and it's a bittersweet feeling for me.

Our front yard was magical in the spring.

2. Our next adventure will mean lots of houses that we will make each one our home. Jack loves this new house and hopes to take it with us when we move again. "I've seen them move those buildings on big trucks before, so they could move our house right?"

3. The last actual night of sleep we had in our home was not a great one. It was interrupted at 3:30 am by my sweet Afton telling me, "The house is all wet." I told her, "You're just having a bad dream. It's raining outside and that's why you think it's wet. You're hearing the rain drop outside. It's okay baby. I'll walk you back to bed and tuck you in." As I did, she was in fact right. The house was wet, again. It was in fact raining inside our house, from the same dumb, tiny piece that broke again, except in the kids bathroom this time. Water shooting from the toilet, soaked through the carpet in the hall, their bedrooms, our new master flooring, down the stairs, through the walls, through the ceilings, and soaking all of our boxed up belongings in the living room downstairs and guest bedroom, as well. And let me add, the fans were on in both rooms, so it was as if 2 giant sprinklers were on in our downstairs. Our home had been destroyed, again, and I sobbed uncontrollably this time, fearing the sale of our home was ruined, fearing we couldn't financially afford two house payments, fearing the amount of time/work/patience that it will take to repair this amount of damage, that had easily doubled the amount of our flood back in October 2014. This memory I can easily do without. We slept across the street at our sweet neighbor, Carolina's house for the next two nights. So thankful for her kindness & love, but honestly, it was not how I had expected to spend my last few nights in Las Vegas.

4. We heard this song by Blue October (who knew they could make a come back) on our way to find a house to rent in Yucca Valley. As my Sugar drove, I teared up, hiding it behind my sunglasses and looking out the window at the countless Joshua Trees. The words made me feel a lot of things, some good and bad. But mostly good.

"Home"

I'll smile if I want to 

I'm not afraid, gonna flaunt it too

What a glow when you're living true

Yeah

I'm living for the right now

I had a few friends show me how

I take a deep breath and blow it out

Let it go

But listen I,

I can't wait to see what's around the corner

I can't wait to soar

Baby, I lie awake and I watch you sleeping

thinking its the little things that make a home

Like dancing in the kitchen in the pale moonlight

Only care in the world is that our kids are all right

Daddy loves momma and momma loves him

Tomorrow we get to do it over again

So smile at me baby, take my breath away

With the good Lord willing, I'll be happy to say

That daddy loves momma and momma loves him

Tomorrow we get to do it over again

I feel like I'm gonna win

And I'm as proud as I've ever been

Cause I'm surrounded with some good friends

Yeah, good friends, good friends

I'm forever like a tattoo, yeah

I got to stay sticky cause I gotta be the glue for

My girl, my friends, my home, family, I do it all

Truly I can't wait to see what's around the corner

I can't wait to soar

But baby, I lie awake and I watch you sleeping

thinking its the little things that make a home

Yeah

Cause we'll be dancing in the kitchen in the pale moonlight

Only care in the world is that our kids are all right

Daddy loves momma and momma loves him

Tomorrow we get to do it over again

We found

Our home

Something we can build for years

The young

And old

I'll be there to wipe your tears

We all get to see

Who we grow up to be

And anchor when in doubt

An ocean when in drought

We aim for it all

We lift of these walls

To make this house our home."

5. Our family theme for this school year, and military lifestyle, will be...

 We are only in this home for a year. We need to make most of our time here. Soon he will begin the paperwork to determine where we will be relocated next. But my goal, our family goal will remain the same no matter where we are placed. We will make all of our new houses our home, one move at a time.