whats the purpose?

last night, nathan and i were laying in bed chatting about thing that interest us or are important to us, and he asked me why i haven't blogged lately. he was a big supporter of my blogging habit, and i have falling down on the task. its funny that he should ask that yesterday, because it has definitely been something that has been on my mind. i haven't blogged lately. i do miss it. but when i pull up the blogger page, i sit there and think, what's the purpose? what am i actually contributing to the world in writing some words on this post? i follow other blogs, tales of friends in far away places sharing their life, people who i've never met who cook or bake really good and share their awesome recipes, blogs about home improvement, missions, and sewing. what does my hodge podge blog have to offer? sure, i've had a few good recipes, a few good ideas, and some projects that i have mentioned. i've shared some news and research, some personal goals, and some randomness. i've talked of travels and friends. but all in all, who or what am i making better by writing this blog? i'm thankful for the handful of folks that have followed it, but what have i given them? an insight into my craziness? and what good is that?!

i say all this to say, i want to be intentional. i do love to blog. i love the discipline of sitting down and writing. its funny but one of my favorite parts of college was all the crazy papers i wrote. i love the act of researching. of pulling together. of verbalizing. even though i'm not a poetic or inspiring writer necessarily, i enjoy words. and i enjoy sharing my knowledge- be it on coffee, the middle east, my friends, or info i've picked up. i love to learn and share.

so i return. hopefully. life is busy now- but when will it not be?! i am disciplined in my work. i run regularly. i keep in touch with friends. and now, i will make great efforts to blog.

i will blog about things i make- food, desserts, projects, etc.
i will blog about things i research- the news, current events, lifestyle habits, etc.
i will blog about things i do- half marathons, vacations, big accomplishments.
i will blog about things i consume- cupcakes, food, coffee, etc.

i hope if you stop by to read, you will gain something from it. and if you do, please let me know. its cool to hear. i think one of the discouraging things in blogging has been the lack of comments & feedback, so i'm asking that ya step it up a notch! let me know if there's something you are interested in me doing/making/researching. i'm up for a challenge.

so hopefully, i'll continue to blog. and make an impact. even if its just helping you make the best cupcakes ever. or recommending a dinner spot for ya. hopefully, my blog will serve a purpose.

do i REALLY live in a basement?

so, since starting this blog, i have been asked many times if i really do live in a basement. yeppers. i do. but we love it. so for todays post, i thought i would give you a little background.

when nathan and i were engaged to be married, we started talking (of course) about where we would live once the blessed event came and passed. at the time, i was finishing up at berry (i graduated the weekend before we got married) and he was almost done with kennesaw (graduating not long after we got married). neither of us had jobs- we had hopes for jobs but come on peoples, it was the summer of 2009. not only was our love in its prime was so was the economic recession. but we figured, all ya need is love, right? so, having no jobs, we were free to live anywhere our little hearts desired and little pocketbooks could afford.  we had both always thought it would be cool to live in the city (nathans family lives in the kennesaw area, and mine on the south side of the city) and it seemed convenient enough, so we thought...hmm...sounds like a plan. we started hunting for apartments in our price range (not much) all around atlanta. not knowing a ton about the city (other than a few restaurants and coffee shops we had frequented while growing up), we poked around and did a ton of looking on craigslist and other apartment hunting sites. our quest was not going so hot (it seemed like every apartment looked the same and the cool ones were triple what we wanted to spend). this was around christmas time (so, 6 months before our wedding, ish). we happened to get invited to dinner at one of nathan's friend's place- a guy he had played baseball with in college. he and his wife lived in the city, so we thought it would be a great chance to ask them for some advice and see if maybe they knew of any good places to look. after getting lost on the way, but admiring all the christmas lights in such a cute part of town that we never knew existed, we stumbled upon this great house. intrigued, we followed the directions given to us and wandered around a little path to the right of the house- they had told us their door was around back (can you tell where this is going??).  so we checked it out, and went down the little sidewalk until it opened up in a large backyard and a small door that went into the basement. we enjoyed a great night visiting and eventually we brought up the topic of housing in the city.

are you ready for this?

so the couple that we were visiting shared in our struggles- they too had looked and looked in the city. they somewhat jokingly mentioned that they were moving out and we could take over renting the place- and we were like say what?! joking turned into seriousness, and they relayed the fact that they were planning on moving out in april and that they didnt think there was anyone lined up to move in. we were looking for a place starting in may!

so after talking to the guy that owns the house and basement, we got a lease agreement, signed it, and sent him our deposit. we were sold! it was a great deal, a great set up, and perfect for a "first home."

so here we are, in a basement, two years later.  we have talked about moving somewhere else- even looked a few times- but it truly has been great. we are quite content with our smallish space, the homey touches, and always having a well kept yard. so here we will live, as we are saving up to buy our own home.  we have and continue to make sweet memories here. and it is our space- our little part of the world, and we think its perfect :)