Hello readers! I’m sitting on our back patio with a cup of tea, watching Milo play on this beautiful 63-degree January day. If southern California does one thing right, it’s winter. The worst of it is already behind us! Kyle left this morning for the most recent training exercise preceding the deployment. He’ll be gone for the better part of the next month.
I had every intention of saving my chalk paint projects for until after he left. So much for that! I powered through not only refinishing the sofa table from my parents, but also slapping some paint onto the nightstand I scored for $15 online. Sorry some of the photos are a little dark – clearly more lighting should be our next investment! Maybe I’ll repaint the hutch we used to keep our tv in and repurpose it as some kind of storage cabinet in the living room.
Things have been pretty quiet here at the Douet’s lately. Lots of training for the deployment and lots of denial that it’s going to happen. I have started talking to a friend about making a cross-country road trip back home together, which has helped give me something to look forward to. I’ve been trying to line up some kind of work for while I’m home this summer, too. The family I nannied for before we got married has been kind enough to welcome me back for a few weeks while their new nannies take vacation time. I can’t wait to see how the boys have grown and matured. I was also hoping to complete some schooling while home, but now it’s looking as though that may need to wait. It just makes more sense for us to save up right now rather than shell out thousands on classes. So instead I’ll keep busy with work and try to keep thoughts about where Kyle is, babies, and other stresses at bay.
We’re still hoping that God will bless us with a baby someday soon. It’s hard to wait and trust in his plan. Some days it feels like everywhere I look, there’s a new baby, a pregnant mama, or an ultrasound picture posted on social media. I’m happy for all these people – I truly am. Sometimes it just reminds me of the little one we lost. I would be getting pretty close to my due date soon. We would have a nursery instead of a guest room. I know there’s a bigger picture. I know God has a reason for not giving us a child of our own at this point in time. It’s just hard to see so many others welcoming new additions when our arms are empty. We will continue to wait. We will remain hopeful.
To take my mind off things lately, I’ve started watching Fixer Upper on HGTV. Oh boy. I’ve even looked at houses for sale in Louisiana near Kyle’s family. Obviously we’re not seriously considering buying a home in the near future. It’s just fun to look and see what’s out there. I like to imagine what we would do to renovate the house and make it a home. It’s as if Joanna Gaines is sitting on my shoulder, whispering in my ear. Kyle’s lucky I’m stuck here in Cali. Tell me this house isn’t just begging to be renovated?! Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, huge porch, and hardwood floors. I’m in love. It’s only forty-five minutes from his hometown, too. Oh, if only we had an extra $80,000 laying around…
Someday we’ll get to turn an old house into the home we’ve always dreamed of. Someday. Until then, military housing will have to do.
We have a couple things to look forward to in the next several months. A friend from home is coming to visit, my parents are coming to visit, and we’re going to Louisiana to visit. Until then, I’ll be blogging, watching HGTV, and driving Milo insane with a gross amount of hugs and snuggles.
Ta-ta for now, lovelies!
Amanda Douet 