Happy New Year!

It has been so long since I've posted.  Life has been busy but now that I have a cold, I have time to sit still and write.

Christmas flew by.  We traveled to Louisiana on Dec. 17th and drove all day, stopping to eat lunch in South Missouri at a Mexican restaurant.   We spent time in Ruston, then Benton, then Alexandria and a little time in Baton Rouge.  We were able to see family and friends that we've missed so much.  It's only been 4 months since we moved but it feels like longer.

I was nervous about going back to Louisiana for Christmas because I didn't want to become too homesick.  There were a couple of days when we were there that I kept thinking "when can we move back down here?" But I kept remembering why we are in Indy, and I keep coming back to the peace I have about living here.  There are so many reasons why we are here, and it has been fruitful.  Yes, it's uncomfortable, living 14 hours away from the state that your family lives in and that you grew up in.  But when I remind myself that the purpose of life is not to try to be as comfortable as possible, I feel better.  I want to try to grow and learn and stretch myself and somehow make a difference in the midst of doing so.

Being home was therapeutic. I felt like I was on a tropical island for half of the time, on the days where it was warm and breezy and humid.  There were tornado warnings on Christmas day, and I found myself in the closet with my mom and my cousin while my dad stood outside in a yellow poncho smoking a cigar and observing the swirling clouds above him.  Luckily, we were fine.  Luckily, Dad didn't blow away, although Mom's nice patio furniture did fly across the backyard right before my very eyes.  It was nice to have community coffee and to not be insecure about my "accent", but most of all it was nice to be around loved ones!

On the way back from Louisiana, as our plane was landing in Indy, Kevin and I saw some strange white stuff on the ground, covering everything.  Of course it was snow.  Everything is covered in 3-5 inches of snow right now.  I don't know how to deal with it.  Guests at the hostel have caught me staring out the window with my mouth hanging open, just looking at it. It's so strange to us.  I keep having to ask questions, like "do I walk on the snow or the ice?" or "what happens if my car becomes completely covered in snow? What do I do?" or "What happens when the snow melts? Is there a flood?"  I'm not ashamed of my ignorance- I have to ask questions or I will never know, right?

Our firefighter friend Tony picked us up from the airport and didn't laugh at any of my questions about the snow.  When we walked into the hostel, we were greeted by guests and I was filled with happiness to be returning to a place full of people who are always open to talking and sharing their stories, and often their food.  With that being said, I was given toast with honey and butter and listened to the update of hostel life, while meeting a new guest from Spain who recently moved here to teach Spanish. 

Something new and exciting that has happened: Kevin and I no longer live in our "basement bunk."  We moved into the house next door! This house is an extension of the hostel (I'm not sure if I've mentioned that).  It is where the hostel owners lived before moving to a Bed and Breakfast that they recently purchased in town.

So we have upgraded from a room the size of a closet to having a kitchen, a dining area, a living room, a bathroom, an office/hobby room, and a bedroom.  This is a huge blessing!  I am so happy to be above ground.  The basement of this house acts as the  hostel- there are 3 private rooms and a bathroom underneath us that guests use.  It is quieter than living underneath the kitchen next door.  It is also warmer.

So we have been busy moving in our stuff. Which didn't take long because all we had was enough stuff to fill a bedroom.  We found a free couch and hopefully will be receiving a free kitchen table and tv.  I was able to pack some things from home as well to bring back- like my pots and pans.

I start culinary school in about a week.  It is still dark at 7 a.m. here, so I will be starting classes before sunrise (7:30 am).  It's going to be hard to get up and get into my car in the freezing cold and also in the dark.  But I'm excited to start!

We have been blessed with a couple who are moving into our old room next door.  They are going to take over on our days off (Monday and Tuesday) as well as some nights.  Kevin and I get along with them very well and we are excited to get to know them.  They both enjoy people and are content with living in our former room.  I am going to be sure to have them over to our house as much as possible though, because I greatly empathize with life in the basement.

Today I cooked our first meal in our new kitchen- chicken and dumplings. My mom told me that there is something in chicken broth that will help with my cold. I hope she's right!

This is our living room. We are not finished furnishing/decorating it yet, but this is a start!

Kitchen where all the cooking magic happens

I will try to post more pictures of the other rooms once they are picked up.  As always thanks for following and supporting us!