Home, Where My Love Lies Waiting...

...to take a picture of my reaction to the changes he made to our house while I was gone!

 Notice anything different?  We have lived in this house for almost ten years and never had a hood or a backsplash in our kitchen.  I knew we would someday, I guess, and I have always been so thrilled to just live here in this nice home, it never seemed like something that we urgently needed.  It's funny how bare it looked, and how much we didn't notice, looking back.  Part of the delay was money, of course, and part of it was indecision.  There are a million tile choices!  The very best part of having this done, other than the fact that I absolutely love it, is that I didn't have to choose it.  That's not something you would expect to hear from a control person like myself, but it's a relief to have it in and looking so sharp.  Scott was lucky to find craftsmen who somehow were able to fit it into their schedules to have all this done by the time we returned.  There was a lot of serendipity involved.

Scott went all out accessorizing the kitchen, even buying new plates and glasses and setting the table with a centerpiece of roses.  Coco was helping him until he got so manic, even she couldn't keep up with him.  Oh, but he didn't stop there!  He totally redid Golda's room, which was a happy surprise for her when she got home, all by herself to an empty house.  He sure has an eye for decorating.

After I got over the shock and joy of seeing the kitchen, Scott told me to go in our room.  I was immediately scared, because I LOVE that room.  I had four walls with four colors: slate blue, dark blue, tangerine and orange.  The two orange colors made me happy every morning.  I rushed in and the whole room was slate grey.  A beautiful muddy grey!  The room looked fantastic, like a high-end spa hotel.  Scott did an amazing job and worked so hard.  He chose the colors because, remember, he thought I said, "We should paint our room grey and do cherry blossoms," when we were in D. C.  I did say we should paint a room like that, but I didn't mean the room that I already loved.  So my reaction was not what Scott was hoping for, and it was disappointing to me that I reacted that way, too, after all the work he had done, and how nice the room was!  Trajan broke the ice by saying, "Well, one for two." lol...kinda.

The room is luxurious, and I love it.  I think I might need at least one of my happy walls back, though.  But we won't think about that right now!  Scott was exhausted from painting and contracting and keeping secrets.  (He also had the bathroom in the basement finished!  Whoo hoo!  Now all the kids are fighting over it.)   I love to relax in the bedroom now.  I have been wishing for more luxurious bedding, and now I have it, along with all the perfect touches Scott invested to make the room tranquil, comfortable and unique.

I love the picture of the Coney Island roller coaster.  Even though our summer didn't include roller coasters, this is symbolic of a great American summer, and that is exactly what we experienced.  (Except for Golda and Ruby!) It's good to come home.  I feel an empty, heavy sadness that Preposterous Plan 2013 is over, but also a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, and a thankfulness that we were all blessed to return home safely.  We are fortunate to live in a beautiful place and be surrounded by people on all sides whom we love and revere.

Today in church, a man spoke who had returned home from a mission in St. Louis.  I looked at Ari, remembering our crazy night at the City Museum and the river boat on the Mississippi and seeing the arch for the first time, and no words were spoken.  We both just smiled.