happy birthday little house.

On Monday, August 9, 2010, I closed on my first house and officially moved to Shreveport. Just two days prior I had driven away from Birmingham sobbing all the way across I-20 through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. I stopped in Shreveport for my final walk through on my house right after the conclusion of the estate sale there. I couldn’t even look at it. It was old, dirty, trashed and disgusting – sick. I spent two minutes inside, walked out and the tears continued. Praise the Lord for Dad who will always be needed to assure me everything is going to be okay no matter what age I am. This was a meltdown moment. Who could have guessed how many more would come with the renovation of the house. The last year has been a rollercoaster. But this last week, for the first time in a year, I’ve had my first dinners and brunches at the house. In my dining room. Minus one bathroom and few more finishing touches, the renovations are complete. So, in our honor of our one year relationship little house, let’s show my 15 blog followers how far we’ve come!

A few of the before pictures...the kitchen, one of the bedrooms, bathrooms...I was so overwhelmed I couldn't even take lots of pictures. This was place was nasty. Though I'm sure there's been worse!






Now onto the fun...the dining room & kitchen...
I hosted my first dinner here last week. Sadly, there has not been a dining room table in my house in a year. Mom cooked. Ryan took a break from studying. And my sweet friend Meggie, and her new addition Charlotte, were here. This table is also becoming the hot spot for Saturday morning brunch. Patrick and Ryan love them some late morning breakfast, and I love to bake it.





The house on closing day...


The sunroom. Still deciding on flooring...carpet? Fun painted concrete? Tile? Deciding on fire place paint colors. An old beam for the mantle?


The monogramming room. This is also my friend Mary Claire's room...see Watersound Beach Trip post for who MC is...


Back bedroom...there's a bathroom too but it hasn't been touched so we'll save that for another day.


Guest bedroom and bathroom.



My favorite room in the house for multiple reasons. Love the bay windows. Love the peacefulness. Love that it is the center of the house.




I know. I know. There are no accessories. No artwork. But those are the fun things. The reasons you take shopping trips to Dallas with you Mom. The reasons you go antiquing or West Texas junk shopping with your Dad in route to Colorado. I love to have pieces in my house that have fun stories.

watersound beach trip 2011

It’s time to talk about the Powells. I’ve mentioned Dave in a previous post – Ukraine Mission Trip. But there’s way more to the Powell name than just Dave. There’s Allison, Marshall, and my Mary Claire. And I LOVE them all. And I guess the feeling is a little mutual because they’ve let me crash their beach trip the last two years.

David and Allison were my Sunday school teachers at Dawson when I first moved to Birmingham. From there I babysat their kids. And then after a few late night conversations when they returned home from concerts and date nights, I realized they were way cool. David was my “networker” throughout law school and my professional encouragement. After about a year of knowing them, I was eating at their house once a week (or more!) and getting M and MC for our kid nights out. I then just asked to be put on the “Allison Powell meal plan.” I could have turned down my Shreveport job offer just to stay near these people. When I say I LOVE this family, I mean I LOVE this family. What a great example of marriage, family, and living out the Christian faith. So, when the Watersound invitation was extended for the second year, I said YES.




MJ, MC, and MG. Mary Claire had drawn me this fantastic picture of us before I got there. It was labeled MJ, MC & MG. I knew MC (Mary Claire) and MG (Marshall Graham) but the MJ was new to me. I was kind of offended because I thought there was someone new in their life….but was quickly informed, “MJ is for Miss Jess.” I love this girl.


All of our days were spent at the beach. Doing N.O.T.H.I.N.G. Though we managed to eat a bit. I might have rolled onto the plane home after the Gorp, Chex Mix, Baby Bites, and Reese’s cookies…



I cherish my time with this precious family. I love watching M and MC grow up.

And a little throwback to Watersound Beach Trip 2010...



Love my Birmingham family.