So do you ever look at a photo like this and think, “Hmmm… I wonder if I can spot any changes to the place that Katie hasn’t mentioned.”

And?!

Did you see anything?

Here – I’ll give you a little hint. Here’s how the hangar looked before:

Do you see it?!

Here we are today:

That was me when I had the hangar to myself. Dido was blasting something like Sand in My Shoes over the speakers:

A Dido cd pretty much guarantees you a rainy afternoon to yourself. (It’s my secret weapon. Not even the neighbor’s cat comes in. haha.) How are you doing these (rainy?) afternoons?

We like to repurpose. That’s why this pile of trim was plopped right in the middle of the hangar when we ripped it out of the old pilot training room and guest room in September. We’re not sure where we’ll use the trim. To be perfectly honest – we’re not even sure if we’ll use it on this project at all. But we’ve got it. (And I really needed to get it out of the way.)

Of course, thanks to spending an entire summer decluttering this place, you can bet your britches: if we don’t use the stuff now, we’re not going to keep it.

Ever seen such enormous nails in little bitty trim?

Go ahead and erase them from your memory.

I hammered every last nail out of the trim until the floor was covered in a confetti of nails.

(Fortunately, my nail hammering skills are much more accurate than my taking a picture of my nail hammering skills.) That black creepy thing with pink thread on the left side of the photo? It’s my hand. For whatever reason, small work gloves always come in pink around here. Not that I mind. This way no one seems to be accidentally running off with my gloves.

Now if I can find a pink tape measurer, we’ll be set for the weekend..

Thanks to everyone who purchased a journal during the sweet little anniversary sale (which isn’t over yet). Oh wow!

I’m not sure if there’s a good way to say it. But the profits from all of your lovely purchases? They’ve all gone down the drain this week.

I’m so sorry!

But we had such a good reason to drain all funds. The drillers were here! We needed them to complete the loop for our geothermal heating system. The well currently at the hangar will pump in the water; we’ll extract the warmth from the water in the winter (and coolness in the summer… even though the water is always the same temperature in the earth). Then we’ll slip the water back into the ground through the above well. Such an exciting first step.

(More on the geothermal heating system here if you have no idea what I’m talking about!)

Journaling reads: drilling for the geothermal heat pump

I used: A clover green {Love Where We Live} home minibook, a date stamp, and a 2.6 x 3.5 inch photograph. I doodled with a blue pen and pencil. Then I placed a ruler on the edge of each paper as a guide for ripping off a little paper on each side. If I’d freehanded it, I probably would have ripped some of the text on accident.

Martin and I just knew it was time to start documenting the creation of our new home. For the first time, it was feeling like our home instead of someone else’s heaps of old stuff. So here’s what we picked:

Apparently, I have a thing for green {Love Where We Live} home minibooks from Gadanke. Green was my pick for our old German apartment diary, too!

On the agenda for the rest of the week? Another big donation to the thrift shop, clearing space for a big ol’ heat pump, and scrubbing. Lots and lots of scrubbing.

Oh! And about that washing machine in the bathroom plan we’re scheming… I’ve never seen a laundry room in a German or Czech home. The washing machine has always been in the bathroom, basement, or occasionally the kitchen. It seems like most American homes have a designated closet, room, or walkway for their washing machine and dryer so that they’re tucked away and out of sight. In Europe, I have only see one dryer. It was in Hamburg, Germany where it was so rainy and humid that our friends had moss growing on the roof of their car. Can you imagine?

This week marks a big milestone. Making This Home is three years old!

I started thinking of all the kazoos to blow or drums to beat. Then I tucked those noise maker all back where they came from. It doesn’t feel like a time to party; it feels like a time of thanks.

(Pausing in the future living room of the hangar loft)

Three years ago, I didn’t know a soul in Germany, save Martin’s family and old friends. Now Martin calls me his German social butterfly. Thanks you guys.

Three years ago, I couldn’t speak German. I couldn’t dream of being in an airplane all by myself. You guys helped give me wings. Thank you.

Three years ago, Gadanke wasn’t even a dream. Now there are almost 2,000 journals out there capturing stories and celebrating dreams. Thanks you guys.

Three years ago, I didn’t know we’d be able to return to my home state and find work, and now here we are. We’re following a crazy idea that we can live in an airplane hangar… and we’re actually really excited about it. Thank you for being excited with us.

It’s been three years of being brave. I still remember the very first emails with my first blog friend, Christy. And now because of this blog, I’m making some incredible friends in real life and online who aren’t just in Germany. That’s magic!  That’s YOU! And I’m thankful.

Now I’m leaning in. I’m listening to my heart, listening to what the world wants me to take notice of. The next year? The next three? My heart is open. I’m ready to be brave and keep learning with all of you.

You also know what an anniversary means, right? Just for you as we shift into a new season:

15% off everything at Gadanke until Thursday, October 6 at midnight MDT. Use the code: 3YEARS

Thanks for sharing this journey with me. I couldn’t have dreamed of something so grand as being here with you.