Porches are where it's at.

April 30, 2013 - the last time I posted anything on this blog, a lifetime ago.

I said it then, and will repeat it now, just living the general life of a family, who has time for much more.  Time gets away from you.  Days and months are lost on dinners and homework and cleaning and laundry and driving kids to basketball games. You blink and they are in the next grade, no longer smiling those no-teeth smiles but edging every so close to being taller than you.  And you wonder how has time gotten away from you, where did these giant children come from.

Almost three years to the day, I posted about our crazy family, and our crazy thoughts for our 'dream' house renovation.  That first post, about Curtis and Portage Park and our little family of five.

The mention of my dream house with my dream porch - the talk back then of "seeing it completed and as beautiful as I hope it will be" seems like such a distant memory.

I have been lucky enough to sit on my dream porch, for two summers now. I'm a pretty lucky girl.

During this long and terribly cold January, I really begin to miss it.  Spending long summer nights fighting the mosquitoes that try their hardest to suck my happiness through their mouth parts.

I'd give anything to be there, right now, warm and relaxed, dog at my feet.

The other day, while partaking in my newest social media obsession, I posted a picture of our porch transformation.  The pictures of my porch, then and now, left me with a very proud feeling.  

Proud of how this place, my sanctuary, my dream place, turned out.

It's probably the only place in the entire house, that I can include myself in a little of the credit for all the hard work that took to making it possible.

But it is, my baby - that porch.

I always knew it would be a special place.

It's why we picked it, as the place we were married.

The times we spend on the porch, are always my favorite times.  Dogs playing, kids yelling, beers disappearing, flowers growing.  It's our special place, its the place we feel relaxed.  It's the place we forget about laundry, and homework, and customers.  It's magical.  

My first summer, beautifying my porch was so fun.

I wanted it to be perfect.  I was pretty happy with how it looked.

But after my second summer, I realized, it was better.

And it's my hope that I continue to improve on it's beauty.

I can't wait till this spring.  

When this crazy family can get back to the porch.

Cause if you haven't heard, porches are where it's at.