The Stories of Home
Here is a fact – my memory is terrible and I easily forget details and memories even when they are things that are important to me. But certain things are clear as if they were yesterday. Like when we bought our first house. It was in Gilbert, AZ. And I remember my husband and I standing in the lobby of our hotel being handed the keys by our so sweet realtor Claudia. It is amazing to me that I remember her name. But what I remember most clearly, is the feeling we both felt when she handed us the keys – it was pure fear. And we were astonished that she cheerfully walked away after congratulating us leaving us to figure it all out on our own. Didn’t she know we weren’t grown ups yet? 
Skip ahead two two and half years and we are in a large board room, I am 6 months pregnant with our first child. We are signing paper and paper and filling out checks that are emptying every one of our accounts. We pushed ourselves financially so that we could have a “ten year house”. And that is exactly what we got. Because after 10 years, we renovated our house to fit our family better. These memories have been running in my head all day, all day I have been thinking about home – not buying them or selling them, but HOME. 
I have noticed a trend lately. I have not had the patience to read a book in a long time. I must admit I have become a technology junkie. But today, I have found myself reading, but I laugh at myself. What am I reading? “Home, What It Means and Why It Matters” – I found it at a consignment shop last week. It has me thinking about just that, why does it matter? When acquaintances find out that I have a decorating business or that have been here to my blog, sometimes they are nervous about me coming to their homes – that maybe I will judge them. I was at a friend’s house for the first time a week ago. Everything in her house was labeled - “cabinet”, “door”, “window”, “refrigerator”, etc. – in perfect penmanship. It was some of the best “decorating” I had seen in awhile. Not only are her children excellent spellers, but her home reflects that is about her children – that they come first. What I look at when I am in someone’s home are the things they tell a story about, family pictures, something passed down, something someone they loved built for them. Or labeled cabinets. A home that someone took the time to make special for their family. I am not looking to see if your home looks like it came out of a magazine or if something is out of place. We all know the nervousness and excitement of buying or renting a new home. Sometime we know it is temporary, sometimes we know it is our forever home – but either way, we want to feel like “our home”. Reading this book today has given me some clarity. There is a lot of advice out there telling you “how to write a blog” - and almost every single source will tell you to figure out what you are about and to be true to yourself. So, I think after two and a half years, I may have finally figured myself out a bit. I am here because I want to encourage you to make your home a true reflection of you and your family, to encourage you to tell the story of your home. 
Because at the end of the day, aren’t we all just looking for a place that welcomes us, embraces us and allows us to be “us”? So with that in mind, I am going to be starting a new series…stay tuned! Thanks so much for reading! 
Skip ahead two two and half years and we are in a large board room, I am 6 months pregnant with our first child. We are signing paper and paper and filling out checks that are emptying every one of our accounts. We pushed ourselves financially so that we could have a “ten year house”. And that is exactly what we got. Because after 10 years, we renovated our house to fit our family better. These memories have been running in my head all day, all day I have been thinking about home – not buying them or selling them, but HOME. 
I have noticed a trend lately. I have not had the patience to read a book in a long time. I must admit I have become a technology junkie. But today, I have found myself reading, but I laugh at myself. What am I reading? “Home, What It Means and Why It Matters” – I found it at a consignment shop last week. It has me thinking about just that, why does it matter? When acquaintances find out that I have a decorating business or that have been here to my blog, sometimes they are nervous about me coming to their homes – that maybe I will judge them. I was at a friend’s house for the first time a week ago. Everything in her house was labeled - “cabinet”, “door”, “window”, “refrigerator”, etc. – in perfect penmanship. It was some of the best “decorating” I had seen in awhile. Not only are her children excellent spellers, but her home reflects that is about her children – that they come first. What I look at when I am in someone’s home are the things they tell a story about, family pictures, something passed down, something someone they loved built for them. Or labeled cabinets. A home that someone took the time to make special for their family. I am not looking to see if your home looks like it came out of a magazine or if something is out of place. We all know the nervousness and excitement of buying or renting a new home. Sometime we know it is temporary, sometimes we know it is our forever home – but either way, we want to feel like “our home”. Reading this book today has given me some clarity. There is a lot of advice out there telling you “how to write a blog” - and almost every single source will tell you to figure out what you are about and to be true to yourself. So, I think after two and a half years, I may have finally figured myself out a bit. I am here because I want to encourage you to make your home a true reflection of you and your family, to encourage you to tell the story of your home. 
Because at the end of the day, aren’t we all just looking for a place that welcomes us, embraces us and allows us to be “us”? So with that in mind, I am going to be starting a new series…stay tuned! Thanks so much for reading!
