Bittersweet

Life has been unbelievably stressful the last few weeks.

Last week, my uncle passed away. He was 86 years old and my dad's oldest brother. My aunt, my dad's sister, is the only one left of 9 children. Although my uncle lived a long life, it was still hard. I know what it is like to lose a father. It isn't easy no matter what age.

In the middle of all of this, I moved out of my apartment.

Thankfully, I was able to hire movers. It was the best decision. And they were fantastic! If you are in the Toledo area, I highly recommend Maumee Valley Movers. They drove out to Pittsburgh to pick up my stuff. It was a long day, but I am so glad the whole process is over.

Poor Luna was so confused during the whole thing. She whined and was extremely clingy. When she was a puppy, she would want me to hold her while I was getting ready for work. It was much easier when she was half the weight she is now. But it is still sweet that she wants her human mom to comfort her.

I thought it would be harder to leave my apartment. It was my home for the last 2 and half years and I enjoyed my time there. But I was happy to get away from the smoke smell. It was quite terrible, especially after being away.

I finally closed on my house last Friday! So amidst a funeral, moving, emotions and traveling, I have a house to call my own. And the fun starts now! There really isn't a thing in and out of that house that doesn't need to be touched in some way. It will be a long process, but I can't wait to get it moving!

Boxing Up Home

I hate moving. In the past 7 years, I have moved 5 times. I am ready to be done. All of those moves for were a reason other than moving to a new apartment.

1. Moving into my first apartment out of college
2. Moving into an apartment closer to work
3. Moving to Pennsylvania
4. Moving into an apartment closer to work
5. Moving to Ohio

Even so, I am tired of moving. I am closing on my house this week…finally! And I am hoping and praying this will be the end to my days of moving. I was fortunate to find a house that I could stay in for a long time. I want to grow to absolutely love my home and the memories that are created there. It is the first place I can truly make my own and have wall colors other than beige.

But before any of that happens, I have to move all my stuff. I would think packing and all that comes with it would be a deterrent to move. It is a pain. Going through stuff, realizing that you haven't looked at some things for years and really don't need it anymore. It is a little depressing packing the things you value or much (or think you value) into boxes. 

But in a few weeks, those boxes will be unpacked so the stuff inside can find a new place to collect dust. :) It is a part of creating a home. Old things will be donated or thrown out. New things will take their place, but it will be home.

Maybe Luna won't sleep through the process this time.

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

My mom and I were off to Pittsburgh last weekend to start packing up my apartment. Earlier in the week, we had a late snow storm. Unfortunately, the weather contributed to a bad accident on the Ohio turnpike. Two days later, we still saw the effects.

My little spoiled dog loves being in the front seat during car rides. She tries to sleep however she can even if it is uncomfortable.

It was St. Patrick's Day on Monday. To celebrate, my mom and I went to an Irish pub for lunch. There were quite a few people dressed up. It was entertaining.

One of the greatest ice cream places ever! It opened March 1 and I got my first taste of summer.

Such Is Life

It has been a blah couple of weeks. I felt below par with work, with my Bible study, with the house buying process, just about everything. It might have to do with the never-ending winter.

I was also sick this week and that has really knocked me out. I have been fortunate enough to not have been sick at all this winter. Not having to go into an office everyday and not being in an apartment that has the residual smell of smoke from my neighbors has been a big blessing to my health. But I was sucked into the world of ick.

My world consisted of orange juice, medicine, tissues, congestion and exhaustion. It has been a long week.

And of course since Spring has not officially sprung, a late winter snowstorm walloped northwest Ohio. Everything was closed. We have had such a hard winter that some area schools have lost 3 weeks of classes.

Luna, in her energetic way, played hard in the snow. She loves having snow thrown on her. She jumps in it.

This summer, I took her to an agility class which she really enjoyed. The facility also had a doggie pool. She wouldn't go in the water at all. She would stand at the edge and watch the other dogs playing. But she, like her human mama, is a winter girl.

This weekend is not going to offer rest. My mom and I are heading back to Pittsburgh to pack my apartment. I am not really looking forward to it. I HATE packing. But it needs to be done and it is one step closer to being settled. Thank goodness! An end is in sight and I am looking forward to walking through the front door of my new home.

A little bright spot in a blah week.

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

Coke products were on sale at Target this week, but you had to buy 5 cases to get the sale price. Cherry Coke Zero is my favorite flavor. It will take me forever to get through it, but I will enjoy it all!

Luna had her yearly check-up. She is in good health, but had to get all her shots. She was a tired little pup. She even wound down enough to lay on the floor at the vet's office.

These two are the craziest dogs. One minute they can't stand each other and they next, they tolerate each other. Every once in a while you can catch them hanging out together.

One of the benefits of working from home is getting to be close to Luna. She is definitely a cuddle buddy and likes to bury her nose when she sleeps.

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

Be still my heart! Oh, how I love this little girl! Her face brightens my day and I got to see her last weekend.

My brother's dog, Ellie. She is slowly adjusting to having a little one in the house, but she does need some extra special attention every once in a while. She looks pretty comfy laying against my yarn.

Luna's shoe fetish continues. She looks completely uncomfortable, but she had my shoe so close.

I love Bath and Body Works candles. They smell so good, but don't last nearly long enough. Bigger jars are in order. By the way, hold on to the spent jars. Once all the wax is cleared out, they make great craft items.

Movie night with my mom! This was a great movie. I bought the book, but haven't read it yet. I am definitely looking forward to jumping into it. It is hard to believe what this small group of men saved in terms of art. Unreal!

Soul-Filling Satisfaction

What would truly satisfy my soul? It is easy to come up with things that would satisfy a lot of different aspects on my life.

• Unlimited sources of money to satisfy financial stability
• A toned, fit body to satisfy my health needs
• A beautiful house to satisfy a need for a home
• A husband to satisfy my longing for family (this is getting a little personal)

But my soul???? 

Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind is God. He is the only One to provide true soul satisfaction. What does our/my soul need to be filled with - joy, peace, contentment? Knowing where we are lacking gives us the opportunity to specifically pray and opens us to allow God, in His completely amazing way, to fill these voids. He will fill voids we don't even realize we have.

My list of worldly satisfaction, which can all be completely harmless, doesn't truly satisfy my soul. They provide happiness for a moment, but I will always be looking for what's next. God has allowed some people to be professionally successful. He has given us each individual bodies that respond differently. He provides all kinds of living arrangements. And in His plan, some are single and some are married.

But it goes deeper. 

• Unlimited sources of money to satisfy my pocketbook - is this to buy material possessions to fill my soul with stuff?
• A toned, fit body to satisfy my vanity - is this so people's view of me is higher to satisfy my soul with pride?
• A beautiful house to satisfy my comfortability - does this show my "worth" to the world so my soul is satisfied by material possessions?
• A husband to satisfy my insecurity because I am not married - am I looking for an earthly relationship to satisfy me in a way that only God can?

So what one good thing would I ask from God to help me feel a deep and soul-filling satisfaction? More…more of God. Psalm 107:9 is a great verse because it isn't specific with the longing or the hunger. God satisfies and fills. That's it and I don't need anything more.