Ahhhhh! I am so excited to finally be able to say… WELCOME TO MY BLOG!! I’m jumping into this new adventure, not entirely sure where I will land, but ready for this next journey…. so without further ado… here we go!!
…Constantly moving, reinventing myself, settling into a new home… it’s become routine for my family and I to pick up and start over. And through it all, I find myself with one main goal- to create that cozy feeling that makes me feel warm, safe, secure, at home. If I can create that feeling no matter where we are in the world, then I’m providing some continuity for my family. It’s my way of planting roots for my kids that we can pick up, take with us, and replant in the next place, without having to wait years for them to take hold. I hear all the time, “we’re only going to live here for X amount of time- I’m not going to go through the effort of decorating the house.” If I went with that thought process, my 10 year old child would never know the joy of the Fall decoration bins coming out signifying the start of our favorite time of the year. The excitement of transforming the house from a pumpkin patch to a winter wonderland. The faces of our family from generations ago that line our stairwell walls. Their brave relatives who make up our military gallery showcasing a family legacy of service to our country. The cork board that holds the tickets to places we’ve visited over the course of our lives together. The photo wall that includes a picture from every family photo shoot from the time our oldest was born through now.
These things all make up my story. My Mom has always told me that my house tells a story. When I think of it, it makes so much sense. Moving with the military can be lonely. Hard. Isolating. I could live with white walls, or I can surround myself with things, pictures, pieces that make me who I am. Make my family who we are. Reminds us that even though the walls around us and the view outside our front porch changes, we have a rich history all our own. That is our identity. And that doesn’t change when we move. It adds to our story, and we take pieces from every place we live with us. It becomes part of our story showcased in our home. From the sea glass in the mason jar collected from Newport, RI to the one next to it with broken pottery collected from the Izu Peninsula in Shimoda, Japan. From the palm tree cross from Jacksonville, FL that protects our home from hurricanes to the tanuki statue from Japan that brings us good luck and fortune. From the windmill that sat in my Grandpa’s work shed for decades, to the paper dolls my husband’s Obachan made by hand 40+ years ago.
It has taken me 15 years as a military spouse to put this into words and define my identity. I don’t have a simple recipe or guidebook on how to live the lifestyle we life, but what I do have is a desire to fill my life, my home with things that make me happy. Things that make me feel whole. Things that remind me that even as a Navy Wife, I can have a Cozy Life. And if sharing that with the world can help even one person out there find the comfort, confidence and contentment in their life, I’ll call it a win! So THANK YOU for being here with me. Can’t wait to get to know ya’ll!!
