A Homey Home

I made a goal this week to work on making my home a little more homey. I asked a few friends about it, read my scriptures searching for an answer, and pondered a whole lot about the homey homes I've been in lately. I then began making an extra long list in my journal. 

In the middle of the week after a lunch date, Chad and I decided to take a drive around the temple. As we drove, Chad asked me how long it had been since I'd gone on this drive. It surprised me when I realized the last time I drove it was April.

My temple loop drive used to be my safe haven -- my way of staying sane when the world felt like it was erupting into chaos. I'd leave behind school stress, all friend or boy drama, any family worries, and just drive for 15 minutes. I would ponder about my life and pray at times, but mainly I would listen to music and feel that peace I love that comes with driving. 

I'm embarrassed to say that I used to take that drive twice a week...every week. And now it's been months. It was just a casual question, but I kept thinking about it. Why didn't I need that drive anymore? 

It hit me the next day while I was driving. My home with Chad is that peace that I crave. It's the place I go and all that is chaotic seems to be okay. Isn't that exactly what a homey home is supposed to be? A safe haven. 

So instead of finishing my list of what makes a homey home, I began a list about what makes our home homey. Here are a few of my favorites on the list...

• Chad is here. I could probably stop this list there. 
• We have pictures on our walls, yummy-smelling candles, soft blankets, and music playing all the time.
• The day we moved in, Chad dedicated our home. It's really a simple thing, but that prayer to keep our home safe and protected is one that I really love. 
• We already have some great memories here -- from coming home to a piano in the corner on my birthday, to complaining with Chad about the holes in the walls right when I knocked over something and made the largest hole of all and laughing at the irony of it all.
• We pray and read our scriptures here. There really is a power that goes along with that. 
• It's clean and organized. It's definitely not perfect, but that order makes me happy.
• Chad and I have similar goals. We are working toward the same things. When there's unity in my little family, there's definitely a good feeling in the home. 

My life lesson of the week was recognizing what really makes a homey home, and then realizing how homey my home already is. I love our home. I love that we all can have a place that is our kind of homey. 

More Than Worth It

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even when all the little things are going wrong.

After hearing some sad news about an old friend last Friday, my husband and I decided to stick to our plans and go to the temple. After getting all ready, I couldn't find my temple recommend. We spent the next half hour searching, but we ended up empty-handed. Annoyed that Satan was getting his way, I became a little frustrated. My cute husband noticed this, grabbed my hand, and said he had another idea. 

 We took two steps outside when he suddenly stopped having realized he locked the door and the keys were inside. For the next hour and a half we tried every window, called our landlord to find out he was out of town, and then spent 150 dollars to have a locksmith come and open our door. At this point, I was more than a little frustrated.

That Sunday, I ran around church setting up interviews, being interviewed, and then ending up with a new recommend in my hand, so Chad and I could go to our ward temple night that coming Thursday.

On Thursday, my husband's meeting ran late, so I had his dinner in my hands and raced out the door. As I closed the door, the container flipped and out came every last bit of rice, chicken, and vegetables. I stared at it for a second, grabbed him a Clif bar instead, and ditched the whole mess, praying we wouldn't get another mouse. 

As I knew it would be, the temple was everything that I needed and more. I learned exactly what I needed to that night. Words can't really do it justice.

Moral of the Story: Yesterday, I grabbed something from my back seat and found my original temple recommend right where I had looked three times for it the week prior. As I began to roll my eyes, I felt the Spirit bring quiet, perfect clarity to my mind. This life lesson wasn't about keeping better track of my things (though I obviously need to learn that too), it was about being reminded that the temple is always more than worth the sacrifice.

Time? Yes. Money? Yes. Effort? Yes. Going against my natural instinct to clean? Hard decision, but yes. 

When hard things come just as you are about to go the temple, don't let them stand in your way. Fight a little harder than you normally would. Because of the temple, we can learn more about our purpose on earth, discover answers to questions we have, serve our ancestors, and most importantly...have our families for eternity. Every sacrifice we make for the temple is more than worth it.