Adventures on Jefferson Avenue...

It's been almost 2 weeks now since we moved into our little house on Jefferson Avenue. If one thing can be said, it is that there has never been a dull moment!

Our first discovery, after not many days of living here, was that after the lights went out, our house became the hang-out for certain critters called Camel Crickets (or, Cave Crickets). If we came into the kitchen and turned on the lights, there were usually 5-10 of them, just chillin'. As seen here in this photo - they look like little hump-backed aliens. They make my skin absolutely crawl - and several times I succeeded in making Dan's heart skip a beat when I squealed at the sight of one. Google says that they jump toward you in an effort to intimidate you. Well...it works!

Camel Cricket...ugh...

However, my knight in shining armor has conquered the Camel Crickets by filling lots of cracks and crannies with foam. At least for the last 5 nights we have not seen a single one - praise the Lord!

We have also found that "quiet, quaint, small town Tennessee" isn't exactly quiet when you live two doors down from a pub. The Dinner Bell is a lovely little establishment that doesn't interfere with our weeknight sleeping habits...but Friday and Saturday evenings are an entirely different story. Last night I was dancing to the Cupid Shuffle with The Dinner Bell's customers...in my own kitchen. Haha... So far it hasn't been unbearable. We just have a free-of-charge, hiphop and classic country soundtrack on the weekends.

On Thursday we had decided to tackle another relatively major house project - ripping up the old linoleum flooring in the kitchen, and putting down new. Dan is my hero. Everything went fine until he had pulled up the first 2 feet or so around the parameter of the room...and then we discovered the tar paper underneath. At this point there was no turning back, so Dan spent a whole day...probably 10 hours or so...chiseling away at the layers of linoleum, tar paper, and old tile. After tons of - literally - tears, sweat and blood - we now have a clean, new kitchen floor. Not quite bubble-free...the new linoleum didn't like the unpredictable floors of this old house...but to me, it is perfect! So thankful for a husband who doesn't back down when the project gets overwhelming...he really is amazing.

Thursday evening while Dan was still working on the floor, I planted our first garden. Our back yard is the most delightful place. When you block out the noise of the traffic out front, it's absolutely beautiful. Thanks to my dad, our garden was tilled up on Thursday afternoon, so Thursday evening I thoroughly enjoyed planting rows of lettuce and cauliflower, tomato plants, squash, zucchini, and cucumber plants, pepper plants, watermelon and cantaloupe. Yesterday I added onions and strawberries. It thrills me to walk out and take a peek at the plants every day. There is something so therapeutic about gardening...going back to the earth for food and energy.

Our garden with the sun peeking over Dan's garage...and our little house in the background

These last two weeks have been glorious in so many ways. Our hearts are both turned toward the simple...making a house a home, spending time with family, getting our hands and feet dirty, being out in God's creation. This is what we have been missing...and it feels so right to be back where everything we love is within reach.

In the midst of all these tangible adventures, we are also learning more every day about living from the Lord's perspective...and how that changes our priorities. I think He loves to see us experience paradigm shifts, because that means growth! More about that later...

-HK