Feels Like Home
Posted on | July 19, 2010 | 16 Comments
Interwebs… meet my BIFF (best internet friend forever) Lindsey. Her blog, Waking Up Williams, was one of the first ones I ever started reading religiously and I look forward to her posts every week.
She’s pretty, funny and extremely dependable. I can always count on Lindsey to “listen” via g chat anytime I need to talk. She & I are alike in so many ways and I really am honored to call her my friend. Also, if you like the look of my blog… it is the creative work of Lindsey and her talented husband, JP. They are a great team… if you are ever thinking of making the leap from Blogger to Word Press, I highly recommend them!
Now on to Lindsey’s guest post. I relate to every single word of this, right down to the special wall decal we’ll have to take down in Madison’s nursery. I hope you enjoy Lindsey as much as I do.
{We’d love it if you would share what memories come to mind when you think about home???}
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Joanna reached out to me to help her carry her blog through some major changes in her life. I have started this post no less than six times. Why is it I feel so stumped? I think the fact that I lived through what she is about to embark on makes it so much harder to eloquently put into words. But I’ll do my best; because after all Joanna is my B.I.F.F.
I’ve been in Joanna’s position: one income, stay at home mommy, a depleting bank account, and a mortgage on my beautiful, one-of-a-kind-I-designed-it-myself home. It was our first home It’s where JPW asked me to marry him, and then later married me on St. Augustine Beach, delivered Ryann at the only hospital in town and brought her home to the house we decorated and made OUR memories. It was where we made friends, built relationships and where JPW and I started our life together. It holds a lot of very special memories. But in December 2009 we had to make a tough decision: leave our home. Why? We were living 3.5 hours apart and I was raising Ryann alone. JPW was a perfect stranger to Ryann and I was losing my already frazzled, fragile mind. In a week’s time we rented our home, found a new home here and made the decision to pack up our belongings during the Christmas holiday.
It was difficult to say goodbye to the home that held all of our family memories. It was hard to say goodbye to the nursery and the perfectly adorned nursery walls. It was hard to peel this down:
But more important than the paint colors I had chosen, pictures I hung and nursery furniture I placed in the perfect position was the love that we have for each other and the importance of raising our family together stress free. Because nothing is more stressful than a depleting bank account and a 3.5 hour drive.
We found a house that was perfect for us right now. It’s not permanent, but it is the house that we’ve slowly made a home over the past 6 months. I scrubbed down the walls in Ryann’s new room and JPW went right to work making it comfortable and perfect for her. He quickly put together the Master bedroom because 1)I couldn’t sleep on the floor another night and 2) it’s where we FINALLY would sleep together in the same bed after almost a year apart. This house became our home. Although we said goodbye to our first home and it holds special memories; this home is where Ryann had her first taste of real food, learned to crawl and where she’ll take her first steps. We’ll most likely bring our second baby into the world here and Ryann will become a big sister. This house is now our home. Every change brings tears, heartache and the adventures of making new memories. We’re past the tears and heartache, and now we’re making new memories and excited for what our future holds here, in this home.
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16 Responses to “Feels Like Home”
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I'm Joanna. Momma to Madison & Hannah, wife to Clint and a wine-drinking extraordinaire
This blog is a love letter to my family. There are highs & lows, tantrums & hugs and most of all lots of laughs & love. I hope you'll join us on the ride.
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July 19th, 2010 @ 8:18 am
I love reading ur posts Lindsey – always so full of heart! I had a different experience but similar – we lived in an apartment when P & R were born – & had different cars that we brought them home in – bought our house {home} when we were pregnant w/ E & brought her home here. Memories are so attached to stuff & it can be so hard to let go. The old saying is so true though – Home is where your heart is & anywhere you can be a family together is your home ?
[Reply]
July 19th, 2010 @ 8:20 am
[...] you’re done here please go leave a comment on my blog post at Raising Madison’s internet home. I talk about moving and making memories. We’d love your [...]
July 19th, 2010 @ 8:29 am
Choices like that are tough to make – especially when the right choice is so obvious but making it will force you to do something you don’t want to do. I know you will find your “forever” home and when you do it will be amazing.
Love this post
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July 19th, 2010 @ 8:33 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by LCW (Lindsey) and LCW (Lindsey), JoannaOsborne. JoannaOsborne said: awesome guest post by @Lins610 Feels Like Home: http://bit.ly/cFbTFc [...]
July 19th, 2010 @ 8:57 am
what a sweet post! Home really is where the heart is! Brought tears to my eyes.
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July 19th, 2010 @ 9:29 am
So true.
& I LOVE that wall quote.
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July 19th, 2010 @ 9:37 am
Aww… I cried when I thought about you taking down that decal. You’re doing great, Lindsey. It takes a special person to be able to make any house a home (and to scrub walls.)
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July 19th, 2010 @ 11:00 am
Thank you for the sweet words. When we are in our forever home, that quote is going back on the wall. But you’re all right, home is where the mom is, the heart is and where the memories are made, not the drywall and paint.
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July 19th, 2010 @ 1:20 pm
Great post Lindsey! Seriousy, except, well, the title…you see…it’s been trademarked. LOL.
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LCW Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Yes, I’m aware of this little trademark thing you speak of, but my response is “too bad”. Hahaha. Glad you enjoyed it, even with my rebellious title.
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July 19th, 2010 @ 2:35 pm
I miss that place. We were so close to the beach and it was a small town. plus there were lots of awesome little shops, places to run, and it’s the oldest city in the nation. and we were SO close to the beach!
I’d burn that place down before we had to go living apart again though. I missed out on a lot of Ry’s little moments her first few months b/c I was away. Our life isn’t the sum of our stuff, and never will be. I thank LCW for being proactive and just making the move.
That’s what teamwork and relationships are all about. Sometimes you have to give up everything to have it all.
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LCW Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
and this is why I married the man.
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July 19th, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
I can only imagine how hard that was to leave your first home. You’ll always have those amazing memories to cherish. And new ones to build on as well!
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July 19th, 2010 @ 7:53 pm
I related to the post. My hubbie works long hours and some would call it PT single parent while married. I had been pregnant going to prenatal visits alone. And sonograms done on my own. Business calls for him in l &d. And he still got laid off. But my hubbie made decision (once he was unemployed) to not work a job that was so many hours. Over a year passed and (several job offers and did I mention I was pregnant) he found his current position. So I can relate.
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July 26th, 2010 @ 9:19 am
[...] you’re done here please go leave a comment on my blog post at Raising Madison’s internet home. I talk about moving and making memories. We’d love your [...]
July 26th, 2010 @ 9:19 am
[...] you’re done here please go leave a comment on my blog post at Raising Madison’s internet home. I talk about moving and making memories. We’d love your [...]