late night ramblings

So, it's not often I am stuck awake, trying to fall asleep. But so I am, here in the office, at 11:48pm awake with my mind racing. You can't really blame me though. I mean, we have a lot of big stuff going on in our lives.

The obvious- the house. Here we are, ready to move on with our lives, on to bigger and better things. I mean, we are going from 1190 square feet to an unimaginable 1900+ house (plus two car garage). It will fill up quickly, but we are so blessed to be able to make the move and "upgrade" our surroundings. I have told people from the beginning. A house is a house. It stays where it is and people move in and out of it. Your home is where your heart (and your family) is. It's where you live, breathe, sleep, work, play, laugh, and love. So, though I try to look at everything objectively and say "Eagle Road is just a house. We are taking everything we love with us." It's hard to make my heart believe that sometimes. I mean, Eagle Road has so many memories and a special place in my heart....
-It's our first home: Chad and I had only been married 9 months when we came upon home ownership. It was a scary and exciting time, and we were excited to have the opportunity to OWN, and not rent, so quickly after marriage.
-Brooklyn's first (and only home): She took her first scoots, crawls, and steps in that living room. She drank her first bottle on the couch. She cried for her mommy and daddy from her bedroom. She peeled the wallpaper from the wall above where she could lay on her changing table. She bathed (and peed) in the tub. She snuck in our bedroom at night. She moved to a big girl bed. She learned to use the potty. She played in the backyard.
-The backyard: Ahhh, it was our pride and joy. So lush and green. How we will miss you.
-My gardenias: I didn't even know what they were when Emily helped me buy them, but they are beautiful and bloom so often. And I don't even have to remember to water them. :-)
-Vaccuming: One plug reaches the whole house. Need I say more?
-The hole: That hole that my dad put in the wall between the dining room and the living room made all the difference in the world. It opened that space up more than I ever imagined it would.
-The Stevensons: Jon and McKenzie are literally a 58 second run away down the street. Close enough where they were our "go to" family for anything we needed in a pinch. I think we kept their flashlight for about 8 months. We'll miss sharing Eagle Road with you, and just remember guys, I have been scoping houses out in AF for you already!

So, I know that these are little things and I have taken enough pictures of everything to last a lifetime, and I have many things to look FORWARD to with the new house. To name just a few initial excitements:
-Duel sinks in the master bath
-Cool sink nozzle/sprayer in the kitchen
-Hardwood floors
-A place to have a big Christmas tree (in the LIVING ROOM)
-New carpet and paint upstairs (that I didn't have to do!)
-Side by side fridge with an ice maker (that's connected!)
-Retractable, remote controlled awning on the patio (cement, not brick- yay!)
-Neighbors with kids (three years old, too!)
-A dutch barn (as opposed to the "out house" looking contraption we call storage now)
-A bonus room (or as Brooklyn calls it, "her dancing space")
- CLOSETS (or as Brooklyn calls them, "her hiding spaces")
-A breakfast table (more chairs for everyone!)
-Surround sound

So, these are just things that I see from just a few visits....there will be more, I am sure, and I am sure I will lose sleep over the next week or so worrying about everything that will transpire over the next week: from closing back to back houses, to painting, to moving, to moving the BIG stuff, to remodeling, and finally, to closing the door to Eagle Road one last time with the keys inside and saying "Goodbye." It's an emotional time and I am not an emotional person, so this should be interesting to say the least.

Some prayer requests: Pray for us as we make this move. And please pray for me as I deal with some pretty complicated issues at work ("Stress at the Girl Scout office?," you might say, "Really?") You would be surprised. And finally, pray for our band, Grace Reigns Down, as we have been afforded some great opportunities over the next several months and we are working to discern God's path for us and how we can best be His servants.

Am I tired yet? Did typing a long post help? Kinda....but now I have to research baby gates for stairs. Never had to worry about that before, and even though Brooklyn is 3, I am dead set on having a gate at the top of the stairs for her "midnight visits." :-)