Making it Feel Like Home

Houston is definitely a good fit for the Echols. We've only been here 2 days, but we've had some fun exploring our new home. There are so many new and exciting things. But there are also many familiar things. Such as, the torrential downpour of rain yesterday. Well, that's Fall in the deep south for ya. Lots and lots of rain. It made running errands yesterday an adventure. We avoided I10 and 610 completely. Which was a good thing. We saw parts of town we would not normally have seen. We made the obligatory Lowe's run and then I had my first HEB experience. That is the coolest grocery store ever. I could have gotten my entire lunch free there by just visiting all the cooking demonstrations. Then finished it off with a delicious dessert wine or coffee. I. am. in. love. Thank you HEB.

It's going to be fun these next few months exploring neighborhoods and boroughs to find our perfect home. We already found a few neighborhoods we'd like to see homes in. If you do not know, we are leasing until we find the right house. Don calls it Base Camp. It's a perfect description.

We moved in on Thursday and found that our master bathroom toilet spewed water out the back everytime you flush. Then found that the guest bathroom toilet did not work at all. Quite a problem. But our landlord was wonderful and she had them both replaced. So we have brand new toilets. I know it's not a big deal, but it's nice to have something new.

Next, we discovered that the tiles on a section of the counter in the kitchen are not glued down nor are they grouted. Interesting. So leasing is turning out to be an adventure. Even though in the big scheme of things we have a nice lease home - these things are such an incentive to find our home to buy. It's going to be fun looking.

The move itself was an adventure, but easier than I thought. The puppies were awesome. Mostly because we gave them doggie downers before we left Shreveport and they slept the entire way to Houston. Saweet! Then, we hired Impack Movers to unload the truck in Houston. The best money we ever spent. Those two guys had everything, and I mean everything, unloaded in one hour. And that includes the refrigerator and washer/dryer. It was amazing to watch.

The only thing I'm disappointed in is that I will not be able to decorate for the upcoming fall and holiday season. We decided to only unpack the bare essentials. Everything else is staying in it's boxes since we'll be moving again in a mere 6 to 8 months. All the boxes (our entire home) is stored in the two guest bedrooms. So even though I really want to make the house homey and Fall-ish (and Christmassy later) - the thought of repacking the house again in 6 to 8 months is enough to keep me in check. But next year will be awesome!

Lastly, the hubs and I are enjoying all this time we get to spend together. In Shreveport, we were committed to a lot of things (Church ministries, friends, social activities). So we were constantly busy. We were together most of the time but just busy. Here we cannot commit to much until find our home - so it's like we get to slow down and date again. It's going to be so much fun.

Keep us in your prayers as my man begins his job search. I'm not worried because God has provided so much for us already. Just pray for wisdom and discernment. We want him to be exactly where God wants him.

We love and miss everyone in Louisiana. But we are so excited to get to know our Houston friends and family better. And I promise pictures are coming soon.