Our first living quarters as a married couple was above an auto shop just off the downtown square. There are 22 wide concrete steps to climb that will deposit you into a hallway with doors on either side. The left side faces another building and the right side faces the street. We lived in a front facing one. 

On weekday mornings when the garage woke up, the big over head doors would clang open when the first car that required service honked outside. Often times this was my alarm clock. These apartments were affordable with only one bedroom, a living space big enough to double with a dining area. There was a small kitchen and single bathroom. The floors were hardwood, the appliances new when my grandparents were first married and the front windows tall, filling the space with light. The best thing about this apartment….(tears sting the back of my eyes while I type this) was this feeling of complete and utter safety. Of course I know this safety also comes in the form of my husband. It was a place I knew I wouldn’t have to leave every other Sunday or a place where I wouldn’t fear what happens at night. We (Dave and I) had control of whether or not the power was on, the water bill paid, the fridge held ingredients for meals. I was so proud of this space we called home. We hand me down furniture, a few plants and the decor was non existent. I kept the rooms tidy and cleaned once a week. Making this apartment our home was easy as it was filled with love. 

Then came our first move. At first it was into another apartment. Our second move was into our first purchased home. Since then we’ve moved many, many times. Renting mostly, buying or building and eventually God moved us full circle. 

When God answered our prayers about whether to move back to our home town, we were living in a house we’d just built. Dave had opened the first Nebraska Fareway Store and I met some of the my most dearest friends. The kids were in a great school district and life was good. God had other plans for us. It was near the end of February and Ryan was in fifth grade. We wanted him involved in summer sports and made the decision that Ryan would finish his school year in Washington moving to town with Dave. You’ll never believe what apartment was available to rent on short notice. 

A month or so passed and the house had few nibbles as our family lived divided. One Friday I cooked up a plan to put us back together if only for the weekend. My right hand girl Sarah, helped pack up the trailblazer and even sat up front giving me directions. Andrew and Emily were in the second row content playing games on their Nintendo DS’. We drove the four hours across most of southern Iowa and pulled into a parking spot just off the downtown square. The kids were excited, I was excited. I opened that big metal door that led to all those cement stairs and hushed the kids as we started to ascend. Down the long hallway they giggled and shushed each other while memories flooded my anxious mind. All these years later with four kids and here we were. 

Oddly enough each apartment had a screen door and Andrew was the first to reach for the one I pointed out to him. Emily held my hand and responsible Sarah had efficiently grabbed her sleeping bag and backpack so she wouldn’t have to return to the car. When Ryan answered our knock he was happy to see the rest of his family on the other side of the door. 

Stepping back into this space furnished like a bachelor pad with an air mattress on the floor and a tv on a milk crate was like stepping back in time. The same sense of security was there that had never left me and he came walking out of the kitchen still dressed in his work clothes. To say he was happy is an understatement. It was there in his eyes, his family, our family was together again. 

That brings me to this summer and our current residence. One Dave promised me years ago. The Waite House is our dream house. It is complete with enough bedrooms to house our children, with real wood floors reminiscent of the ones in that apartment. We have many luxuries I never dreamed of and she’s turning ten years old this June. We have many projects planned for the warmer months outside and the maintenance on this home can sometimes be over whelming. We built her from the ground up with our vision and help from all the places we’ve lived. We are grateful for every square foot of her. All of the work we do to keep her the warm inviting home that she is is to show our gratitude and make our family and guests feel loved and welcomed.

We’ve had ups with our downs in all of the houses we’ve inhabited. Some were good purchases and we made money, others not so much. God has taught us a lot about gratitude, how to be humble and to trust His plan for us. 

In closing I reflect on all the places we’ve called home, all the memories, the cookies parties, the birthdays and anniversaries, the graduation parties and now sharing this space with our grand daughter. This home, The Waite House is not about “look at us” in any way. We aren’t those people. We respect our home and all it provides. 

I’ve enclosed a slideshow of pictures. Some oldies but goodies and places we’ve lived, construction and maintenance and more.  There’s also a picture of Ryan’s Flag and how she “lay still during the hot humid days of summer” She’s starting to show her wariness from the relentless whipping wind and I know she is supposed to be replaced, for now she is doing her job and giving this Mamma much needed strength and peace until Ryan’s return. 

A happy heart is a grateful heart and Gratitude Changes Everything