Emerging from my hole...

As wonderful as having a home is, and as blessed as we are to be able to create and personalize our home, doing "housework" has consumed our life for the last two months. This weekend, we saw the first glimmer of hope in getting to a place where we feel settled and officially moved in. As I've begun to emerge from the hole that has been working on my house, I've realized what a fun time of year this is... I love the Fall; the weather changing puts a pep in my step (well, minus the over 100 temps today and tomorrow), football season is under way, and the holiday season is quickly approaching. With all of this excitement lingering, it's motivated me to "re-evaluate" and give myself some new goals as I finish 2011. Kind of like "spring cleaning" comes with the change of seasons, this will be my "fall cleaning."

As busy as this time of year tends to get, I really want to be better about being intentional with my time. With all the changes this summer, Nate and I have completely gotten out of a routine. For some of you, that's normal life, but for a Type A person like me, I crave routine. Getting on a normal, go to bed and wake up around a certain time, schedule is first on the to-do list. However, as my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. and I sluggishly pushed "snooze," I realized getting into a routine is the hardest part.

Another item on my list... cooking more. I love to cook, and I've been out of the habit, mostly because we didn't have a working kitchen for about six weeks, but now that we do, it's time to start. Fall foods and spices are amazing to cook with - pumpkin, butternut squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves - and now we can finally make hot things like chili and soup! So expect to see many more recipe ideas visit this blog and invites to dinner at the Kotschi house.

Lastly, I want to serve others more. Recently, I feel like we've had some great stuff going on, but all of my focus and attention has been on me and us - buying a house, fixing up a house, my new job, etc. I'm not talking about anything major, I'm just thinking of little ways to remind my friends and loved ones that I care... cards, phone calls, inviting people into our home. I want pouring into others and making time to love them well to become part of my new "routine."

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson