Home

That has become the most beautiful word in my vocabulary. It sums up so much!

We are home, and there is so much I want to talk about! And today I decided, while I wait for this batch of cookies in the oven to finish, so I can go outside, I'll blog! And hopefully keep it up for a while!

We have been gone for the better part of two whole months! Eight weeks on the road and miraculously we did not kill each other (though there were some touchy moments the last 2 weeks). Truly God was watching over us!

It felt so good to cross that state line and know we were less than a half our from home. I felt like falling out the truck and kissing the ground!

But instead, when we arrived, I just stood in the yard and admired, in awe, the beauty and peace and the flowers that bloomed while we were gone!

I've been telling Malcolm for months now, "I could live here!"

Eight weeks on the road and there is so much to catch up on. Our place is well taken care of. My parents make trips over here nearly every week to check things in the house, pull a few weeds, take a look in on the horses, and absorb some of the peace and tranquility here. And our amazing neighbors keep an eye on things, give our horses lots of love and attention while we're gone, and have even taken it upon themselves to keep our yard mowed. We are truly blessed in so many ways. And it's so nice to know everything it so taken care of.

But still, there are other things that need attention.

We haven't seen family in ages, and little girls are growing up fast. So we will be making up for lost time with them.

My kitchen has missed my presence and activity. I'm working on making it up to the appliances.

My flowerbeds have been attended to by Mom and Grandma, but they missed my admiration. I'll work on giving them extra over the next days.

Our Redbud tree, for which we named the farm, bloomed a few days after we went back to work. We missed it, but Mom sent us a picture. It was magnificent, as expected, and she said it literally buzzed with bees.

It has traded in it pretty lavender blooms for large heart shaped leaves, and it calls to me from the windows of the kitchen, "come sit with me!"

I have promised it that there will be many meals taken under its sheltering branches, and that we will enjoy it's shade on hot afternoons when we take a break for a cold glass of tea. There will be lots of time, and we will be spending a good deal of it with the Redbud.

But first there are things to do, there is a hustle and bustle and pressure felt to get things done. We arrived home Friday afternoon, and by Saturday night, Malcolm had the hayfield cut. First cutting is on the ground and drying.

After a very wet spring that had us pondering how we were going to get hay to dry enough for horse hay, we came home to the blessing of a 10 day forecast of sun, warm temperatures, and low humidity. And the hay is beautiful!!! As we drive around the community we see that everyone is hustling to get their first cuttings in! Pray with us all that the rain holds off long enough to get this baled and put in the barn.

We both have so much we want to do over the weeks to come. We're not sure how long we will be home exactly, but it's for a length of time. It's all up to one lovely lady. It all depends on her, because she's the reason we are here. She's the reason we stuck it out and drug ourselves down the road for 8 weeks with no break, so that we could afford to stay home as long as needed to be here for her big day.

She has 2-3 weeks before she will foal. Hopefully it won't be any longer than that. I can hardly wait!