House in the Woods

After years of looking at house plans and many, many times finding “just the right one” only to decide it doesn’t work, we have FINALLY found our house. It is hard to make a decision when there are so many options. We have gone back and forth on how big, or small we want the house to be, and written down the “must haves”, and the “would be nice”. We’ve talked about our dreams and how we want the house to be a refuge and safe place for family and friends. We’ve dreamed of family get togethers with enough room for everyone to be together with spaces where our children and grandchildren will be comfortable. We want our home to be a place of fellowship and laughter, where friends can gather and play games, or complete puzzles, bake cookies or spend time reading a book. This house fits all those wants and desires without making any changes. I am glad we kept looking and did not settle. In the new year we will begin the “prep work”. Can’t wait to see this house take shape. 

These colors always amaze me. We’ve traveled to the mountains in the Fall to “see the colors”, and yet it seems most of the time the colors are just as vibrant here. Thanksgiving takes on a whole new feeling this year in the quiet of the woods, and I have so many things to be grateful for… A community of believers who want to impact Brantley County for Christ. My husband who loves me (spoils me rotten) and shares my dreams. Our children who are creating the lives they dream of one day at a time. Our grandchildren who bring joy and laughter to our lives. My brother and his beautiful family who understands his importance in my life. Cousins who are always there when I need them. Aunts and Uncles who are so much a part of who I am today. Friends who are my chosen family who have loved me through the hard times, and celebrated the good times.  The job I dreamed of and a team that makes the hard days easier.  A legacy that taught me the importance of loving and caring for others, o...

We put up a mailbox yesterday. Actually, Mike put up the mailbox and I admired it. It’s been a very long time since my home address was in Georgia. I was born in Decatur, and lived as a very young child near Atlanta and for a little while in Brunswick. I spent part of my summers at my Aunt Berlene and Uncle Brigham’s home in Waynesville, and part of my summers in Coffee County at my Grandma and Grandpa Smith’s farm. I even went to college in Georgia at Valdosta State, but now we are officially here and it’s good to be home. Moving to Waynesville was a dream that began taking shape many years ago. There were times it didn’t seem it would ever happen. Now I realize it just wasn’t time yet. Mike and I were blessed to have mom with us in our home for five years, and our home worked well for her and her needs at the time. Amanda and Steve were in town and we soaked up time with them and the littles before they headed out to make their home in Texas. Our daughter Katie and the kids were also...

I left my house in Fleming Island for the last time this morning. It was bittersweet and I felt like crying and celebrating at the same time. That house was a place of much joy and much pain. When I moved into the house it was the perfect place for three little boys. We had a big back yard for them to play in with our dog Maverick. The neighborhood was new and full of young families like ours with lots of kids their age and a new elementary school within walking distance. Their were other “stay at home” moms to have play dates with and special friendships were made. I weathered a very hard divorce and was alone for the first in my life in that house. It was comforting and familiar in a time when my world was falling apart. That house was the place a new family was created and two broken hearts were pieced back together in a new beautiful way. As the years passed we watched our children grow into young adults and it was from that house we watched them leave and chase their own dreams se...

I am trying to be more intentional in my life, to prioritize those things that really matter, and to create a peace and stillness in my life that makes it easier to hear, and feel that gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit. It’s amazing what God will bring our way if we will pay attention.  When I park my car in the parking garage at work it is not unusual to have people speak to me either about my car, or to ask for directions. Yesterday a man pulled up beside me in his truck as I was getting out of the car and he said he had driven a mini in Europe and it was a blast. As we walked toward the entrance the man said “I sure hope today goes well”. I asked what was going on, and he shared he was headed to the 8th floor (oncology). He went on to say that his wife had somehow gotten an infection in her port and he was worried how that was going to impact her treatments. I told him I would pray for her, and we went our separate ways. I thought of the couple off and on throughout the day, and...

Mike and I have been dreaming for years about moving to the land in Georgia and building a home. We have looked at house plans and picked “the perfect one” many times as we tried to consider how to “be reasonable”, but have enough room for family, friends and whoever God sends our way. Dad named the property Camp Peace and Joy, and Mike and I both know it as a place of respite away from the “hustle and bustle” of everyday life. I have no idea what God has planned, but I want to be ready. Mike has been packing up, loading up, and taking up our things to the barn one load at a time on  his own. Now that the time is near I find myself excited, but also sad. It is a bittersweet feeling to be leaving the house I have lived in since January 1st 1992. We had three boys when we moved in.; Chris was 5, Matt was 3, and Josh 11 months. I fell in love with the house the first time I saw it, and the large back yard was a bonus. Our house was a “spec” home, and every time we came to look at it t...