Living at the new house

It was a week ago today that we moved into the new house. I've been meaning to post some pictures, but I can't seem to find my camera. I know it's ...somewhere. At any rate, so far it has been quite what we expected.

And, just let me say, I know that a lot of people enjoy living in the country - some of my best friends like living in the country - but we are more comfortable living in town. So I have nothing against rural-living-lovers. Jane and I are glad to be back to an environment that seems to suit us better though.

As far as the house, it is coming along. We still have way too many boxes piled up in the basement. We don't have a couch for the basement yet, but we did take an old recliner of ours back from the church. So we at least have 2 recliners to sit in front of the tv (along with the 2 lawn chairs). Actually, we've probably only watched tv for about 30 minutes since we've lived there.

We did score a FREE twin bed yesterday. I love the power of Facebook to network such deals. It looks brand new, and has hardly been used. So that finished off Anna's room.

I am definitely glad we went with the wood floors in the bedrooms. I think it makes them seem bigger, and they feel cleaner or something. I dunno... it's hard to explain. And we really like the laminate in the living room. Kitty especially seems to like it. She gets running and slides across it on her side. Kinda funny. She's been keeping herself busy exploring all the different rooms, and looking out different windows, and climbing around and on top of things. I think she likes it.

We're still not sure about where to put the piano; or the computer. We currently have the computer in the basement family room - where the tv is. But since we aren't really watching tv it's kind of a pain to go down there just for the computer. Although Jane has been using her Nook to get on the internet, and she can do that from anywhere. I don't know if we should eventually just go with a laptop, or find a different desk someday (one that will go with the living room better) and put the computer upstairs. It's a pretty minor detail at this point.

I really hope to get some pictures of our yard. The people who lived there before us have it landscaped just beautifully. There are all kinds of flowers and little trees and things. It's pretty amazing. We've never had a place landscaped like this before. It's just nice to look out the window and see something besides bare yard and a corn field.

We've also taken a couple of walks. I love the sidewalks in this community. They are super wide. It also reminds us of where we used to live (where I grew up). Even though we're in the city, we are in a community, and it seems like a small town. However, we are within walking distance of a Dairy Queen, convenience store, and restaurant.

We have met a few of the neighbors... Tom and his son, Caleb, Matt and Melinda, and last night we met Bruce. So far everyone says they LOVE living here. Of course, some of them had already heard that I was a pastor. Argh. At any rate, they all seem nice and we had good visits with them. And Bruce told us last night that the people we bought the house from had actually bought it from the husbands parents... so it has basically been a one-family home. I thought that was nice. Apparently the previous owners moved because he was transferred out of town for work.

I would say one of the best things so far was something I noticed after the first night of staying there. When I drive to the office in the morning... it's hard to explain... but it's like I've realized again that there are PEOPLE in the world. It's just nice to see other people out and about, and to know that there is a world out there. When I would just walk across the parking lot, and with being out in the country, I think I sometimes had a tendency to forget that I lived in a civilization. I don't know, I can't explain it, but it has really helped me to be able to drive to and from the office. I don't feel so isolated and alone.

Well, I'm sure there is more I could say. I just wanted to jot down some initial thoughts from the move. It's only been one week, but so far we really like the new house. And it is oddly much more quiet there too. Even though there are neighbors all around, and kids playing in the streets and whatnot, I guess it makes a difference not having cars driving by at 70 mph. Anyway, we like it.

Peace out; and in.