Nestled here in what has quickly become my favorite spot on the screened front porch, I am finally able to pause, breathe, and take it all in. The boxes have been unloaded and unpacked. All items have been accounted for and put away. Beds are made, the pantry is stocked, and a load of laundry is spinning in the wash. Life here has officially begun.
We arrived a few days before Christmas, and at a time when most people are busy wrapping presents, we were busy unwrapping our carefully packed things. In a way it was like Christmas morning, ripping the tape off boxes and happily discovering well-loved trinkets not seen for some time. Other boxes however left us scratching our heads as to why we (A) ever bought/kept what was inside and (B) took the time and energy to stow and move it. I thought for a moment that my husband might divorce me when he opened a box to find a VHS recorder. How’d that get in there?
While settling in we’ve had the joy of meeting neighbors who stopped by with holiday greetings and to welcome us. It is such a nice gesture and we feel lucky to have such kind people near us. We have also been greeted by other ‘locals’ such as the white-tailed deer who came to check out the jerks who put a house in the middle of what had been their super highway. Also hanging out around the exterior walls of our house are what we’ve been told are stink bugs. We had stink bugs around our previous home as well, but they were scrawny babies compared to these guys! These have the legs of a giant grasshopper and the body armor of a Roman warrior. Weighed down by their own girth they fly low and slow like a drunken albatross looking for a surface to land on….a few times of which has been my head. Cue the high-pitched screams of a wussy girl.
Christmas day here was wonderful. After several days of rain, Christmas morning arrived with glorious sun and warm temps that drove everyone out of their homes and onto the beach. Families took advantage of the beautiful weather and scenery to snap their Christmas day photos. Kids ran and played with new toys. The beachfront Tiki bar served up afternoon refreshments while Christmas tunes played on the sound system. And folks wearing Santa hats whizzed by on beach bikes. The holiday spirit was alive and well in this place where the water meets the sand, and it was truly joyous. In a pinch-me moment, complete with dolphins swimming in the shallows, my husband and I looked at each other and just smiled. We aren’t tourists anymore. This is home.
And now, from my spot on the porch, I look to the new year with wonder and excitement. I feel blessed to be here, flip-flops on my feet and a breeze on my face. Blessed to be hearing the foreign call of a bird high above me that I have yet to see. Blessed to now be the caretaker of an ancient live oak dripping with Spanish moss in our back yard. Blessed to have such good people in our lives. Blessed to be home.
I wish all of you the very best in 2015. May you have sand in your toes and the sun on your face.
