The Road Home.....

I know I'm skipping a post in here

(through West Virginia)

but now that I'm here,

I can't wait to post photos

of the final leg!

Michael is once again

our guest photographer for the day.

We were treated to blue skies and breathtaking views
as we made our way through
Western Maryland.

The long and winding road

brought us closer and closer to civilization

while still charming us with

untouched hills covered with a

thick blanket of green trees.

This surely must be an incredible drive

in autumn with the leaves change!

Michael was marveling at the many shades of green

we could see in the trees as we drove.

I've always said that the light shines differently here

and it was good to hear that someone else noticed it too.

The sun plays with the leaves and changes them from

light to dark and every shade of green in between

all on the same tree.

I'm not sure how to put it into words and not sound

like I'm painting the east coast as a utopia,

but one of the things I noticed was different

when we lived in California and Washington

was this kind of light play.

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about

or am I completely crazy?

Michael and I were

bouncing in our seats when we saw this sign!

Almost there!!

This is the tree lined road through the woods

that leads to our house!

We had just passed the street I grew up on

and there to the right,

deep in the woods (especially in the fall),

we used to be able to see the tree fort

that my brother and I built

when we were kids.

One of these days, I will take the kids to look for it

and see if there are any hints of it still there.

My mom was waiting on the front porch when we arrived.

She had done such an awesome job

getting the house ready for us.

She stocked it with snacks,

paper goods, towels

and cleaning supplies.

She even bought a welcome mat,

decorated a bathroom

and put a bow on the outdoor lamp!

She's amazing!

We have never transitioned into a home

easier than we have here!

Here is the outside view from Bren's swingset.

We are close to getting all of our belongings

put away and organized,

so inside photos will be coming soon!

I'm incredibly pleased with the house.

It is absolutely perfect for us

and we feel so blessed to be here!

Another little touch from my mom!

This little momma robin

has been keeping watch over the front porch

(and her nest of eggs).

We'll soon have a family of hungry baby birds

to peek at from the window.

The robin family is just one of the many

wildlife families we've seen so far.

There is a family of deer

(about 8 of them)

that frequent the ravine behind our house.

Foxes and racoons have been spotted

as well as one special box turtle that

I will blog about soon.

So far no snakes or too may creepy crawlies.

We are absolutely LOVING living in the woods.

Michael has already picked out the perfect rope swing tree

and he and Brendell go exploring every chance they get.

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and filled with awe

when I think about the precious gift that

living back in this area is to me!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers

for us during our road trip!

It was so fun to share it with you!