It might be the odd assortment of hairbrushes, notebooks, and playing cards on my bathroom counter. Or it might be the ever-growing collection of Amazon boxes we haven’t quite managed to get to the recycle bin/dumpster (but thank you, Danny, for getting quite a few of them there this afternoon!). I’m really not sure which bit of the clutter is driving me most crazy right now, but I am so ready for it to all disappear.

You see, it’s like this: I’ve been working lately. A lot. So has Danny. We’ve gone stretches of an entire week at a time when we both work till midnight or later, editing photos, tweaking our website. We know a successful business takes a lot of work and dedication. We also know that some nights we just need to turn off the computers . . . and turn on the TV. Neither type of night leaves much spare time for folding laundry.

Before we were married, Danny had a once-a-week cleaning service. In addition to vacuuming and dusting, they did all sorts of other great things — like scratch the kitchen counters, gouge the walls, and break a soap dish (which they then tucked under some tissues in the waste basket instead of fessing up). They were long gone by the time our wedding rolled around and I moved in, and I insisted I would take care of my new home. It was my home, and hence, I would take care of it like a good, brand spankin’ new housewife.
Something unexpected happened, though: Life. Life is, in a word, “busy.” If it isn’t work, it’s church; if it isn’t church, it’s my foundering horse; if it isn’t my foundering horse, it’s traveling to visit family. Yesterday, we drove back from visiting family for Thanksgiving, and we arrived to a house that was less than pristine. Mail on the table, boots on the floor. But it’s home. Whether or not we start hunting for a new cleaning service.

There’s just something about home that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe it’s because this is where Danny and I began our life together, Mr. and Mrs. for the first time. I love it in spite of the overflowing laundry hamper. Or maybe, just slightly, because of that overflowing hamper. My home doesn’t look perfect (although, give me two days, a mop and some Christmas decorations and check back again!). But I have a growing business, a ministering church, a well-cared-for horse, a much-loved family, and a happy husband. So, all things considered, my home is right where I want to be.

~ Laura