I can’t believe it’s already been a week. It feels like two days! Or, I should say, it feels that way when you step into our house. We’re not entirely living in a box maze, but about half of the house is still covered and stacked. With two special helpers here (thank you Pat and Catie Bug!) the first week, we decided it would be smartest to focus on outdoor muscle tasks like building Sophie’s run and a coop for her chickens. As a result, when our friends pulled away down the driveway Friday afternoon, Scrapple and I were still living in what closely resembled a storage facility. The kitchen, for necessity’s sake, was the only room that was fully functional and could be inhabited comfortably, albeit lined in layers of empty packing boxes. Although I’m sure we could have plugged on, camping in our house, for another week or two, with no other distractions on a Saturday night for once in weeks, beers with dinner turned into an all out house decorating party for 2. It’s amazing what a little clear floor space and wall art can do to make a space feel like your own! It may only be one room, but sitting here with Scrapple, all cozy in our living room with memories on the wall and stacks of our books on the shelves, typing away, I feel like we’ve settled in.

Maybe one room is enough because I’ve spent the majority of the past week in my favorite area of our new home – outside. I knew that I missed the outdoors, but hadn’t realized just how much. Every morning, after some coffee and a bite, I head out with Sophie for a good 45 minutes to walk our land. It started as a way to help her learn the border and has turned into my favorite part of the day. A time to stop and smell the moss and cedars. The day has just started to break and the soft light and sometimes lingering mist makes everything look like a dream. The ground and trees are damp and fragrant and I always find myself taking the deepest breaths possible – as if trying to gulp down more fresh air will make up for the past 12 years! Sophie runs on ahead or drags behind when she finds something interesting to sniff out but always follows. Every walk yields a new discovery (a cotton tail rabbit flushed out of the brambles, a hidden pond in the back woods…) and it’s all so damn beautiful. Sophie is always happy to explore and her puppyish enthusiasm and bouncy waggle are contagious. I walk back to the house feeling simultaneously electrically alive and at peace.

That doesn’t mean I don’t still need another mug of coffee! Feet on the ground at 6am is not quite as easy to get used to as a morning walk. I’ll get there!