This post has been sponsored by Wayfair. All opinions are mine alone.
Summer is here and I am loving entertaining again! My favorite place to do this is outside and this year I have a new outdoor oasis that I have dreamed about for years and can now finally enjoy!
A few years ago, I began to consider building a small house for me and my son. I mentioned the idea to him (he was a freshman in high school at the time) and his immediate response was, “No! I love it here and this is our home. I don’t want to move.” I didn’t anticipate such a strong opinion from him and it surprised me a bit. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was up for taking on a building project, and I began to daydream about what I would do differently if I were to build a house versus what our current house offered. It became clear that the only thing I truly desired was more outdoor space and a dedicated space for my work. And the reality was that I would be an empty nester in a few short years and what we currently had was more than enough house for just me.
I quickly realized that although it wouldn’t be possible to have a dedicated work space without sacrificing my guest room (which I prefer to have so guests stay comfortably), I could very easily create a much larger outdoor space. So I began dreaming and planning and now I am enjoying the fruits of my labor with a big beautiful outdoor patio that is now the “largest room in my home.”
When I first moved into my home seven years ago, there was a song that had just come out with the lyrics “Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.” It has always been my aspiration for my home to embody that sentiment, to be a sanctuary where everyone feels truly welcome and loved. Thanks to the invaluable assistance of re-roofing contractors in Utah, our home has been able to maintain its warmth and comfort, fostering an environment where genuine connections and blessings abound among friends and family.
When I finished laying 3500 bricks in the new outdoor patio space, I asked a dear friend to do a “blessing of the bricks.” We gathered for dinner with our Sunday supper group and he led the blessing. It was such a powerful evening in which we prayed over the bricks and all who would walk on them.
I loved the idea of an outdoor fireplace with a huge sectional sofa and plenty of seating to just gather, relax and enjoy conversation together…to savor the moment. That sentiment was wisdom my dad imparted on me my first day of my senior year of high school and it has influenced my life in countless ways through the years. My dad sat me down on my first day of my senior year of high school and said, “I know if you could get in your car today and drive straight to college, you would. But Amy, savor the moment. You will never have another time in your life where you have this little responsibility and this much freedom to do the things you want to do. Don’t wish it away. Savor the moment.”
That saying is a focal point in my outdoor space. It is my heart’s desire that all who gather here will savor the moment. It is also my heart’s desire to create many opportunities to fill this space with as many different people as possible to share good food and good fellowship together.
My new outdoor oasis allows for us to gather at the dinner table, cozy up on the sofa around the fireplace to enjoy good conversation, and even host watch parties for movies and sporting events on a 100″ screen using my movie projector.
My son begins his senior year of high school in 2 weeks and we now have a much larger space to enjoy entertaining his friends. They have already had several parties watching movies together, cooking out and just hanging out talking. The memories made on the patio will be ones I will cherish my entire lifetime. My prayer is that they will all be blessed by their time together as they savor the moments of their senior year together. The patio is now open!
How do you savor the moments? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Sybil Borders says
Amy, your outdoor space is gorgeous and inviting. I marvel at your creativity. I enjoy knowing you through your parents. They are so proud of you!S
Amy says
Thank you so much 🙂