The Hobbit Hole

Brian and I live in a small basement apartment, and since we're both relatively short, our friends lovingly refer to our underground dwelling as the "hobbit hole", which I find pretty appropriate. I remember when we checked out of our apartment in Provo and said goodbye to Utah, I honestly thought that I would never rent again. The plan was to buy a piece of land as soon as possible and live on it for the rest of our lives. We felt ready to settle down.

I was set on this plan...and I wouldn't accept anything else. But then, as always, life didn't quite go as I planned. It took me about 6 months to find a job, and car trouble dwindled our savings to literally nothing. Once I started working, we had not a penny, and we started saving as much as we could. Brian's parents were kind enough to allow us to live with them (they loved it), but after a little over a year of that, we were ready to have our own place again. So, we found the hobbit hole, a mere 3 miles from Brian's parents. They take care of our dog until we can find an affordable place that allows a dog, and we adopted our little Maggie May. I think dogs and cats go together anyway, so we were happy to have her.

As time is going by, I'm realizing that I wasn't ready to settle down. Now don't get me wrong, it's not the settling down that's the problem. I'm still extremely eager to plant roots and live in the same place for the rest of my life. It's choosing where that's the problem. I've fallen in love with and decided to move to several places over the past year and a half, so it's clear I'm not quite sure where it is exactly that I'm supposed to go. So, we're going to let the Lord decide. He's in charge anyway, and since He's been trying to teach me since childhood that I need not to plan, I'm trying my best to let him take charge. Wherever Brian gets a job will be the place we settle down. Or maybe we'll go straight to Binghamton for Grad school and rent there until he's got his masters...who knows? The open slate is kind of fun, albeit difficult for the extreme planner that I am. I like to have something solid to stand on. But then I realize that I do have something solid to stand on. I have a loving Father in Heaven who knows what's best for me, and an extremely supportive husband who deals with my impatience.
Although I was a little overzealous to have my own kitchen again, I was bummed to be renting when we moved into our apartment. I had planned to be a landowner by now remember, so I felt a little let down. As time has gone by however, I feel more and more at home in our little place. It's really become home to me. Brian has an uncanny ability to make any space cozy and homey, so I love coming home to our little apartment. It may not be my permanent home, but it's home sweet home now, and I love it.