December Beginnings.

This year, I spent Christmas in my first home. My Ohio home. We sang around the piano while Momma played, then slept with full bellies. The next morning I shoved some boots on my feet and slipped out the front door with Chase tagging along. My teeth stayed clenched together, my arms were locked into my chest, and a red checkered jacket the size of Alaska held in the heat.

I looked around, taking it all in as fast as I could. My first stop HAD TO be the barn. 

There, a whole nother story seemed to unravel.

Tractors and a combine lay in the main part of the barn, for everyone to see when they walk in. In the back, a bundle of black, snouted, creatures were huddled together in the corner. They didn't move from their tight position until we'd been in there at least five minutes or so. The smell of musty hay and chickens flooded the place after they became a bit more rooty tooty.

I had a hard time getting pictures of the chickens quick enough, but the two above were the best I had.

We partied in the fields surrounding the house and chased birds until our feet couldn't run any longer. When our fingers got numb and our ears started ringing, we decided it was time to call it quits.

We came back up towards the house and I grabbed some Ol' Roy's from the garage. I carried the bag outside and found Chase losing half the bucket of water he poured from the spicket to the garage door. We fixed dinner up for Sadie, and walked back to the porch and shook our boots off outside the door.

We cleaned up and I spent the rest of my time watching. Watching and remembering. Remembering why I love this place so derrrrn much. Remembering why it was so hard for me to leave. Why it still is.

The place where the boys run around shirtless, squirting whipped cream into  each other's mouths. Where they make "floor angels" in the kitchen, and pretend to be time travelers. Where the girls will cover their faces with coffee grounds and olive oil just because Pinterest told them to.

Basically, this place is pretty special to me. Case and point.