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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

What Makes a Home

The question of the year:

"Are you all moved in?"

My typical answer, "We've got everything unpacked and are getting settled."

But then I can't help but wonder "What does it mean to be settled?"


 I've had quite a bit of practice answering this question, but I'm never all that satisfied with my answer. I mean, all my things are in our house, and I have almost everything where I want it to go. We eat, sleep, and play here. We are basically living in this house, but it takes more than all that for it to really be home-at least for me it does.

A home is all about the people that are in it. Not Jared and myself necessarily, but the experiences that happen with the people in our home.

I found a short quote one time, and it has been my desire for our home ever since:

Lord, help me to build the kind of home where all who enter find it impossible to keep from thinking of God.


From day 1 of our marriage, Jared and I have said that we want our home to be a place for people. We want our home to be a place where people can come and feel at home. Oftentimes this means picking up before people come over, but it doesn't mean it is spotless. It means taking the time to light a candle, but it doesn't mean having the most expensive candles. It means offering something to drink, even if the only option is water. It means sitting down and taking the time to hear someone else's story.

It takes time to build a home like this. We still have a lot to learn, but what I do know is that a beautiful home isn't about the decorations on the wall, or the food on the table. A beautiful home is about the conversations cultivated on the couches, the problems worked through over coffee, and the lessons learned over a slice of pizza. A beautiful home is found in taking the time to invite someone into your own life even in the midst of the crazy. It is found in being okay with allowing someone else to see you in all your imperfections.

I pray that we always take the time to make our home a place where all who enter find it impossible to keep from thinking of God.


.love.
Adrienne

Friday, May 23, 2014

Farmers Markets, Drivers License and Golf Courses

First week in the new place! We both took a week before really starting work so we could get some stuff done, and kind of get settled in. We got all the essentials taken care of like car tag, drivers licenses, and changing the utilities over. We also got to do some fun things!

Our condo happens to sit right on one of the many golf courses over here. So our only real option for taking Gavin on a walk is to the cart path over to the closest park. Well, apparently there is an overabundance of squirrels here compared to Macon, and Gavin has noticed.
This is about a minute from our front door, he dragged me over to the tree after the squirrel went up. We are working on this:)

There is a rather large farmers market nearby that I got to visit on Saturday. It is just so beautiful here. I will try to remember to take more pictures next time. These were the only ones I got.


Also, this is happening:
(if you can't tell from the picture, we just finished our first crossfit workout....yes we are)

And a few more just for fun.
Gavin loves his bed. 


Dog park:)

We have gotten to hang out with some pretty cool people too. I am really looking forward to seeing friendships develop, and beginning to really get to know people both in and outside the church. I continue to pray for strength for both of us as we make this transition. Things are good, but change is always hard. The Lord is being so very gracious, and I know he will continue to do so. He has provided so far so how could I ever doubt him? 

You make known to me the path of life; 
in your presence there is fullness of joy; 
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

.love.
Adrienne

Monday, May 19, 2014

The First Weekend.

The morning after we drove in, some awesome people showed up to help us move into our sweet little two-bedroom condo. It took about an hour to figure out how to fit our couches in the living room, but don't worry- we did it.


And the dog kennel didn't have to go in the middle of the room after all:)


We did finally get all the boxes unpacked and almost all the things hung on the walls.


And we have a sweet little "workshop" off the deck:)


Jared's wonderful parents helped us get started on our unpacking while they were here. They were definitely a huge help!! Wish they could've been here for more exploring than unpacking-maybe next time! We did find some good ice cream and the dog park though:)


The Fincher Adventure has definitely taken a good turn. 

.love.
Adrienne

Friday, May 16, 2014

The Big Move!

A 26 ft Penske truck, 16 hours of driving, 2 days, and lots of people later we made it to Arkansas.


Leaving was definitely bittersweet, but it was also really cool to see our friends really be friends. Whether

they brought us food,

 

fit a lamp into the only box left, 


threw a chair in the truck,


stopped by for a hug,


wiped down baseboards,


or simply sent an encouraging text message,      


we truly felt loved.

And it all made climbing in that truck and driving away a little bit easier. If not easier, worth it.


It's weird looking back on it all now, but I just couldn't bring myself to write this post until now. I could say I didn't have time, but that was only part of it. It has taken a few weeks for everything to kind of set in. We are so excited to be here, and we are so looking forward to see what God is going to continue to do here. We have already seen him at work both in our own lives and in the lives of others. 


Gavin didn't love the move, but he did love sticking his head out the window:) 

Stick around for more updates soon!!

.love.
Adrienne