I decided that it would be fun to put pictures of our houses on here. Except our camp house. Ironically, after our computer crashed back in spring, our Camp Arnes pictures are the only ones that seem to be missing. Weird. So looking back and reflecting, I think that each of our houses represent a different stage of Warren and my life together.

House #1: White 1 1/2 Storey. Our starter home. We lived there for over two years, and I have great memories of our first couple years being married in this house. Building the deck, Warren being obsessive over having a nice looking yard, our first Christmas, Camry somehow finding her way home from the farm by herself...and just walking into the house..., Warren falling down the deck stairs because he slipped on some ice, and our campfire on New Years Eve using the everlasting "Duralog".

House #2: The House We Built. We only lived here 5 months, but we had already been dreaming and planning this house for over year. And since we owned the place for over a year it did really feel like home. It was sooooo me. The colors, the decor, the kitchen, I loved everything about it. Except the mortgage payment, especially after we both ended up unemployed two months after moving in. Long story. Also many memories here. This house represents what we want in our life. We built this 3 bedroom home, hoping it would be a place where we could raise a family and settle. Our dreams were short lived however. It was while living in this house that we found out we were officially "infertile". We also realized really fast that we were just not ready to be new home owners. The cost of owning a new home, what with property taxes, road fees, etc. was just not where we were at financially. It was soon after this that we put the house up for sale and ran away to camp.

House #3: Our Fixer Upper. We bought the neighborhood drug house and have almost entirely flipped it. It does not look much like it did when we got possession a few short months ago. This house represents new beginnings. New jobs, new house, new paint, kitchen, flooring, new dreams and goals. This house is hope. This house is a messy outside and a pretty inside. It is renewal. It is new paint on cracked walls and weeding overgrown gardens. I hope that this house will be a place where we can find peace, hope, and healing. I want this house to be a place of sanctuary, welcome, and laughter. I look forward to friends and family and good times. I want to be content here. This house represents what Jesus can do for my messy me. He can take my cracked walls and leaky pipes and make them new again. He can heal my sad heart and help me find joy in a place where there was once much sorrow. There still is sometimes sorrow, but it is being renovated. Slowly.