Alright, my plan to write on here at least once a week, hopefully more, has turned into posting once a month. I believe I'm heading in the wrong direction. At least I can say it's because I've been busy with family and life, and not because I've been doing nothing. But I'll work on it…
In the meantime, this morning has brought me to find many little things that are making me truly happy inside. And I want to write about all of them.
This happiness actually started last week. My sister-in-law and her husband from TX, my parents from ID, and my girlfriend from TN all came into town for Thanksgiving. It was such a fun week, hanging with tons of family, eating, shopping, decorating and talking with each other, sharing old stories, and looking up hilarious goats on YouTube. It was refreshing for my soul. I hadn't seen my parents since I waved goodbye leaving my wedding on Aug. 30th. But last week, I shared precious moments with lots of different people, and it blessed me greatly.
So onto this week.. It was hard Monday morning. The guests were gone, the house was messy, and I had to get back into the thought process of making dinner. It was back to regular life. But the week turned into something much sweeter.
The hubs had Wednesday and Thursday off of work, and that meant one thing in my mind.. Christmas tree shopping! On Weds., we ran some errands, then stopped by a nursery and picked out our very first Christmas tree. This isn't just our first major holiday season married, it's our first together! Thanksgiving, and soon Christmas. After we took the tree home, we headed back out to a movie. (He was sweet enough to take me to see the newest Hunger Game's movie I've been waiting patiently to see.)
When we got home, we turned on Christmas music, opened a bottle of wine, and started decorating our tree, mantel and a couple other areas in our apartment. It was truly a beautiful evening with my husband. Hardly anything makes me happier than Christmas time, and spending it with my best friend and new husband, with sparkly lights, pretty music, laughs and goofing off, the night was simply perfect.
Ok so back to this morning. Memories from home swept over me as I scrolled through some old Instagram photos. As much as I am enjoying living in the south, and enjoying married life, I still miss home. As anyone hopefully does. It's not a bad thing of course, I hope many of you miss family or home life because that means you have good memories to install the missing. No one likes it, but it means there is worth to seek after, hope for, drive you to call someone, visit somewhere or write about it, like I'm doing. But unless we have that very mindset, that is what I wrote above, hope, then the missing is just miserable. If we only ponder what memories did for us in the past, and don't drive them into something great for the future, they will eventually die out and be forgotten. So I have decided to write about a few things I miss dearly from home and share what is great about missing them, but also what I have here in my new home, that will be memories for me in years to come.
{the house I still call home}
Though I will never live there again, and I have my own new home, there is still the house I grew up in, it's still the place my heart calls home. The little noises, views from the windows, the kitchen where many late night conversations with my mom took place, the dining room table where so many people have eaten- new friends and old, the fire place that roars in the cold winter months… It has always been, and Lord willing always will be, a place of comfort. Not just because my parents are there, but because of it's ambience. My mother has always had great taste, and the house has always had a warm and cozy inviting feel to it. That's what I want to create in my own home.
I'm glad I have so many memories from one place through out my childhood and early adulthood. It was in that house I learned so many lessons, cried so many tears, laughed, celebrated and even grew to love the career path I eventually chose. It will be from those cherished memories that I will establish a new home with my husband, and eventually our children. Not just the house itself, but the life that is lived within it.
{the winter scenery}
Idaho is truly a beautiful state, and Coeur d'Alene is part of it's magic. I will miss the snow. I have never liked a Christmas without it. And though even Cd'A sometimes gets a snowless Christmas, it still gets it at some point during winter. Now that I'm in Alabama, there's that chance we'll get sunny 70' weather. That just isn't winter.
When the hubs and I visit Idahome for New Years, I hope there is snow. I hope there is tons of it… white covered mountains and tress and I hope I have to dig through all the old snow gear I left up there so we can have a snowball fight in the back yard. However, if there isn't a whole lot of snow, I still can think about how beautiful the snow is, and what a magical world a little city like Cd'A turns into when covered in bright sparking white. I'll definitely be dreaming of a white Christmas this year…
{the dog}
I really do miss having a dog around. Though our family dog that I was closest to passed away a few years ago, our second family dog, Bagel, has always been a sweetie to me. My mom is her true fan and loves her the most, but Bagel was still a good companion that would sleep with me when I was home alone, and cuddle with me while watching Netflix. She is a silly beagle, howling at the turkeys or deer outside, or even at the neighbors walking their own dogs. But having a dog around has always been so normal for me.
Now that I don't have one, (we REALLY want one… just need to wait until we're better prepared for owning one,) I do realize that when I was still single, I liked having a dog because I could talk to her (and she couldn't repeat anything,) and just have another living thing there with me, just being with me. But now, I have a husband. And he is able to reply back, isn't as small, but is almost just as fury, and he is my true lifelong companion. The one I get to cuddle with every night, and he doesn't bark.
Ok is it bad I just compared my husband to a dog?? I mean, I'm not intentionally doing pros and cons of the two.. I'm just saying, having a husband is better! Way better. I guess maybe a better way to put that is, I don't NEED a dog as much now because I have something better. But of course, I'll happily take a dog… the more the merrier! (I feel as tough I am in a very deep hole……)
and finally,
{the holiday season}
This will be my first Christmas away from my parents and sister. Christmas is cherished greatly in our home. My mom and I have always shared a huge love for it, and my sister and dad too. My dad has always reminded us the true reason we celebrate; we never had 'Santa' in our house, but we had traditions, and lots of fun. It's always been my most favorite time of year. I'm totally "one of those people" that gets into it early, and treasures every moment until midnight on the 25th. (And then of course I continue on to the New Year celebration.) But it's always been special, and I thank the Lord for that. I know lots of people don't like the holidays, and even childhood friends of mine couldn't look forward to them due to messy family situations. I so appreciate that I was blessed to have amazing Christmases, that led to every next year looking forward to another. One of the first things my husband and I connected on when we met, was that we both love Christmas time. Ok, not THAT unusual.. but still, we loved talking about it and that alone was almost enough for me. ;) (JK.)
As my hubby and I decorated our tree and home, it really showed how two people from two family's and lots of different traditions are now coming together to create a new family Christmas. I'm looking forward to every year, building up our own Christmas traditions, and then having kids, and watching them grow each year and talk about what they love at Christmas. Sure, I might not have kids that just ADORE it like I do, but I hope and pray they will each see the beauty in what Christmas is. And because my husband and I plan to teach them about Christ, and why we celebrate every December, that alone will hopefully be enough for them to enjoy it in their own personal hearts. *Tis' the reason for the Season*
Of course the thing I miss the most is my family. Without them, non of the above would be something worth missing. It's the people in your life, creating those memories with you, and inspiring whatever you do next, that is what makes missing them so terribly difficult, but oh so beautiful.
Happy December,
t.
