Patience

Whew, it's been a while blog! I haven't forgotten about you over here, there just hasn't been much to say the past few weeks. Except for now!

No, this isn't our house, in fact it's our soon to be neighbors' house!! In case you didn't know, we are buying our house from Eric's parents. The only dilemma- they have been renting it to the Zumbahlen family for years. 

When we decided to move back home, we set things in motion to buy the house. The Zumbahlens were ready to have their own house, and were put on the construction list. Months and months went by and no progress was being made. Until finally, a few weeks ago, Eric drove by the lot they were building on and saw that there was a HUGE hole in the ground! The construction on their house was finally started. I don't know who was more excited, them or us :)

Luckily for us, they aren't building their house from the ground up. They are getting a basement poured and then a pre-built house set on top. Currently, they're in the waiting phase for the concrete to cure so the house can be brought in. Only a little over a month or so to go (hopefully) until we finally have our own HOME, and the Zumbahlens do too. 

Friendship is Unnecessary...

I know what you're thinking, why is Sharon saying that friendship is unnecessary? What is she thinking? She has friends, right? Yes, I do have friends. Three of the very best friends (along with many others, but this post is mostly about three of them). So why do I say friendship is unnecessary?

It all comes down to this quote by C.S. Lewis:
       "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...it has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival."

Oh how true this quote is. We don't need friends to survive. We need food. Water. Clothing. A place to live. Without friends, we will survive just fine. Will it be as enjoyable? Will it be as fulfilling? I'm going to answer those with a big. fat. NO. 

Because, you see, friendship is what gives our lives meaning. To quote Lewis, friendship "gives value to survival". Friendship gives me a reason to keep going, a reason to believe things will get better, a reason to smile. It gives me a reason to live.

And with friends like mine, who could argue that? 

You see, I've had these three friends, Kaci, Ashley, and Kendra, since high school. Well technically, Kendra and I were also friends in junior high, but I digress. So what makes these friends so great?

They aren't just fair-weather friends. These girls have been there. Through high school drama, cheerleading, chorus, band, musicals, boys, college, engagements, weddings, and even a baby (woohoo baby Emery!). If I need a pick-me-up, a laugh, or to feel loved, I know I can call or text any one of them and my day will instantly be better. They know my deepest darkest secrets, my desires, my short-comings. They know me better than I know myself sometimes. 

Whether it was a camping trip, sleepover, party, phone call, trip to Colorado, egg dyeing, or regular old visit, these girls never fail to make me laugh and remember why life is so good. This past weekend, we even added a picnic to our repertoire of get-togethers. 

I am beyond blessed to be able to call these three ladies some of my very best friends. These are friends I look forward to growing old with. To having play dates with our children. To watching our families and friendships grow and develop into something more than any of us could ever imagine.

So yes, friendship is unnecessary. I don't need it to survive. But I need it to make life worth surviving. And I think these three girls would definitely agree.   

Final Shouse Update

The time has finally come- Dan and Theresa's shouse is done!! It's been done for a few weeks now, but I just made it over there to take some pictures of the finished product. Ok, it's not completely finished- there are a few baseboards that still need to be put on, the blinds are ordered and are on their way, and there will be a concrete pad and sidewalk leading up to the front door, but it's close enough to being done and I haven't put an update up in awhile. 

This may not be the best picture of the house, but it shows the grass that we planted on the hill down to the road a few weekends ago. The rest of the yard is seeded, so we are just waiting on the grass to start popping up there too. 

Here's the first thing you see when you walk in. It's a beautiful picture of a tree near their old house with a wonderful quote on it. Side note-I'm not sure why the walls look lime greenish, I swear they are tan (after all, I helped paint them)!

The living room. Don't mind the Illini blanket, those blinds can't come soon enough. 

And here's the kitchen. The countertop near the stove still needs fixed, as well as a backing put up on the island, but it is looking good!

 The bathroom with an accent wall. 

The pantry, office, and laundry room. Talk about utilizing space efficiently!

Dan and Theresa's bedroom.

  

And finally, the garage. Yes, it is as big as all the rooms in the rest of their house combined. But have you seen how much this room can hold!

It's hard to believe that the shouse is finally built and they are out of their old house. We all worked our butts off to get this thing done. There were tears, laughs, fights, teamwork, smiles. But most of all, there was love. Love for each other, love for the family, love for this house and love for what is to come. Let's not rush into things too quickly, though. I'm ready to relax a few years before construction on their real house begins! 

To Kill a Mocking.....uh, Dove!

This weekend was Labor Day, which means one thing in my family- opening day for dove season! Since we were little, my brother and I have gone dove hunting with dad. He taught us how to properly handle a gun, shoot, and have fun all at the same time. Those are memories I will cherish forever. 

Fast forward ten or fifteen years, a husband who has recently discovered shooting/hunting, and a beautiful sunny Labor day, and you have Eric, James, and I going out on our own dove hunt for the first time in years. Dad was able to hunt on the youth field with a boy his friend knew, while the rest of us were sent to fend for ourselves in the adult field. 

In order to hunt at Sam Parr State Park, your name has to be drawn from a lottery. Being the only girl there, I was given the privilege of drawing names. As soon as I made it to the box, I get that if-we-don't-get-to-hunt-today-it's-your-fault stare. Gee thanks, babe. No pressure to draw our names or anything!

Luckily, I drew our names as numbers 22-24 (only 60 get to hunt), and we were off to the field. We staked out our spot, spread out, and anxiously awaited for our cell phones to tell us it was noon and we could start shooting. Then again, you don't need cell phones to tell time when there are 60 adults with loaded shotguns in hand watching flocks of dove fly overhead. Once that first shot was fired, it sounded like war was breaking out around us. The cracks and booms that echoed throughout the field were the soundtrack to our afternoon. 

At the end of the day, we didn't do that great. Eric shot the most, with James and I tying for second. But in reality, how many birds we got didn't really matter. We were out there together, doing something we all love, enjoying the beautiful day. That day reminded me why I love my husband, my family, and the freedom to own and shoot guns. Here's to a few more successful dove hunts and getting that much closer to deer season!