Though, I’ve been absent for a while from Thank Heaven for Beer, absence is not without excuse. Last week we packed our belongings into a truck and drove three states away, from Toledo, Ohio to Kansas City, Missouri…no simple feat considering we have five kids.

The home we are moved into is great—nearly double the square footage of our old home—but it needs a LOT of work. Black mold, water damage, a forest in the backyard (which I already cleared and am now covered in poison ivy from head to toe to where the sun don’t shine), and overall ’70s feel, complete with shag carpeting.

Moving in and looking at the amount of work that needs done was overwhelming, and the first few days we couldn’t even sleep there. The house did not feel like “home”, but a project…that is until the first night we actually slept in the house and we were able to crack open a couple of brews for the first time and spend some much needed alone time.

The New Pad Is Refrigerator-less (bringing on the class)

I am sure plenty of folks might roll their eyes and sigh, “Always bringing it back to beer, huh Nate,” as if beer is the absolute matrix that determines my life. It’s not. But it is a big part of who I am, and let’s face it, alcohol has always been a celebratory beverage, whether it’s being smashed on the side of an ocean liner in a christening ceremony, or if Jesus Christ makes a special batch of wine to celebrate a wedding in Cana.

Opening that beer—which was a Boulevard Pale Ale, by the way (have to drink a Missouri beer for the first night in our new home)–transformed the unfamiliar into the newly familiar, and I felt quite peaceful with each sip.

Beer: It makes a house a home. (I know you were waiting for a cool beer cliche)

Now that I’m settled, I will be posting much more frequently. I have sincerely missed the interaction with the friends I’ve made through this site, as well as the site itself. While I have a home, I am now jobless…so all you praying type out there, offer up a petition for yours truly when you have a moment.

Cheers,
Nate