Goodbye house, hello home!

With only a suitcase (that came with an outrageous baggage charge due to the slightly larger than life weight) and a binder full of papers, I left the small, southern town I had always known for the California coast (and no job, very few friends, and a house I had never seen).  But, what I found after my 10 hour plane trip, was a friend with two cupcakes and a brand new start at life.  This was it.  I was here. 

The problem with "here" is that I didn't really know where "here" was.  Like I said, I had left my career and my large mortage on the east coast.  I was "here", but where exactly was that?


After nervously signing several documents, I was finally granted the keys to my new life.  Navigating through the city to the hill where my new life would begin, I just kept shaking my head.  I had traded corn fields, jeans and pick-up trucks, for palm trees, bikinis and Benzs.  The vows that had been exchanged nearly 10 months before, had turned my life upside down, brought me to the other side of the country, and had me jumping at the opportunity to recreate myself.  It was like starting college: I was anxious, excited, and utterly scared of failure. 


The Carolina coast had quickly calmed my fears of that first year in college and as I walked through our new home, I once again felt the calm set it.  For just on the other side of our yard, was the most picturesque view of the bay.  The tiny boats kicking up white foam against the baby blue water, took me back to Carolina and I knew whatever God had in store for me, I could handle as long as I stay focused on the horizon. 


I spent the next week finding my way around town with the help of my mom (being sure to locate HomeGoods, a somewhat New York style pizza place, and a yogurt shop- I have priorities).  As items slowly started finding a place in the house, I began to quickly realize how fortunate I was to be "here".  I still didn't have a job and my husband was still a month away from coming home, but I had much to celebrate.  With every box, another wedding gift was opened, a new message read, and a story of the friend who had given it to us told; friends we wouldn't see again for a year, maybe more, and some that now lived just around the corner. 
 

Over the first month, paint was poured (along with wine), new eateries explored, and new friendships made. I said goodbye to my best friend, my mom, while standing in a long security line at the airport after promising to keep my southern ways.  People came and went.  The house felt empty each time another person left and to avoid the emptiness, I poured myself in to unpacking our things.  I waited anxiously for my husband to return, excited for him to see the work I had done to our new house. 


When he finally arrived, I was eager to show him all the perks to our new house-  walk-in closets for both of us, the view of the bay, and the large pine tree that sits in the corner of our yeard reminding me of my roots.  His boots and bags quickly took over the empty office and for once, I smiled at the piles of clothes and dust left laying around.  For the first time, our new house felt like a home. 

I'm still navigating life and trying to find my place "here", but making this a home is a good start.