Settling In…

I love our house.  I do.

I love almost everything about it and the things I don’t like?  Inconsequential.  As in, they are so small, they don’t really bother me.

But it’s different.  There are things that I have to get used to.  Not just in the home itself, but in the new neighborhood.

Like the grocery store.  I used to go Krogering.  But not now… there are 2 grocery stores that are equidistant from the house but neither of them are Krogers.  They are both Food Lions.  And it’s not that I have anything against the Food Kitty… I really don’t, it’s just that I used to buy ALOT of Kroger brand items.

You know what they don’t have at Food Lion?

Kroger brand items.

Laugh all you want.  But there’s some stock in what I write.  Kroger brand Sour Cream and Onion chips?

THE BEST.

And I’m a sour cream and onion chip connoisseur.

No, really.  You don’t understand.

But not only don’t they have Kroger brand items at Food Lion, they don’t have as many Food Lion brands as Kroger does.  Like, we like Peach Tea.  Crystal Light is the same price as the Kroger brand, but you don’t get as much and, to be honest?  Kroger brand is better.  (In my opinion.)

Food Lion?  They don’t have a Food Lion brand of Peach Tea.

So there’s no tea in the house.

And I kinda want some tea.

The hubs has offered to take me back to my home Kroger store, the store that I’ve been faithful to for over six years, but I say no.  I need to get used to the new neighborhood.  It’s almost like moving to a new city for me.  I’ve never really ventured over to this side of town.  In fact, Sunday night, I had to ask the hubs how to get to work.

In my defense, I knew two ways, but one was the long way and the other?  The bridge was out.

In fact, most times that I go someplace from the new house for the first time, I have to ask him how best to get there.  And let’s not even start on how good I am at misjudging how long it will take me to get somewhere from here.  I mean, I had trouble when I KNEW where I lived and where to go… let alone trying to figure out new directions.  And let’s not forget how directionally challenged that I am.

Bless the hubs.  He’s so patient with me.

And in addition to the new grocery store, I’m adjusting to not only how quiet it is here, but how DARK it is here.  Now, let me remind you that while we have a city address and I’m less than 5 minutes to any sort of civilization, there are woods out my back door and we border the Parkway.  We also no longer live on a major road.  So there are no street lights and there are no headlights.

I must remember to leave a light on, both inside and outside if I’m leaving and will expect to be home after dark.

And quiet!  There isn’t all that traffic all.night.long.

You can actually hear the locusts.

But it’s hard to sleep sometimes because it’s so quiet.  It’s like that scene in My Cousin Vinny where he can’t sleep when he’s in Ala-freaking-bama… and then he gets thrown in jail for contempt and it’s loud and he’s sleeping like a baby.

Not that I want the noise.  It will just take some getting used to.

And the echo in the house.  That’s taking some getting used to as well.  It’s not as bad now that we have some furniture and rugs in here but when you have a house that is all hardwood floors and no insulation?  Well, yeah.  It echos… and you can hear everything.  Take that one where you want to.

But on the whole?  I love it here.

I love sitting on the deck in the morning with my coffee watching the sun rise through the trees.  I love sitting on the deck at night, looking at the stars and lightening bugs with the kids or just having a conversation with the hubs.  I love seeing how much the kids love their new rooms.  I love that Thing 1 has the “ninja lair” where he can escape and be thirteen.

I love sitting on the old people porch waiting for my husband and kids to get home (that’s where I am now!)

And I love being able to walk room to room and see the work that we put into this place… and take pride in it… even if there are OBVIOUS mistakes and flaws.

It’s such a difference.  I’m not the best housekeeper… but when you work hard on something, it makes you appreciate it even more and so I find myself almost borderline nazi with the house.  I try not to be too much of a pain, but I will point out to the kids if something is left behind.  I’ve worked hard at keeping the kitchen clean, not a dish in the sink… and so far, albeit it’s only been a week, we’ve been successful.. in fact, when I shared my goal with the hubs, he’s been helping me keep that up.

So yes, we’re settling in.

It’s nice.

I love it.

We love it.

It’s good to be home.

Until next time…