Welcome Home

We have officially been in our house for two weeks!! Needless to say the past couple of weeks have been INSANE! I can honestly say that moving is never fun! I think I tricked myself into believing that things would be better and easier this time around because we were moving into our own home. Things didn’t exactly work out as perfectly as I had hoped :) You would think that after 11 years of living the military lifestyle, I would have known better. Okay so it hasn’t been completely horrible and there are so many things that could have happened that luckily didn’t. However, I still think that moving is not a fun task to undertake no matter what the situation is. We are definitely counting our blessings that we have been able to get things done as fast as we have. I have to say that we were very fortunate to have had help from our parents.

Our moving “expedition” began back on Monday June 21st. Pops (aka Jason’s dad), flew to California from Oregon just to help us with the 1700 mile drive from Hesperia to Haughton. With the help of walkie talkie’s and coffee, Jason, Pops, and Millie made the trip in just 2 days. The first day they drove from California to New Mexico. Our wonderful friends (D & H Dupont) welcomed them into their home for the night. They were both grateful for the warm shower, the food, and a goodnight’s rest. The second day they traveled on one of the much dreaded interstates the cuts through Texas. It was a long and boring drive but they managed to get through it and made it to Louisiana late Tuesday night.

On Wednesday June 23rd, the kids and I said our goodbyes to Nana, Papa, and the west coast. We boarded the plane with my parents in tow and headed south for Shreveport, Louisiana. I have to admit, I was a little emotional on the plane. The flight was short and the kids were wonderful. We had our first run in with good ol’ southern humidity as soon as we took our first steps off the plane. Jason picked us up at the airport. We made our way down highway 20 and headed home for the first time as a family. It was pretty great to be able to share that moment with my parents. The kids were so excited they could hardly contain themselves. They had so many questions about our house and the area where we were going to live. They were excited to see their new school. Once we pulled into the community, their eyes lit up. They had so much to look at. We drove by the horse stables, the lake, the park, and the pool. All three of the kids had grins on their faces that stretched from ear to ear. It was definitely a moment I will always treasure! Of course they picked out our house right away (daddy’s car kind of gave it away). Pops and Millie were anxiously awaiting our arrival. I have to say that having Pops in our new home meant a lot to all of us. It was a nice “welcome home” gift to have him waiting to welcome us! For the first time in our almost 12 years of marriage, Jason was able to carry me over the threshold. I know it sounds a little corny. Even I couldn’t stop laughing but it was a new experience for us and one that will always be cherished.







We took the grand tour with the kids. They all fell in love with their rooms. The girls were pretty excited to finally have their own space. All three kids immediately had ideas on what they wanted to do to their bedrooms. Luckily we were able to get our household goods delivered right away. Our first weekend in Louisiana was spent unpacking boxes. The biggest challenge has been finding a spot for all of our stuff. Every house is different which makes every space different. After being in one area for almost 6 years, it has been a bit of a challenge to find a spot for all of the little odds and ends. We lost space in some areas but gained it in other areas. It’s taking some adjustment on my part but I am getting there slowly :) We are gradually finding the perfect space to place all of our belongings.

This past week, we have made our first real big purchases (and a few that aren’t quite so big). We bought a refrigerator and ordered custom blinds for the whole house. Our blinds will be installed tomorrow. I CAN”T WAIT!! The kitchen, dining room, and living room areas are complete. We have finished piecing together the kid’s bedrooms and bathroom. The only rooms that are left are the master bedroom and bathroom and the garage. With the help of my parents and Pops, we have made pretty good progress in two weeks time. (When you get the chance to read this, please know that we are very grateful for all of your help! We couldn't have done it without all of you. You definitely helped make our transition easier to handle. THANK YOU!!!)

Since we have been here, we have experienced a few thunderstorms (the kids including the dog are NOT fans :) and more rain in two weeks than we got in a whole year in California. We have seen a lot of dragonflies and a few lightning bugs (no alligators; YET). We have also gotten to celebrate our first holiday as a family in our new home.

Crazy! Insane! Chaotic! Whatever it has been, in the end, it has all been worth it!! We are not completely settled in and I am sure it will be a few more weeks before we are. The journey that got us to this point has been stressful, exciting, emotional, terrifying, blissful and so much more. We got through it all and we did it as a family. On July 1st, we made our first house payment. We both had butterflies in our stomachs as we pressed the payment key on the computer. Jason and I agreed that we kind of like being real grown-ups :) We are slowly learning that life as a homeowner is never ending. There is always going to be something to fix or something that needs to get done but for the first time ever, we both have the want to do whatever needs to get done because this is our home!