Home.

 We live down spring street, on the second floor above our quiet neighbor man. Right now, winter beauty & cold keep us warm & cozy inside.

It has reminded me of last winter and our first days of marriage and the days we were starting to meet neighbors & dream about planting herbs & see buds & blossoms & hope of a new season coming. :)

Last winter, the meeting of neighbors was unconventionally adventurous! No waving across the fence from our side of the street on warm spring days or passing one another when out for an evening walk. Yet, all of our neighbor meeting has truly been grace - God's loving pursuit of us right here.

The first day I met neighbors was a bitter winter day. I had only dressed my feet in keds with fuzzy pink socks underneath - they not very warm socks, but it was okay, because I just needed to run out to car really quick & drive off to share lunch with friends. But, to my dismay, my car was totally dead. Since Isaac was at work, it was just me & Jesus. So, I asked Jesus what to do & made some phone calls & decided to walk down our street & look for a kind neighbor. I was terrified - our street is not the safest place (and the neighbors I met in the next episode of dire circumstances confirmed my uneasiness by telling me that things are not always safe around here). I walked down our short street - past the house with the "beware of dog" and the "not trespassing" warnings. When I came to a yard scattered with children's bikes & toys, I was thrilled! A house with children!! I remembered a "first aid & safely" book of tips I had read in middle school that encouraged you to look for someone with children with you are lost because they are usually safe. I really was as terrified & child-like as I sound here. :) But, as soon as I knocked on the door, the grace & love of Jesus was so evident. I was greeted by a homeschooling Christian family who helped me jump my car & became my friends. They are such a sweet family! The children do chalk drawings on our street, & I think they are so precious, so beautiful, in such a simple short of way. :)

Things I love about our apartment:

- the walls are all crisp & white

- the floors were replaced just before we moved it - I love our nice new floors!

 - the old style windows in our sunroom. This summer, I loved sitting in here to read or when we would eat here with the windows open, light and cool breeze flowing in.

- I love the wooden almost cottage-like style of our kitchen cabinets.
- I love our gas stove - lol, however quirky it is! The first time I baked anything in the oven, every smoke alarm in our apartment was buzzing. I have blamed many failed recipes on our oven - although I am sure it is a combination of my mistakes and the unpredictability of our oven, it has been an interesting challenge to learn how to bring out the best in our oven so it can bring out the best in our food. :)

- I love the lightening in our bedroom - this window lets the light in each morning in the most lovely way. This spot is one of my favorites to read.

- I love our little deck outside. In the summer, we tried growing a little potted garden out there. :)
- I love that we live on the second level.
- I love that we don't have a dish washer and I get to have a time of reflection and quieting my heart each day at the kitchen sink.
- I love that we live less than a mile from Carl's doughnut shop. :)
- I love that our mailman delivers mail by foot & our mailbox hangs by the door.
- I love that our apartment feels like home.