Back In The Saddle

School started yesterday. Praise!!

I was probably more nervous than the kids. Other than some bus schedule problems, a locker that wouldn’t open and a consensus that hot lunch is terrible, they seemed to have a good day. Prayers answered! Even though they attend different schools, the kids ride the same bus. This has made for some less than loving and supportive conversations between the kids. 

“You aren’t going to sit with me the first day.” 

“Don’t tell stupid jokes the whole bus ride!”

I saw both yesterday and today she let him sit in the seat in front of her. I suppose that’s something.

Everyone was exhausted when they got home from school. I stopped at a European bakery for a cake pop and a fancy frosted sugar cookie for each of them to celebrate the first day. (Read: bribe them for details about their day). They ate dinner at 5:30 and everyone was in bed by 7:30. All three of us have some major sleep pattern adjustments to make.

Now that the house is quiet again during the day, it’s time for me to jump back in the saddle. It’s time to get to work! I’ll be posting more regularly now that our big move is complete and the kids are back in school. I’ve had some very interesting encounters recently pertaining to grief. By interesting, I mean EXTRA GRACE REQUIRED!!!!! You won’t want to miss my upcoming post about that. Lawd, have mercy! People sure say the darndest things, don’t they? 

When I moved in here, I promised you I’d share a few pictures of the new house. We seemed to mess up the house pretty quickly, so my hopes of showing you neat and tidy have been dashed. I guess I’ll just show you reality. 

The old photos on the wall are pictures of the farmhouse I grew up in and one of my grandma’s farmhouses. I’m still waiting on a picture of my other grandparents’ farm. Then this little farmhouse wall will be complete.

The Living Room:

I love one-level living! My old house, with basement, main level and upstairs always overwhelmed me. So many rooms felt impossible to keep clean. Now, I know where everyone is (including the dogs) and can go from disaster to clean in under an hour. That makes me happy!! The only thing I don’t like about not having a basement is the crawl space situation. The furnace is in there. It’s underground…ish. I’ve been told our crawl space is neat and nice and that you can almost stand upright under there, so I didn’t think it would be a big deal to crawl down in there once a month to change the furnace filter. 

But then people started telling me about Black Widow spiders. They told me how common they are here and not just one variety, but two. Oh, and also the Brown Recluse. They told me how they love dark and damp places (umm, like a subterranean crawl space???). So although I’m brave and strong, I am 100% paying someone to get in there once a month and change that filter. I don’t do spiders, let alone super poisonous ones. Don’t even tell me how they eat insects, or they’re more afraid of me than I am of them. I do not care. They must die. 

I won’t even bother to tell you the stories I’ve heard about snakes. Let’s just say you’ll never catch me in a lake. I just can’t. I think I understand why people drink Bourbon here. I had my first sip recently, because how can you live here and say you’ve never even tasted Bourbon?! My first sip was also my last. Not a fan. 

I’m also not a fan of a local pop called Ale 8. I see people drinking it everywhere I turn, so I thought, “When in Rome…”

Yuck! I guess I’m not going to be confused as a local, because I thought it was super gross. The cherry flavor straight up tastes like a Luden’s cough drop! If you’ve tried this soda, please tell me what the appeal is? Do you just have to keep trying it? Maybe my taste buds aren’t made to like Bourbon or Ale 8. Maybe God just made me that way and I’m not just a weird Iowan who doesn’t know even know how to live in Kentucky?

There’s a LOT I love about Kentucky though. Let me tell you about that. Everyone I have encountered has been so kind. Southern manners are definitely a thing and I like it! Although the “Yes, Ma’am” had me feeling like an old lady at first, now I love it. And the landscape! The rolling hills covered in Kentucky Bluegrass, outlined with black board plank fencing stretch as far as the eye can see. The majesty of the thoroughbreds grazing in this setting will take your breath away. Trees that not only line the country roads, but also overhang them creating a magical canopy makes you want to pull over and have a picnic or say a prayer of thanksgiving. Except you can’t pull over because there are no shoulders on these roads and you might die. But other than that, it’s truly magnificent. GPS always sends me down these narrow, windy, giant horse farm-lined roads, and I’m so glad. I wish you could all experience it.

In all the moments where we feel out of place, like we are never going to fit in again, or afraid of our new circumstances, God always shows up with reminders that He is with us. Every time I travel those windy country roads, I think about God and am AWE of His creation. Every time I feel like a fish out of water here in my new community, He reminds me He’s here. The same God that held me when my husband was sick, when grief was unbearable, when I lived in Iowa, etc., etc., etc. is still the same God. He is the same always. He is good always. He is with us always. That’s so reassuring, isn’t it? He’s got us, friends!! We are not alone! And we are loved. 

Extra grace,

Jodi

**Cover Photo by Brandon Randolph from Pexels