This post is for you, my love. For you who have taken the brunt of my frustration this last year. For you who listened to my list of "I hates" and "I never wanteds." For you who worked so hard to make difficult moments easier. For you who loves me, even though I am so very difficult sometimes.
What the rest of you all may not know, is that I have had a really hard time loving our new home. I can come up with all sorts of really good reasons why, but in the end I choose today to celebrate falling in love with it. I celebrate realizing that it is TRULY our home - Chad's and mine. It is a beautiful combination of each of our tastes and interests. And I am (finally) so thankful for it.
I have spent far too much time being ungrateful. That fact hit me anew yesterday as I cleaned our home. I love cleaning, and as I cleaned yesterday I felt so HOME. As I looked at each space, it was through eyes of love and that felt so good. I snapped photos, trying to capture some of the spaces that I have come to adore. Please do not see this post as a brag fest. Many things about the beauty of this home are the very things that have broken my heart and caused me to grieve it. Please see the celebration of my heart learning to love, accept, and enjoy what Chad and I and our amazing children have created.
Having and not being thankful is one of the worst mistakes I have chosen this last year.
I am working on fixing that.
I love the detail of this china cabinet.
I love the class and the light.
I love that it holds my precious wedding china so perfectly.
I love that our cabinet maker turned an odd, leftover space into something needed and spectacular.
I love this "secret" garden I have created just outside my huge living room windows.
I love the light in this home.
I love the trees, the grass, the geese in the winter.
I love the calm and beauty of this space.
I love the details in the girls' bathroom.
I love the countertop Chad so carefully poured.
I love the sink and faucet he allowed me to order.
I love the light that comes through the high window.
I love that we have plenty of bathroom space, there is rarely a reason to fight in the morning even with three daughters!
I love Krissy's messy bedroom.
Next year at this time it will more than likely be clean. . . and empty.
I plan to love every moment of her clutter this year.
I love my hallway of photos.
I love the memories of days gone by and the space yet to be filled.
I can't wait to bring my great-grandkids up these stairs to tell them the stories these photos contain.
I love my sunny, cozy living room.
I love the red leather chairs and the original Ethiopian art.
I love the lack of TV in this space!
I love my kitchen backsplash and counter tops.
I love my cabinets.
The whole kitchen is warm and cozy.
I love that Chad loves cooking in it just as much as I do!
I adore my laundry room.
Even on my grumpiest days, it is a space I love to be in.
Silly, I know.
Chad has often been bugged that the laundry room is my favorite space - but it is! It is small, yet perfectly arranged to fit the needs of our family.
I also love our wide back entry hall
and our wide open mud room.
Even when we are all coming and going at the same time, we have enough space.
I love the simple details of the shoe shelves and huge coat rack.
This space works perfectly for our crew, and I am thankful for it daily.
I love the spaces that are waiting to be filled.
In our other home, I felt rushed to have all the walls "done."
In this house, I feel no rush.
We are home for good. When the time is right, I will find the perfect thing for this wall
and for this one.
I feel no rush - just contentment as I settle in.
I love the glimpses of Ethiopia you can see thoughout this home.
Scarves as table runners, some art, photos, furniture, etc. . . make my heart smile even as I am always longing to fly back to that beautiful country.
I love the traces of friendship that are seen throughout my home.
A pillow here, a wall painted by a friend in another room, a picture frame in another,my favorite coffee cup etc. . .
I love the time Chad took with details.
The tile work he lost sleep over and the faucet he special ordered because he wanted our bathroom to be just right now make my heart sigh. He is so patient, so thorough, so wise.
This space is almost ALL Chad.
He insisted on this African Mahogany door. He fell in love with the light fixture, and we together found the painting while in the Dominican last winter.
I love that this is OUR home. I love the pieces of Chad in it. I love the compromise.
I also love his taste.
I love the time Chad spent helping me make our yard beautiful this summer.
He has never done that before.
I love that he made my dreams a reality - the huge, patio where I can feed a small army. . . or just our family, and the firepit I so wanted - are complete.
I love that he chose to make my priorities his.
I even love the surround sound in the family room, babe.
Thank you for working so hard to hide it as much as possible.
I have no appreciation for TV - but I have an incredible amount of appreciation for you working to make both of our visions a reality in out family room.
I'm incredibly thankful today to be home.
To be settled.
To be content.
To be thankful.
To be unified.
