COVID-19 Day 263 - November 19 - I'm thankful for our home.

November 19 - I'm thankful for our home. 🏡 Michael and I moved to Wichita after he got out of school. We had a great little 2 bedroom apartment that we loved! But we knew we wanted to stay in Wichita for a while, and we were tired of wasting money on rent. Our lease lasted until the end of May, so we weren't seriously looking until spring. However, we found out Avery was on the way at the end of January and, 7 days later, put an offer in our home. 😊 We moved in at the end of March. We've been in our home for 8.5 years now. In that time we've added a fence to the backyard, planted a tree, repainted a couple rooms inside and the entire outside, repainted both back decks, and added a garden. Some parts of home ownership stink, like when all the random little appliances go out at the same time, the AC quits in August the day before school starts ( Brian and Alli came to our rescue then, right before Avery started Kindergarten), the garage door stops working, or the hot water heater needs replaced. But we love love love our home. It's where we brought our babies home after they were born. It's been a temporary home for many friends and remains available for any who want to visit. It's a safe haven in times of trouble and uncertainty. On cool days I'm reminded just what a huge blessing it is to have a home to keep my family and me protected and warm. When I hear my kiddos in the backyard playing, I'm reminded what a blessing it is to have a yard where my kids can play safely. When our friends and family come over to visit I'm thankful we chose a place near to our tribe, and that we were lucky enough of have others move to our town and be nearby that we could invite them over and in ( TJ Lohrbach, Meredith May, Phil Zee, Nate McGraw, Michael Marietta, Beth Ashby, Rhythem Fitzpatrick). I'm so thankful for our home and the millions of wonderful memories made here. I look forward to many more. ❤️