This picture was taken in February 2016, shortly after we moved into our home. The same home we would have sorely missed out on if it weren’t for Aaron’s persistence in helping me see the same future he saw. He saw beyond the increased mortgage payment. He saw beyond the stained, well-used carpet. He saw past the crusted-over electric glass stovetop and the yellow, crunchy grass that had yet to turn green for the summer. Any feature I disliked, he saw as a project to learn from. And for every time I complained about the noisy busy street nearby, he reassured me how it would matter less and less as time went on. He saw a house that could be a forever home. He saw a backyard that could hold a lifetime of memories. We could even have a dirt bike track for the boy, he said! You could have whatever size garden you want, he grinned! And don’t forget a pool! He saw a place that provided us room to breath and a private sanctuary to keep us safe.
And here I sit in my comfy recliner in my little nook in our bedroom – only 1.5 years later – I have a six-page paper I need to write before Sunday that I keep putting off, the kitchen has the remnants of dinner left on its counters, all the lights in the house are off, both my boys have been asleep for nearly 3 hours, it’s hotter than hades outside (yes, even at 10:00 p.m.!), my three-pot garden is all but dead due to said hades-heat, I can hear the quiet hum of the noisy busy street nearby … and I am happy. Genuinely and peacefully happy.
Moving into this home was the start of a new chapter in our lives. For all three of us. One of those types of chapters that started with a jaw-clenching plot twist that keeps us flipping the pages to find out what’s coming next! And it has been so refreshing. Life can be funny, frustrating, exciting, and awe-inspiring all at the same time. It can change as fast as you’re ready, and even faster when you’re not. It can be hard. Oh so hard. But, when allowed, it’s those hard times that change you to become a better you. And me being a better me makes me happy!
My hope is to keep documenting. My memory will never be as strong as the written word. And there is always something worth writing about. Even if it’s for no other reason than for memory’s sake!
My Quirky Life 
