ICW, Where I'd Rather Be...

Right now I would rather be living in my new house with my boyfriend. We already have plans to move into a nice, large farm house in Pleasant Hope in July. At the moment, our schedule involves me in school half the day, him at work all day until 5 oclock. After he gets off work he rushes home, takes a shower, feeds his cats, and then drives out to my house in Walnut Grove. Therefore he doesn't get to sit down until about 7 pm. Lots of driving, packing clothes, packing toys and entertainment, (when I do have the chance to take my kids to his house instead), and lots of time wasted, period. We have good reasons for waiting to move in however. First of all, the house needs a little work, so we will be doing alot of painting! The only plans on that so far is an enchanted forest bedroom theme for my girls. I can't wait to give them something brand new and all their own that's just what they've always wanted. There's also a screened in porch that needs a little repair also. Some of the screens are torn, probably from the wild chickens running around the place, as the last tenant didn't much take care of it. I plan to make this area our escape. I can already see a nice wicker table and chairs facing the east to watch the sunrise. A splash of some crisp white paint won't hurt either. Plants probably, too on stands around the corners, or hanging from the ceiling. Besides all of that, it has a huge fenced in yard that I want to make ready for my kids and the dog to run and play in safely, so I don't have to worry about anybody finding an escape route. The master bedroom owns a beautiful set of French doors that open onto a deck, which of course, also needs a little TLC. It will be a perfect spot for family gatherings and barbecues. Adding a bench or two around the sides for seating will be perfect. So, yes, the place I would rather be right now is living in my remodeled home with my amazingly perfect boyfriend and the best kids in the world. It would make things much easier for him traveling and a much safer, playful environment for my children as well.

"Everything I can see"
In the living room there's a black leather couch and loveseat. Sonny's very large entertainment center matches them nicely, as it's filled with electronics. There are various hangings on the wall from the orient, little quotes and offerings of wisdom for peace and serenity throughout the room. A small fountain quietly churns it's water over and over sitting on the glass and onyx coffee table. In my children's bedroom, as I walk in I am greeted by a large mystical tree hanging over my head across the ceiling, with tiny fairies poking their heads out of the branches, and sitting on toadstools around the base of the room on the walls. A sneaky unicorn lays quietly in the meadow in the background, slightly covered by tall, flowering grasses. The bluish purple sky on one side, slowly blends into nighttime on the other, with twinklying stars and a black pond reflects their beauty. A fat bullfrog sits atop a lily pad, wearing his crown proudly, and watches the fireflies overhead, waiting for one to get too close. This is my favorite room of all in the house.

"Everything I can hear"
Outside in the distance I hear my dog yapping playfully, trying to get the cat to join her, and the kids squealing with laughter. He's too old to play now, 12 to a cat is just about his death bed years. Nonetheless, she keeps trying and he begins to hiss and growl in vain. In the bedroom I hear Sonny playing his Xbox, thankfully a game that I don't mind the music to. It's lulling and peaceful. A game about a brave soul fighting monsters 1000 times his size, just to bring his love of all times back to life, too bad he doesn't know he will die when she is revived. The fountain in my living room rythmically runs through it's water, sounding much like the brook down in the woods out back. Ocassionally a car passes, but we're out in the country, so it's much better than it was in town a few months ago. As I wash dishes listening to all of this, they clank and clatter as I try to stack them just right.

"Textures"
My dishes are smooth and slippery as I stack them, making it hard to keep them from sliding. Under my barefeet, the fuzzy rug keeps them just warm enough and protected from the cold tile floors. They have a bit of a roughness to them, and I don't like walking on them without shoes. Finishing up, I go to the bedroom where the hardwood floors are the real kind. Not the smooth laminated fake ones, but just sanded enough to tell they used to be a real tree. In the living room is where my feet are in heaven. The carpet is the softest I have ever felt.

"Smell"
Blowing in through the open window, I can smell the honeysuckle bushes out front that border my yard and the fresh cut grass from this morning. A crisp clean aroma lingers throughout the house from my cleaning frenzy, slightly like chemicals, but mostly just that clean fresh scent. In the girls room I smell strawberries wafting out of their beds as I make them. The shampoo I use in their baths had pasted itself to the pillows from their wet hair at night. From the living room as I walk down the hallway, the faint remaing scent of what I imagaine an Indian temple would smell like lingers from the insense burned an hour before. It's exotic aroma relaxes me immediately.

"Taste"
Occasionally as I walk through the kitchen I get the smallest hint of garlic on my tongue. I cook alot of pasta and garlic bread, as I had last evening, and it still remains. Stepping outside to watch my children run and play, the honeysuckle bushes replace that pungent garlic with the sweetness of honey. Almost as if I had just eaten a spoonful straight from the jar. This is my favorite.

"Audience"
As I pull into the driveway I detest the thought of having to get out to open the gate every day. But as soon as I do, it's like opening the gateway to the most beautiful place in my world. I pull through and get out again to shut it behind me. Parking closer to the house, I unstrap the kids from their carseats and they immediately run around looking for the first thing they can get into that they probably shouldn't be. My front porch welcomes me with it's tasteful picture window and inviting front entrance. I love this part, opening the door into my living room it reminds me to wind down and relax for a moment from the day. My soft black couches seem to say, come, sit, breathe. As I do so, I reach to the side and light an insense cone. Closing my eyes I enjoy the peacefulness that is so different from the rest of my day. Looking around I remind myself of things that are sometimes forgotten when the rush of life takes over. I read the quotes stitched on the throw pillow under my elbow,"It's never too late to be what you might have been". It reminds me why I have such a hectic life right now, and also why it's going to be worth it. Thinking about school and all it requires, I imagine what life will be when I'm done. As it is right now, I feel like the luckiest woman alive to have such amazing children and a wonderful loving man in my life to support and encourage what I am doing by going through school. It's rough on us all, but we know that the payoff in the end will be worth it. Not only for financial reasons,but for happiness. By having a career I know I will love, it will only add to the beauty in my life already. Getting up I walk into the kitchen to grab a soda from the fridge and hear the laughter of my girls outside, running from the dog as she playfully yaps at them. The cat jumps up on the railing of the deck out back and as I look at it, I can see in my memories the barbecues we'd had before and all my favorite people standing around laughing and talking. My dad in the corner seriously having a discussion with a friend about politics as always, Sonny standing over the grill delicately flipping a steak over, letting it soak up the flavor of the briquets. Seeing myself and my sister in law, giggling about the kids and their antics as they run from tree to tree, counting to ten with one child's eyes covered, is like having an out of body experience. Wake up, I tell myself, stop daydreaming and start thinking about supper. So I search through the freezer and find an array of items. Steaks, chicken, pork chops, and mixed vegetables just don't seem to be right for the beautiful light and airy day that it is. Hot heavy food won't do today, I need something less weighty. Chinese Chicken Salad, that's it. A mix of shredded cabbage greens, chicken, sunflower seeds, bacon bits, crunched up Ramen Noodles and a little red wine vinegar with some chicken bouillion will do. I hear a honking outside, which is the cue as Sonny pulls in for Katy, my oldest, to open the gate for him. I walk to the front window and watch as he pulls in and she securely shuts the gate behind him. Stepping outside, the flavor of sweet honey infiltrates my mouth. I am greeted by a large grin from a very dirty, greasy man. Another hard day at work, he never seems to lose that smile and every time I see it, my worries disappear. Giving the biggest hug I can muster, the previous hours vanish into another time warp, and my day starts over again.