Repairing and rebuilding- a new place called home.

When we bought "Carnton Cottage", we had already lived in it for a year, and knew of a few of the
(cosmetic we thought) issues we would need to deal with. It had been a rental for quite a while, and sadly needed some TLC to restore her to her former glory.

First, we built Josh's garage- we missed our large garage we had in WA, and were eager to expand to make it easier for Josh ( and now Rowan) to work on projects- the former working on a car that doesn't want to stay on the road, and the latter on his latest passion, making knives. We also decided it would be beneficial to turn the old garage into a guest suite for visitors.

 More on that later.

Lets start at the beginning--
Our garage addition was meant to take 7-8 weeks to complete. It ended up taking 7 MONTHS and was over budget by 1/4 of original bid. We still need to paint it. All of our work has been inside projects.

it sat like this for months.

permit nightmare.

In July of last year ( on my birthday, no less) after our friends had visited for the weekend, we noticed a wet spot in the ceiling in the kitchen.
We thought for sure it was the plumbing.

Josh ripped out the ceiling.

Happy Birthday!

We tested it, and found that it wasn't the plumbing ( thankful!) but the AC unit hadn't been properly insulated, and the condensation dripped down the duct work and into the ceiling.

Josh spent the hottest day of the year in the attic repairing this.

what a trooper!

Life got busy and we embraced the "industrial" look of the exposed beams until we had the time to put sheetrock back up.
Since it was open,  Josh took the opportunity to plumb for a gas stove, and vent for a range hood over the new stove. Our friends came up from Atlanta for the holiday weekend and helped put sheetrock up. Things were looking like they were moving forward.

Now we're cooking with gas!

Then we discovered a leak in the slab under the powder room. our water bill went from $80 a month to over $200..

Our house is built on a cement slab. Translation- to fix this leak we would need to tear up floor and jackhammer the slab to get to the pipe- which is daisy chained in the slab, and could potentially spring other leaks in the future.
Mr. Plumber came to give us a large estimate- it was better to replumb the entire house than deal with the leak in the slab.

Thankfully we never got around to finishing the ceiling- and it was held up with sheetrocking screws.

after a few youtube videos and surveillance, Josh decided to replumb the house himself.

pex is our friend.

As and added bonus, after him replumbing, we can now run a dishwasher, washing machine, and flush a toilet all at the same time someone is showering- and nobody gets scalded. WIN!

When it was time to put the ceiling back together, Josh found that the water that had leaked from the AC condensation warped the beams. Next step was to jack up the house and add gusseting to support the beams where they should be, and reinstalling the sheetrock.
For Mother's Day I got ceiling tiles- hope my boys can install them in the near future.

jacking up the beams.

I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed Josh with these skills-- we save/saved thousands of dollars by him doing all of these projects by himself, and in the process, wisdom, and patience was gained!

until the next project...

Lost in translation, y'all.

besides the sunshine, one of my favorite things about living in Tennessee are the people.

Never have I met a warmer, friendlier group of folks.


Not a day goes by if you are in public that people walking by will greet you, and ask how you are doing, or if you get far enough into the conversation that you are from out of state, "Have you found a church yet?"

I am a very outgoing, social person, and I love this. However, it did take me a bit to get used to. Someone asks you how you are doing-- are you supposed to answer? Smile and nod?

I love hearing these phrases.

"How are you doin' today?"
"Sugar."
"Y'all."
"All Y'all."
"Fixin."



I meet the most interesting people during these exchanges, and often they turn into actually conversations.

I love these sweet little vignettes with others-- it gives me the feeling of a greater sense of community.

There is an elderly black gentleman that I see in downtown Franklin on a regular basis, that always says "How are ya doin'?" everytime I see him.
His name is Brother Henry. You can read about him, here:

http://www.southernexposuremagazine.com/past_issues/local-folk-brother-henry/article_de411895-7aa5-5998-a619-be7aa3f797b7.html


I enjoy listening to the exchange of pleasantries with locals that know each other-- there is truly an art form to the conversation- it isn't a quick conversation, it rolls melodically through checking on family members, and sharing the latest news. There may even be a "Bless her Heart" thrown in there for good measure.

I have found myself standing on the paint aisle at the store, lollygagging, just to hear two old codgers in overalls shoot the breeze.

I don't hear it on a regular basis, as there are many transplants to the area like us, and even some local friends, theirs is a soft lilting, not as much of a drawl.

Sometimes it throws me off completely, and I am not ready-- I have to pause, and rapidly try and translate in my head what they just said.

We got a new garbage can the other day, and the men that came to give me a new one were so nice, we stood on the curb discussing how "they just don't make things like they used to" and his accent was very thick.

Ricky came to my door to pour cement last summer, he sounded like 'Mater from Cars. Nicest man.  He showed me a video of his young grandson swinging in the backyard.

I get phone calls where I need to ask them to repeat themselves because it isn't clear to me what they are saying.

The Southern drawl isn't always slow-- I can understand the slower speech patterns more easily- even though my West Coast brain wants to finish their sentences for them.



I wonder if they feel the same about me, as we West Coasties talk really fast.....

Sophomore Year and going back.

I have written, rewritten and mulled over this post for months.

So. much. life.

This second year in Tennessee has run the gamut of emotions-

New beginnings and opportunities. Loss. Stress. Growth. Chronic Pain.  Depression. Daily lessons in trusting in the LORD in all things.

We have sadly said goodbye to wonderful new friends, moving away for all the right reasons, large home repairs. Construction. Health issues. Stress. Tears.

Above all, we have been loved on and blessed by the Lord through friends near and far, being the hands and feet of Jesus when we have needed it most. We are so thankful for the Lord's provisions,  including answered and unanswered prayers, even in the tiniest detail. He knows exactly what we NEED at all times, even when He doesn't give us what we think we need in that moment.

Looking forward-

The kids and I are heading back to Seattle for the month of July, Josh will join us near the end.

This will be the first time in 2 years since we have been back. I was back for a couple days in January for my grandmother's passing, but it was such a blip, it didn't really count. I crammed as much LIFE as possible in those few days-it was a whirlwind, but a blessing.

Bedside table flowers and See's chocolates, french press coffee waiting for me in the AM,  Teriyaki delivered late at night, Pike Place Market, Thai Food, connecting with family,  celebrating the life of my sweet Grandma and early morning breakfast dates with precious friends.

I am excited to go back. We have a list of things we want to do and see, planning get togethers with family, friends. Did I mention TERIYAKI?!


while I am away I will miss-

fireflies.
sitting on the front porch with Josh.
cardinals.
the cacophony of bird noises during the day.
the cacophony of bug noises at night.
the summer HEAT.
Franklin.
motorcycle rides on the trace with Josh.
walking the plantation.
my street.
my home.


Even with the challenges and trials we have endured the last two years, we have incredible peace, this is where we belong.
 I can't truly call Seattle "home"since it isn't anymore. Tennessee has my heart.

Bittersweet.

Micah 7:7

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; 
  I will wait for the God of my salvation. 

            My God will hear me.

Have you moved away from the home of your youth? How do you feel about your new home vs where you came from? What was your experience the first time going back after moving away? Places change while we are away, how have you changed?