Good afternoon readers. The frost in the air makes the day feel calm and perfectly suited for writing. It has been freezing lately the sky covered in a blanket of clouds with that hint of possible snow. The weather app insists it is coming but where I live you can never fully trust it. Still the chill has made my morning coffee taste even better this week. Richer. Cozier. Like a tiny reward for surviving the early hours.
Somehow Thanksgiving is next week and I can’t wrap my head around it. I swear November began ten seconds ago. But the quick slide toward the holidays also means the house is getting closer to being finished and that has become the anchor of my days. Each week brings us a little closer to the life waiting on the other side of closing day.
Seeing the house last weekend felt like a real step forward. The floor was finally in. Doors and windows were installed. The outside looked almost complete and the whole structure started to take on its true personality. Every Sunday we meet with our realtor and each time I walk through those half finished spaces, I feel this spark in my chest. A little more excitement. A little more belief that this dream home is slowly turning into a real one. I cannot wait to see what has changed when we go again this weekend.
My husband has been checking on the house every Friday too always wanting to make sure everything is moving along smoothly. He chats with the construction workers, checks little details and today he surprised them with pizza which felt so perfectly like him. I swear his thoughtfulness could warm the whole house before the heater ever turns on.
Meanwhile packing has become its own chaotic little project. I have piles of items to donate, a small mountain of things I’m letting go of and the creeping realization that I need more boxes. Many more boxes. My current soundtrack to keep me motivated is Christmas music. It has been on repeat all week while I clean and pack. There is something about those jingling chords and soft voices that makes my heart feel warm, like the season is wrapping itself around me even if the house still looks like a maze of boxes that keeps shifting as I pack.
Through all of this my fur babies wander around completely unaware of what is coming. They have no idea that soon they’ll be running freely in their very own backyard, sniffing every corner, claiming every patch of grass. I keep imagining their faces when they first step out while their tails wag like crazy.
A big shift is coming for me too. Once we move I’m going to have to quit my job because the drive will be too far. Oddly enough I feel peaceful about it. I love being a stay at home wife and fur mommy. I love the rhythm of the days, the cozy tasks and the slower pace. I think I need a real break before figuring out what I want to do next. Maybe I’ll work again someday but not right away. For now rest feels like the right choice.
And tonight my husband planned a little sushi date for us. At this point I think we’re considered regulars because most of the servers know us. They greet us with big smiles and always take such good care of us. It makes our dinners feel familiar, warm, like another little ritual we’ve woven into the story we’re building together.
So here we are:
One cold afternoon that made my morning coffee sweeter.
One home growing closer to finished with every Sunday visit.
One Christmas playlist turning chores into something magical.
One backyard waiting for two tiny paws to explore.
One sushi date with the kindest man I know.
And me feeling grateful, hopeful and wrapped in the quiet joy of a life gently unfolding.
