We Moved...Sorta
As many of you may or may not know we were staying in a lovely little grandma flat on the outskirts of Vacaville. Our home was just 460 square feet, this cozy layout added to the fun and adventure of our first year of marriage. The house had tons of storage and the landlords had previously lived there for 5 years so they tricked it out with ton of storage and a shower head that actually was high enough for John's giant self. In fact the property inside the fence was about 5 acres that sat on a 40 acre plot of land complete with a dog and shooting range, it was the perfect little spot for us to begin our new lives together.
Next came an amazing new addition to our family, Annabelle! She arrived in the winter and with newborns not needing much other than lots of love and no less than a million diapers we still felt like it was a good fit for us.
After a cozy winter as a new family came summer. Vacaville summers are gross plain and simple. So, the summer dragged on for our family due to the fact that the 2 box unit air conditioners in our house only dropped the interior temperature to 90 degrees. Outside the thermometer, on our patio, read well over 100. During this challenging summer Annabelle grew much more mobile and needed space to crawl or something, go figure.
So one thing lead to another and we moved! Buuuuuut not into a new place. Well sorta a new place. The house we had lined up fell through and so we are currently living with my in-laws. Staying with them is a great set up for Annabelle and so helpful for me. At their house they have all the toys for her to play with and 2 dogs to entertain her when shes on the edge of exhaustion. My in-laws also help watch Annabelle when I have to go to a photo-shoot or just do mundane things like shower or use the bathroom. Johns work currently includes early mornings, long commutes and late nights' leaving him tired and worn out by the time we see him at night. Having extra help with Annabelle so he can decompress has also been a massive help. However we long for our own place and our stuff is starting to overflow from the garage and somehow we keep accumulating baby things. So with that all said let us know if you know of a place for rent in the Fairfield to Dixon area!
Now here are my feelings on the matter, cause well, I am a sentimental person with a tiny tiny platform to word vomit them onto for your (possible) enjoyment and my catharsis.
I LOVED that house. As much of a pain it was especially when its flooded the bathroom with sewage the night of my wedding, or missing work because the road flooded ( there was lots of flooding in many forms). I still really loved it. Aside from the size; it was our dream location, price and it came with a sweet dog I got to play with and not clean up after since she wasn't "technically" mine. Our landlords quickly became friends making it a relaxing place to come home to. It was secluded down a .5 mile dirt road no one could find which was perfect for morning runs or evening walks. There is a lot of sentimentality to it as it was John and I's first home together and our first home as a family. It was the only other place I had lived outside of my childhood home. Its where we brought Annabelle home for the first time and where we have so many memories.
It wasn't a house, it was truly a home.
When leaving it for the last time on the 31st of August I for sure cried. It felt like the end of a chapter and I don't like when things end. I love new change, new friends, new places. I HATE endings. They leave me with a deep sinking hole in my chest that I have a hard time reconciling.
However that evening John and I talked about where we might live next and what we want out of our new place. He reminded me that on this side of heaven nothing is truly home. He told me to not dwell on leaving the house but instead celebrate all the good memories we have there and all the memories we will get to make in our new place. So below is a celebration of our memories while we pray for God's guidance in a new home to live in.
“Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive–it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about everything would it?”
First Day at our home - Pregnant - Last Family Portraits on the property
Good bye sweet home.
Maternity Photos by Brianna Noelle Photography