Living on Carrollton: Week 1

Shall I compare thee to a summer's house? Thou are more large and much more... filled with exactly the same stuff from our regular house... A summer house. That's what I'm thinking of our time in Holly Grove (that's what this area of NOLA is called... who new?)

We have been blessed abundantly throughout our first week here. David walks to work, Micah has slept through the night 3 of the 6 nights, we've had visitors almost EVERY day, the zoo, the aquarium, Creole Creamery... and to top it all off, we are preparing to go on a family retreat in North Carolina for Domestic Church. That's right, our whole family gets to go on retreat together for a week with our precious DC community (don't you wanna join DC now??!?!) David's sister and uncle's family live down the street, I have a cousin and his fiance' here as well. So we are not without family.

David has likened this week to being in a foreign country: nothing is done on automatic pilot. We have to actively think through everything. Where's the pots? How do I do laundry when it's on the second floor? Where is a flippin' Walgreen's? I can't find my teapot to boil water for the French Press bc I had to return the coffee pot to a friend before we left. Oh and we have an industrial kitchen (beautiful gas stove and restaurant size refrigerator)... but no freezer. I've discovered that a freezer is overrated; so is a stainless steel fridge. Those little fingerprints are impossible to get out.

We are, as I've mentioned earlier, living here until our house sells, so we're still praying for that. And if you're wondering what to pray for, it's THAT!

We are on Carrollton Avenue, which means we get to see and hear a little bit of everything. The children are totally intrigued by streetcars, and because it's been our practice to pray a "Hail Mary" when we hear a siren, we're pretty much getting a rosary's worth of 'em by sunset. And this is the view that we have from our front porch:

The house itself used to be a shelter for women and children in situations of domestic violence, so when people see a full family (not mention MEN) coming in and out of this house, they are quite intrigued.  A lot of people are asking if we bought the house... I want to say, "Thanks for thinking that we look like we could afford a half a million dollar mansion, but know, we're renting it for NOTHING." I just chuckle and say that we're renting for a little while. But it has brought many people to our door welcoming us to the neighborhood. One precious couple even brought us flowers!

David loves his job, and he has already been able to answer one of my burning questions: Do you have to do marriage prep weekends?!?! The answer is a lovely NO! The Archbishop is on vacation for the entire month of July, so David says that he can do all his messing up while Archbishop Aymond is gone, than be perfect by the time he returns. Unfortunately, though, he has already been hit up to go on the the March for Life, but I can't talk bad about the friend who suggested it because he's a priest now. You're lucky Fr Tim... you're lucky.

So that's week one...
And yes, we have two guest rooms and two pull-out couches, so what are you waiting for? July 21 (when we return from retreat) we're back open for the Dawson B and B... our summer house.