Something great happened this morning. I finally felt as if I could come up for air after being buried in boxes since last Friday. That was when we moved into our new home. Boxes are still piled high in the garage, our mattresses are still on the floor, the kitchen cabinets are screaming, “organize me, organize me!,” and we still don’t have a refrigerator inside the house. (The fridge comes tomorrow!)

A week after moving in, boxes still cover up the garage.

Despite the clutter, I can tell I am getting settled. The first indicator was getting back into my morning routine. I loved it! I got up at 5, enjoyed a cup of coffee, and ran 5 miles along the Huntsville Greenway. I wasn’t tired or sore, as I had been the past several days, and maintained a steady pace.

Serina, left, and Sophia (7 and 5), feel right at home in their new surroundings.

Our daughters, Serina and Sophia, are settling too. They have gone to bed – in their own beds! – for the past three nights. That is huge for us. Granted, Sophia, who is 5, still winds up next to me before my alarm goes off, but I am keen on progress. And that is exactly what we expect to make over the coming days and weeks as we get dishes put away, clothes hung, cabinets filled and the pantry stocked.

We are really grateful to have found this house. My husband and I are named Karen and David, so we were amused to discover we would be buying this home from another Karen and David. (Should make it easy on the neighbors.) The Iveys lived here for 22 years. They raised three children in this house, creating many special memories along the way. While Karen and David moved out more than two years ago, the family’s positive energy remained.

In just a month, my mother, “Mormor,” will be joining us from Minneapolis. This house has the perfect set-up for Mom, who will enjoy an isolated master suite downstairs. When she moves in, we will have a full house, just like the Iveys did.

Now it’s Karen and David Petersen’s turn to create another two decades’ (or more) worth of memories here. Together, with our girls and their last surviving grandparent, we plan on filling this home with love, laughter, faith and joy. More positive energy.

After two cross-country, and several cross-town, moves, I am happy to say: We are finally “home, sweet home.”

Thank you, God.