The newest addition...

So we bought a house. Yessssss. After a few months of open housing on Sundays, we found this little gem right near where we currently live. We had probably driven past it a few times, but never really paid much attention. It doesn't really grab your attention from the outside and the pictures don't really do it justice either. We actually put it on the bottom of our list on the open house circuit that day, but we happened finish and decided to check it out since it was still open. I could tell it was a winner with Mary Margaret as we walked through it. We have walked through several houses together, but this one was different. We left both feeling excited and realized that we didn't really look critically at it because of the excitement we both felt. It's an old house, built in 1917. Surprisingly, it's in really good shape. The yard needs some TLC, but the house is livable as is. I'm sure we'll make some updates, but the house has a lot of charm already, including old pine wood floors, 12 foot ceilings, a nice front porch, and bead board walls in many rooms.

The kitchen.....

Guest Bathroom....
Our bathroom.....
The porch....
The Den....
The entry....

We've actually been holding off until we closed to post about it, but we did this morning and now it is ours. Sure it doesn't look as charming without the previous owner's nic-nacs, but we are going to get some of our own. And sure, I left out some of the rooms, so I guess you'll have to come visit to see it all. But we are very blessed and happy to have a place of our own. So come hang on our porch sometime. We'll be glad to have you.

Cheers

Three Cheers for this guy!

Today, Tyler is 25 years young. I am so amazed at how fast the years have flown by. This is our fifth birthday to celebrate together (cheesy, I know). But I feel like that first one was just yesterday. He has packed so much into his first 25 years, that I am excited to see what the next 25 hold!

That delicious cake (from last year) is Lydia's famous "Compromise cake" - most likely the most delicious thing you will ever put in your mouth. She made it for Tyler and his sister, Ginny, for various holidays over the years. Ginny liked divinity cake, Tyler liked chocolate. So creative Lydia made a devil's food cake with fudge layers surrounded by fluffy divinity, topped with chocolate shavings. Wow!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of going to see Donald Miller at Hope Church. He is promoting his latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Ever since reading, Blue Like Jazz, Don (we shook hands and shared an awkward joke, I can call him Don) has been one of my favorite "Christian" authors. He presents the Christian life in a raw, earthy way- nothing is sugar coated. I also highly recommend another of his works, Searching for God Knows What.

Anyway, Don's latest book is about making his life into a movie based on Blue Like Jazz. What a humbling thought... packing a life into twoish hours. A movie on my life would be incredibly boring. This has always been true, but I have never wanted to admit it. During his talk, Don made clear why my life is lame. Conflict. I have always fought my very hardest to avoid conflict of any type. Growing up, my brother, Scott, and I never fought. Ever. In fact, on more than one occasion, his best friend DS would look at both of us and say, "fight or something." I always thought (and still think) that this was a great thing, we just got along really well and had pretty chill dispositions. I also didn't have much of the typical teenage girl drama. I can only recall doing a few really mean things in Middle School (sorry, Britani). Most of my time was spent avoiding or appeasing the drama.

Don, however, noted that without conflict, life is not beautiful or inspirational. Conflict makes us feel things we don't want to feel. Conflict makes us grow and change as human beings. So my frantic running from fights, uncomfortable situations, letting others down, and not sticking up for myself has prevented some degree of growth. Sad.

So... I am working on slowing my roll when it comes to conflict. This will not be overnight. But I am going to tell you what I really think, give my opinion, and even say "no" when it is necessary. Challenges, I welcome you with (half) open arms, because I know that you are what makes life beautiful.