There is no place like Home!

It was a cool morning, Friday, November 21. I put on my walking shoes and slipped into my comfy work clothes and walked into the living room tying my hair into a tight bun, I couldn't help but smile when I saw all the boxes and suitcases I started packing a month prior (with the help of my amazing husband), knowing in that 2 more days, we will be heading away from California to find a new Home in Tennessee!

Majority of our belongings ready to be packed away from our apartment in Alpine, CA!

With the help of my most loving Mother, we three went to work and filled up our 6x12 Uhaul. Dustin was so amazing, He organized that Uhaul like if he was playing Tetris! He stacked it so well, there was absolutely NO way anything would budge during the drive!

My mami with her son before we began our packing up the uhaul!

Locking our apartment door one last time! It was a lovely place to live in,but now for new and better things yet to come!

We had some amazing memories in our comfortable apartment and had an amazing view from our yard!

My parents living room in their house up the mountain where I grew up, met dustin online for the very first time here, got to meet him in person for the first time in this living room, told him that I loved him for the very first time in this living room, told my parents we got engaged (on this same land he proposed) in this living room, and I waited in this same room to walk out the front door and down to the EXACT Same spot he proposed to get married! In this room our whole relationship was done in!

That night after a long day of packing and some cleaning and last minute organizing we drove our cherokee hauling all our belongings with Sadie up to the Home I grew up in, in the mountains of Alpine! We wanted to spend one last weekend with our parents and enjoy it before we drove a very long 3 1/2 days to our destination!

It was a nostalgic kind of evening, the night air was very chilly, thus my parents turned on their Wood Stove in the living room to warm up the home, the familiar creaks of the hardwood floors brought a lot of comfort yet also brought an emotional lump in my throat I tried to laugh away with humor.

My parents wood stove warming up the whole house from the living room!

 I got to sleep in my childhood home with my husband our puppy one last time in the living room next to the crackling wood stove dreaming of new memories we will be having when we head on East!

We woke up bright and early Sunday morning (the 23rd), saying goodbye to my parents was a bit hard, especially for Dustin who grew to love them like his own (He and my dad were pretty close!), but I couldn't remain sad for very long, the excitement of going out to the "unknown" with my husband was just too much! We were about to embark on an adventure, just he and I, to a place we have never lived in or know much about... So away we went!

As we approached Yuma, AZ I had mixed feelings, I was in "awe" because passing the Yuma city line will be the furthest I have traveled with my husband, and this may be the very last time I go see my grandmother who is 100 years old.

 We entered into yuma and we drove to the nursing home where my sweet grandmother was staying, I walked in by myself and saw her sitting quietly in her wheelchair. I couldn't help but feel hot tears coming into my eyes, as she looked like a helpless, sweet little girl, and yet remembering  her always joyful attitude and constant laughter growing up was ringing in my mind!

Dustin and Sadie waiting for our trip to begin from Yuma, AZ!

 I talked to her for a little and she recognized me (to my surprise) and blessed me and my family on our trip and I kissed her goodbye. When I left I felt a peace, knowing that my godly sweet grandma's prayers will follow me and my husband and our little ones for years to come!

We had quite a trip! Sadie was an absolute dream! Sitting quietly or napping the whole time, and never once had an accident as we let her out each time we had to gas up, and almost every trucker, no matter how tough they looked, absolutely adored our sweet, gentle sadie! Telling us she was absolutely gorgeous and what a good hunting dog she will be if we start training her now (which Dustin is wanting to do very much so!), and how well behaved she is for just 7 months!

The princess on our bags and soft blankets, she was in pure bliss!

We traveled up through flagstaff, AZ which was beautiful no doubt, but was so extremely windy that (I was driving during that time), I was so nervous we would have to pull over and wait for the wind to die down because our uhaul trailer was having quite a time behind us being pushed around slightly! But by the grace of God we made it up to 8,000 ft in elevation just fine. Seeing snow on the ground driving through arizona and New Mexico was a beautiful sight! So quiet and serene, like what I was feeling inside!

high elevation in Flagstaff, AZ

Snow in New Mexico! It was beautiful!

This was entering Texas! Everything is bigger in Texas, so is their faith in Jesus! :)

  

                                                                                    We arrived in Tennessee day before Thanksgiving and had 2 appointments to look at rental homes. We were tired but excited at the prospect of renting a house and no longer and apartment!

 We prayed that the Lord blesses us with peace if we find the home meant for us, and if not that He will allow an unsettling over us if it is not the home. Prayer surely does move mountains!

The first home I was excited for because of the fireplace and living room. The area was a bit crowded and seemed a little claustrophobic, but the inside of the home was very charming! The only thing was, right when I met the landlord, a strong twisting unsettling happened in my gut, and I wasn't sure about the home no more. Dustin loved it! But I spoke with him privately and said, "Trust me, there is something about that landlord I don't like. He is nice, but... I just can't put a finger on it, there is something here that is not right.". So we said, "No" to this home.

The second home, the landlord was an absolute dream! But the inside of the home was something you can get lost in! There were 3 rooms but each room was connected by a door that went in one bathroom and out the other so you had to be sure to lock both bathroom doors before having privacy and it was just not very pretty! The landlord was very sweet about us saying no, and he even offered to bring Thanksgiving food over to our hotel so we wouldn't feel so left out!

 Thanksgiving came on by and we got to spend it with 2 dear friends of ours who live closeby.

Friday came and we had 3 appointments, though we only saw 2 homes, I was starting to feel nervous that we won't have the home of our dreams for a decent price and we will have to hurry and find something because our uhaul rental agreement was about to expire that day!

The first house we saw I thought it charming! It was a 1950s bungalow and there was quite a charm there and it was super close to where Dustin would be working! I was about to give Dustin the thumbs up when I was walking toward the kitchen by myself imagining how I would decorate when I heard the Lord speak to me and said, "Before you make a decision, go look at the other home. You will regret it if you don't.", when the Lord speaks, I have learned time and again to trust and obey right away without second guessing!

 So we told the landlord we would let him know if yes or no, and we went on to a home further away from where we were (about 20 miles), and right when we approached the area, I was in love!

Right when we pulled up, I took a picture right away. That was how sure I knew this was the Home the Lord blessed us with before I even got out of the car!!!

Our Sadie wondering where she is... you are home, Sadie Girl!

 As we pulled up to the home, I almost began to cry with the beauty of such a lovely home! The Landlord greeted us warmly and we had an amazing time looking around and I couldn't help but right away give my husband the thumbs up! That Home was EVERYTHING I told the Lord that I desired, from the number of rooms, to a HUGE backyard, to a big front yard with a rustic looking home on top of a small hill in order to have a higher look on everything surrounding us, I also desired hardwood floors only, an attached garage, a BIG fireplace, and an open kitchen to have room to move around in... Each and every thing I asked the Lord for, He provided in that home within the price we could easily afford!!!!

 We got the house that night and right away Dustin and I got down on our knees (literally) and thanked the Lord for His mercy and favor and goodness upon us... and thanked Him over and over for his guidance and protection on our journey to Tennessee and to our Home! We dedicated our Home to the Lord and invited Him to dwell and reign there and prayed over our home and plead the blood of Jesus in every corner of that home!

 The next day we unpacked our Uhaul (praise the Lord for our friend, James, who volunteered to help us unload the sofa, beds, and trunk so I wouldn't have to lift!), and before we unpacked one thing from our boxes we returned the uhaul and went and found a beautiful Christmas tree from a lot that farm all their trees in N. Carolina (not too far from the border of Tennessee), came home and made our house a home by decorating and lighting up the tree!

Our cherokee that wonderfully pulled this uhaul all the way from San Diego, CA to Tennessee!!!

Sadie approves of our new life!

 I can't believe it, I can't believe how far we have come since our wedding day 2 years ago to now... we started at a humble beginning now look how far the Lord has brought us and how much higher He is taking us! Thank you, Jesus... Your goodness is amazing to me!!!!!!

We stopped by North Little Rock, Arkansas

 

Taken by our dear friend, Aaron at the Old Mill, Little Rock, Arkansas