a new house and boston

A couple of weeks ago, we closed on our first home. It was incredibly exciting, making us feel responsible and immature and grown up and so very young all at the same time. Our lawyer was really helpful and informative to us first timers. And, as we made our way through that hilariously thick stack of papers to sign, we talked to him about his life - how long he had been doing closing, how he had an uncle who was an author and lived in Louisiana for a time, and how he was originally from the Boston area (the accent gave him away).

Of course when he mentioned Boston, we asked if he had any connection to the recent bombings. His two female cousins, who he said are more like sisters, were both near the sight of the explosions - one near the finish line who ran the other direction to safety and one who was working in the building that housed the second bomb. She is physically ok, but had to escape the chaos by climbing over what could only be described as casualties. At the time of our signing, she had not been back to work and had been seeking therapy. When we asked about Boston, you saw his demeanor change. You saw the heaviness of the experience rush over his face.

Though it was in the middle of an exciting time, it was actually a perfectly timed eye-opener. I don't think that I have had something like this that is so all-consuming. I can get so caught up in my lists of projects and purchases for the new house. I wake up thinking about what color I might want to paint the shelves in the loft, spend an embarrassing amount of time thinking about it, and change my mind a few days later.

I needed to be reminded that there are so many other more important things going on in our lives and in the lives of those that we love. There are loved ones preparing for babies or adjusting to life with new little ones. They are preparing to move far away or raising money for ministry or dealing with illnesses. They are celebrating big milestones or mourning losses.

This week is moving week. Slowly but surely, we are filling our cars with couch pillows and lamps and small appliances until our families come this weekend to help us with the big furniture. While I'm packing boxes, I'm remembering our lawyer's cousins and the lives of our friends and family and doing my best to live outside of my own little world and my crazy lists. The ones I love to write on graph paper.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:1-8 

remembering mamaw mc

Mamaw's funeral was a week ago tomorrow. It was a warm and windy Tuesday - very appropriate for my tiny Floridian grandmother. At 83, she lived a long and purposeful life as a devoted daughter, mother, grandmother, friend, and wife. When her role as a wife ended three years ago, she sorely missed her other half every day. I can only imagine the reunion.

Last week was a reminder that our days with the Greatest Generation are numbered. That it takes intentionality to learn from the members whose formative years look so very different from our own. I've obviously thought a lot about Mamaw this passed week. Not just the sweet memories I have of her (though I was created with an extra dose of emotionally-charged nostalgia), but how I could honor her memory by simply being more like her.

I think about her when I choose to put the lighter back in its place after lighting a candle instead of leaving it on the nearest surface. Or when I rinse and reuse a butter container or when I follow a recipe to the T. I know I'll always remember her when I see blueberries or tea cakes - the two things she'd fill those reused, half-gallon butter tubs with for our trips back to college. Or when I see blue hydrangeas like the ones she grew on an astonishingly large bush in her backyard.

Our week in Louisiana was bittersweet, of course. Plenty of tears over our loss as well as laughter when recalling all of Mamaw's lovable quirks. When we were all about to make our way back to Alabama and South Carolina, my sweet parents thanked us for being there, reminding us that we did it again - we bonded together and took care of business. The McMahone way.

I know Mamaw Mc would be proud.

house update

I've had some [very thoughtful] questions about the house progress and thought I'd break the blog silence for a quick update! These builders - they move fast, y'all. Granted, it is a very pre-packaged operation. We have found it to be an exciting process that is a great fit for a starter home. Though I'm going to really miss our little 1920s house and all its character, I have big plans for giving our new builder-grade home our own personal touches. And by plans I mean amateur sketches of each room on graph paper [I am my father's daughter] with a list of room colors and purchases below. Welcome to my crazy side.

Here are a few pictures of some of the details I'm most excited about:

If the HOA allows it, this door won't be white for long!

I can't walk past this without thinking about what fabric I'm going to cover the cushion for this with. Crazy nesting brain.

Our fireplace that will [hopefully] soon be surrounded by pretty stones.

First glimpse of the pretty floors complete with dusty workmen footprints. Thankful for those workmen!

Kitchen cabinets and counters are done and waiting to be lined. Dreading, dreading, dreading.

Upgraded the stove so we could be cooking with gas. Mamaw will be so proud.

Waiting for touch ups, obviously.

A pretty arch between our bedroom and sitting room [which, hilariously enough, we have no furniture for].

A tub big enough for my long legs. Complete with a large picture window that will need blinds STAT.

That's us!

That's us, too!

Sprinklers and sod and landscaping happened this week. Always changing!

There she is! Guest room will be done ASAP for all of you long-distance loved ones. Start planning!

on 2x4s and community and anticipation

These days one of us makes a daily builder-hovering trip to the house site. Some days it ends with pure excitement, some days with an email to the builder explaining that that cable jack is in the absolutely wrong place. But when I walk our dust-covered floors, turning in circles trying to figure out what furniture will go where and what we'll need to fill in the holes, I don't picture the house photo-ready, but [hopefully] filled with people to share life with.

After almost a year of several unknowns, it's as if we've come to the top of the hill and can begin to see what is ahead. Or at least anticipate it - we've definitely learned that you never know what the Lord has planned. This season has been a beautifully trying one that has strengthened our marriage and taught us a lot about our little plans compared to God's big picture and how He's intricately aware of both. After these months, I'm happy to see its end only because it is replaced with the start of a new community in Lexington, South Carolina. And since we know this new house and community is a blessing of a gift from the Lord, we found it fitting to record those sentiments on our [pre-Sheetrock] walls.

[Got ahead of myself and left out a couple words of this important verse. Full text here.]

[This one appropriately went above the dishwasher.]

I guess you could say that I have high hopes for this first home of ours. That it would be a place where friends will feel comfortable, where stories will be told, where those soul-binding similarities are discovered. I hope it can be a spot for dinner parties and Sunday school get-togethers and DNow weekends and baby showers. I want it to be a place where parents and siblings and [one day] cousins and out-of-town friends will fill all the available sleep spots. Where friends know they can pour themselves a glass of tea without asking. Where people can be recharged over coffee and dessert. Where successes can be celebrated and burdens be carried.

We are thankful for new beginnings [even if we didn't choose them] and for the buds of friendships that we hope and anticipate to bloom into more vibrant ones. Until they discover how weird we are. Mostly kidding.

And I hope that some of that blossoming happens around our supper table.

my new favorite apps [part two]

With that unavoidable Spring rush coming, highlighted by having [finally and thankfully] joined a church, an exciting new opportunity with Fern Studio, several weekend trips for various weddings and showers and birthdays, and this little project of building a house, this pen and paper loyalist has finally gone digital. I didn't even purchase a 2013 planner, I'm ashamed to say.

A while back, I shared my overall favorite apps. Part two consists of those that just seem to make life a little easier.

Wunderlist: What I finally settled on after many other options including the iPhone's Notes and Reminders. I love a good check box!

Pocket: A place to store all those must-read-when-there's-time articles. Sounds like one of those things that you could just use Pinterest for, but it's not. Just trust me. And the tags are super helpful.

Mailbox: Obviously, I don't know if this actually will be helpful or not, but I've heard good things. Originally I predicted that'd I'd get through the line by 2017 seeing how I was number 149,798 a week ago. But it's picked up a little since then. Maybe this week is my week.

WedHappy: This is for you, brides-to-be, MOHs, and MOBs. I downloaded this after beginning to help my dear friend Mandy coordinate her wedding. The only down side is is that you have a limited number of custom tasks you can add before having to upgrade. If I was the bride and having to do all that her and her MOB are doing, you bet I'd be upgrading. It's simple and smart and I love how you can connect the vendors to your contacts. The easier to nag you with, my dear.

Simple Joys: Last but [obviously] not least is a new favorite devo app with daily excerpts from Piper books. I'm probably the last person to know about this, but, just in case, there you go. It is really great.

There you have it. But remember: