When John David and I dated the first go-around (he'll tell you we didn't date, but I like to say that we did), he would not let me come in the house. We first started hanging out when he lived in an apartment and continued to when he and Russell bought the house, but somehow he never let me inside. One time in particular, I came to pick him up for an event (I think it was a company picnic) and he met me in the driveway. I only know from pictures and just his stories what it looked like back then.
Foyer - Before
Foyer - After
The additions in the foyer include new floors, which are throughout the house, paint, and closet doors, along with some new furniture.
According to John David and Russ, there were parkay floors throughout the entire house when they first got it. When they went to scrape them up, there was tar underneath. It got everywhere. Russ still claims he has clothes with tar on it. I can only imagine the mess. The new floors have some remnants of tar that only WD-40 will get up.
John David worked this past weekend and put up new trim around the front door, and new quarter round around the baseboards. It looks so much better. Now, just to put a good coat of paint on it...
Now, moving on to the living room/ dining room area.
Before
After
There are so many changes to this area, I'll never name them all. As you can see, it's a major difference. You can see the tar really well in the before picture. I love the windows along the back. The hydrangeas are planted on the other side, so when they get bigger and bloom, they'll look great through the windows.
We absolutely love our new couches that John David's parents and grandparents gave us for our wedding. They fit perfectly in the space. We found the leather chair at Marshall's for a steal of a deal.
On a different note, I've been so thankful lately. Not that I'm mostly un-thankful, just more thankful the past couple of days. On Sunday, John David and I made it to church on time (which is something to be thankful for as-is), and had time to sit and relax before it started. As soon as the music started I was distracted by a young girl being wheeled in by her dad. She was special needs, but that didn't stop her from worshiping. She was clapping and singing all the words to the song. I couldn't help but cry. There she was singing and worshiping her heart out...and me who, a lot of times, takes a while to get in a worshipful spirit. I was incredibly moved and inspired. From time to time I would look over at her and she was giving it her all. She was such a blessing to me...I just wish I knew her name.
Then, yesterday, I came home for lunch and Puddin was underneath her barrel and my hydrangeas were wilted. I quickly watered them and Bon-ball before having to run back to work. On my way out I thought, it sure would be nice to get some rain today. Poor Puddin's in her kennel burning up and my flowers are hurting. So...last night around 9:30, we started hearing thunder. It started raining soon thereafter. I was so incredibly thankful for the rain. We needed it so badly. We went to bed, and I couldn't stop thanking God as we listened to the rain come down.
It's all about the little things. God shows us his love in them too. I so desire to live a life of thankfulness and take nothing for granted...whether it's the ability to walk and worship, or just a rain shower.
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