Home sweet home

Home is where the heart is.  Home sweet home.  There's no place like home.  We've all heard these sayings, but how often do we stop and really appreciate our home, what it provides for us and what it means to us.  On day 8 of my 30 days of gratitude challenge, I am thankful for my house; my home.

We've been living in this house for well over 4 years.  I loved it the instant we stepped inside.  It wasn't in an area we'd really considered living in, but I just really loved the house itself, the area, the trees and the views.

We'd been living in the northern suburbs of Denver since I moved to Colorado in 2008.  It was a really quaint apartment, I finally was comfortable with where everything was.  I was familiar with the new speed limits, highways, streets.  We almost bought a house a few blocks from our apartment complex, but the deal fell through and then we found this house, south of Denver.  It was more adjusting to a new area, but I became familiar, comfortable with it much quicker than the first time around.  I was sad to hear the reason the house was being sold - the previous owners were in the middle of a divorce.  I hoped that it wasn't a sign that there was bad "joo joo" in this house.  I've come to learn that you make your own luck, your own karma.  While tragedy has struck us, while you could consider us to be among the world's unluckiest people, we're still blessed with so much to be grateful about.

This isn't a sad house.  It is a loving, happy home.  While we might be dealing with devastation, this house is still full of love.  This house is the happy home that Preston knew.  It's the only home he knew.  It's where he first smiled.  It's where he enjoyed swinging, and bouncing.  It's where he was fed, where he slept, where he was cared for.  While I'm not a fan of moving, I always imagined we would buy a bigger house one day, most likely in the same neighborhood.  Now, I never want to leave.  I don't fear that Preston's spirit wouldn't find us where ever we go, but I just don't want to be away from where he lived, where he giggled, where he kicked, where he smiled that big smile of his.  Where he was happy, and where he made us feel complete.  That's where I want to be.

I love this house for its layout.  All the bedrooms are upstairs.  Our bedroom has an extra nook which we use as office space.  The living area on the main floor is open.  The basement is unfinished, like a blank canvas for us to do what we like with it.  When we moved in, it was move in ready but wasn't so modernized that we couldn't grow into it the way we wanted to.  A lot of work has been done outside.  We had to build a new shed when the one that came with the house crumbled after a hailstorm - well actually, it kept falling apart every time it was windy, or it rained...  This new shed - not going nowhere!  New roof, repaired fence, repaired deck stairs.  The stairs to the backyard have been leveled.  We had to replace our dishwasher when the electrical components decided to start burning... And that started the kitchen transformation.  When we save up enough, in comes a new stainless steel appliance.  I love my gas range double oven! I love what we paid for it even more, LOL.  I hate spending money... a problem my hubby doesn't share :)  We balance each other out really well!  Eventually, we'll have new counters, a nice backsplash... One thing at a time.

As you saw if you've been reading my blog, we have a new floor in our "front" room.  I don't know what else to call it.  Maybe our poker room?  We have a large poker table that we put in there.  Regardless of what to call it, I love the new floor, and I look forward to seeing the same floor in our living room.  Probably early spring.  Brett just steam cleaned the carpet in the living room, so I think it'll survive until then.  Looks so much better anyway. 

A good home must be made, not bought

This is a quote I read earlier, and I have to agree.  This didn't become home when we bought it.  It became home as we worked on it.  It became a home when we started making memories here.  When we had our first Christmas here.  When we celebrated finding out we were having a boy.  When we brought Preston home, and cared for him.  It became a home as we hosted friends for poker, dinner and other festivities.  It's a good home.  In just a few days, we will be hosting a fantasy football draft here with friends.  I know nothing about football, but I'm happy to be included and will be helping with recording picks, making dinner, and just interacting with old friends, and new friends.  I'm thankful that our friends feel comfortable in our home.  I'm thankful that family has a good time when they are over, and that we are able to provide them with a comfortable place to stay, away from their home.

I'm thankful for my home, because it's not only a roof over my head, which keeps me warm in the winter, and offers a cool environment in the summer thanks to our friend A/C.  I have a comfortable place to sleep, a functional kitchen to cook in, and a nice living room to relax in.  I'm thankful that we where able to give Preston a comfortable room of his own.  We've hidden away most of his things in his room now, so it looks messy, it's not easy to walk in.  It's remained pretty untouched since March.  One day, if we are blessed with another child, it will be hard turning it into the room of his younger sibling.  That wasn't the way it was suppose to be.  But hopefully, this room can once again become a happy room, a room filled with giggles, filled with coos.  Nonetheless, I have some memories in this room that I will cherish forever.