Sunday, March 28, 2010

Love Nest for Rent

As you have probably heard, we're moving this summer. It's a bittersweet event. We're excited for Jon, who got into a very competitive program to earn his second Master's degree, and we've been expecting this move for the past 3 years now. But it's not going to be easy leaving our friends, church, school, beach and Love Nest. We have been so happy here for the past 3 years. Not that we weren't happy at the Original Love Nest. That was the perfect newlywed apartment. The place we came home to after our honeymoon. The living room where we sorted out many a difference in opinion. The kitchen where I burnt a number of meals as a new wife. The balcony where we'd sit and dream about our future. The walls that I was so anxious to decorate as my own. And the bike trails a few feet away that we spent most of our free time on.
But the Original Love Nest also had some not-so-fond memories. The counter where I broke down and cried the 5th week of our marriage, the night before Jon went out to sea. The kitchen where I opened many a canned meal to eat all by my lonesome. The table that no one sat at unless my parents came to visit for a holiday. The couch where I spent cold, dark evenings watching re-runs of 24. And the bedroom where I spent 7 out of the first 12 months of our marriage all by myself. Being a Coastie Wife certainly has it's downer moments.
But Love Nest II doesn't have any of that stuff. It marks a turn in our life. A change in our marriage. And, most exciting, the growth of our family! And as a sentimental wife and mother, I'm having just a bit of a time letting go.

Nevertheless, there is a Love Nest For Rent, that features:
-- A 75 step walk to the beach!
-- Lots of windows and sunshine ... that exhibit tiny, sticky handprints.


-- A large master bedroom, with two ample closets, big enough for a toddler to sneak off to and find some treasures.
-- Open living space, for kids to run uninhibited from one end of the house to the other.
-- Large kitchen with room for 2 or 3 cooks ... and taste testers!

-- A secret, unadvertised ground floor guest suite ... because when you live by the beach you WILL have guests.
-- Gorgeous views of the ocean during the day, and a fully-lit Bay Bridge Tunnel at night.
-- A perfectly situated balcony, with commanding views of the street, including Wednesday garbage truck runs and neighbors walking their dogs.

-- Shady trees with lots of squirrels and chirping birds.
-- A petite side yard with enough grass for little boys to roll around in.

-- Large back space, with plenty of sand for little boys to get dirty in.
-- Fire pit, for roasting marshmallows and mountain pies with friends.
-- Garage, big enough for one car ... or several strollers.
-- Quiet neighbors ... the house next door is empty.
-- Great streets to for walking.
-- An attic, and plenty of storage closets, because eventually your family will grow.
-- Enough space to park 4 cars ... plus the neighbors driveway, so you can have plenty of friends over.
-- Salty, sea air.
-- A continuous supply of beach glass and seashells.
-- Convenient to just about everything ... except an IKEA.

*sigh* We're going to miss this place. But we're excited about Love Nest III too. And the many, many Love Nests that will likely follow that. Such is the military life.

In a few months, I'll be blogging (hopefully I can keep this up with 2 kids!) from the suburbs of DC, in Southern Maryland. I've been frantically researching our new stomping grounds because frankly, I didn't even know that part of the world existed. I thought Maryland consisted of a North and an East, never considered it's South. So I've earned myself a geography lesson recently. Jon will be commuting to school in DC and Jack-Jack, JuJuBe (name hint!!) and I will be hanging out in our huge new house. We checked it out last month (right after the big snowstorm up there) and were happy to find an adorable neighborhood with tree-lined streets, a lake with a walking path nearby, a playground and pool, and lots of shopping! I've been Googling area grocery stores and businesses ahead of time, and desperately searching for some good churches to check out but so far haven't been too successful. As if having a baby isn't enough change, I now have to learn a whole new area. That was the hardest thing for me when I moved to Virginia so I'm trying to start early on this move. All I can say is thank God for GPS!!
But all whining aside, I can't help but think about how blessed we are, how quickly and how easily we've been able to find "perfect" homes for us. How happy we've been here, how wonderful things will be there. I'm not one for the nomadic lifestyle. I much prefer to be settled and rooted down. But God has taken such good care of Jon and I during our 4 years of marriage. I know he orchestrates every move, every job, and every baby. :) Does it make me nervous? Yes! Do I have a hard time breathing when I think about this summer? You betcha, but that's probably just because the baby is squishing my lungs. Do I sometimes sit in my sunny living room, watching my husbnd and son wrestle on the floor, feeling the baby kick and roll and want things to stay like this forever? Most definitely. But does it feel good to know that God cares? Oh, yes. Because he cares about the big things and all the people in the world. But he also cares about Love Nests and teeny, tiny babies and big, wild toddlers and their nervous mamas. And I like to think that He's as delighted with our new fenced-in backyard, salsa garden and swingset as I am! That He can't wait to watch us take family walks in our new streets, introducing us to all the new dog neighbors. That He's as happy as we are that our new garage will fit both cars and all the strollers. And that maybe, just maybe, He made sure that Jon's new school would be close enough to the grandparents that, when things get really tough, even I can make the drive alone with two kids. So yes, it's sad to see our Love Nest posted on rental websites, but so good to know He cares!

2 comments:

douglass said...

You are terrible...I can't read your blog without tearing up- EVERY TIME...haha. Anyway, there is a church that comes to the YMC near DC. The youth pastors have stayed with us a couple times. If your interested let me know, I can get you their number.

J9 said...

Haha sorry! I was tearing up this time too! :)
Yes, let me know about that church! Although I think I might know who you're talking about and they may be too far into the city. We'll be living 35 minutes from the edge of town ...

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