a junkin' weekend.

 my completely unintentional, i just had zero motivation blogging hiatus   has come to an end! not sure if I have any readers left at this point...   moving on! 
 this weekend was a fabulous weekend for multiple reasons- the weather was BEAUTIFUL, it was spent with friends and family, and it was filled with junk (jubilee, that is).   

junk jubilee is this amazing 3 day event where vendors from all over come and set up shop  so people can peruse through their treasures.  

the crew, ready to take on the crowds and junk

   it was extra special this go around,  because my mom and aunt had their very own booth (and I felt like a proud mother, snapping pictures)!

aren't they the cutest!? my mom is on the left, aunt is on the right.

michael and i seriously considered purchasing this awesome windmill for our backyard, but backed out at the last minute. we weren't ready to make quite the commitment, or haul out that 9 foot piece of metal! 
the day before the jubilee started,  my mom was busy getting everything ready to go. James and I came over to get in her way help her out, so i was able to snap a few more pictures of her items for sale. i legit wanted to purchase every item she had!  

and here's J doing what he does best...

playing outside and loving life!   now hopefully it won't be so long before i post again...

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happy place.

  a few years ago, my mom and a friend let me in on a little secret. a hidden gem in Kansas City, if you will. lucky for you, i'm about to let you in on the not so much anymore secret...   Bottoms Up Antique Market.   as the sign above reads, the market only happens on the first Friday and Saturday of each month. you know what that means? new treasures each and every month. AMAZING.
this past weekend (the first weekend of January, wouldn'tcha know?), my sister needed some help moving, so my mom and I gladly volunteered to come down a few days early to help her pack. we also took it as an opportunity to scope out the market.  I mean, we were already in KC and everything...

  entering the West Bottoms area of KC is like entering another world. it was once a desolate, deserted place, separate from the rest of downtown, but is now quickly filling up with these fabulous  (antique? craft? junk? treasure? restored? vintage?) shops.   the worn down brick buildings and architecture made my heart beat a little faster...

  ...and then we went into all of the shops, with these insanely creative, artistic vendors, and I was in my happy place.
I love a person that can pick up an old, used, beat up, no-one-cares-about-it item and transform it into  something new. something beautiful. something with purpose again.

  I left with an old cow butter dish, thanks to my shopping compadre (for those of you who are unaware...I. love. cows.) and my mom left with a few good items as well.
nice weather? check. great company? check. one-of-a-kind shopping? check.
you'd better believe I'll be back.  

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done deal.

As of 3:30 yesterday afternoon, our first owned home in Kansas now belongs to someone else.

I may or may not have shed a tear.

(whyyy do I get so attached to things?)

...but in my defense, that house holds a lot of really great memories for me.

It was our first big HUGE purchase as a married couple.

That prompted several projects around the house. 

(i.e. tearing down excessive amounts of wallpaper...I mean, we tore wallpaper off of WALLPAPER, people.) 

It was the first home where friends could come hang out on a Friday or Saturday evening, 

eat some food, 

play some bags in the backyard, 

and relax on the deck.

 

It was the first home we brought our new baby boy to.

His bedroom will forever hold a special place in my heart...

a lot of love and hard work went into making that room just right for his arrival, so thank you to the grandparents who so generously gave of their time, energy, and resources.

I could ramble on and on about the memories made there, but I'll spare you 

(aside from the fact that I've already posted at least once, maybe even twice about this house). 

All that to say, trying to sell said house has been a long road.

An extremely long, dark, winding, terrifying road.

Poor Michael had to deal with an emotional mess probably more than he'd like. 

Money was tight.

Stress was high. 

I would lay awake countless hours at night, trying to talk myself into getting a job, when really all I wanted (and felt led to do) was stay home and raise our sweet boy.

Michael felt that way too.

I owe so many thanks to my friends and family who kept reassuring me that I was (and am) exactly where I needed to be.

You don't realize just how important your words were, 

and are, 

to me. 

The good Lord taught Michael and I so much.

SO so much.

He taught us patience,

perseverance,

how to trust,

how to communicate and lean on Him,

and most importantly,

that He always has a plan.

It may not go how we want it to go,

but in the end,

it's perfect.

Our house was supposed to close on December 6th, until we received a call from our realtor on December 3rd telling us the closing got bumped to December 4th.

Michael's birthday.

God has a sense of humor like that...

and what a great birthday present it was! 

Now I will look on to what lies ahead for us in our new town,

with our new house.

New memories will be made here 

and when the time comes to sell this house?

I'll most likely be an emotional mess all over again.      

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two posts in one day...woah.

I don't normally post twice in a day, but I had to share this video.

The husband's football team had QUITE a surprise last Friday night.

Thanks to some dear friends who got this college crew to come out to our game...it has the whole town talking, now.

Enjoy! [click on the link below]

Mystery group brings spirit to random high school teams | Local News - KCCI Home

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