Sometimes you start on a journey, taking just a few steps and then you head back to where you were. That’s what the past few months have felt like. And anyone else feel like I keep having to talk myself into staying here? Sigh. Oh well. I’ll keep being honest and sharing this journey, even if a few of you are wishing I could just get it together. HA! I’ve found writing to be therapy and I consider my blog to be my journal of sorts. It’s fun to look back on over 10 years of posts. You never know who might need to read something I wrote and be reminded we are all humans, on a journey doing the best we can.
Owning a new home that you didn’t build but is still new is tricky in some ways. It sometimes feels weird to adjust or change things because it’s new and so why bother. But at the same time this house does not feel like mine sometimes because of the selections that were made during the building process that I didn’t get to make. I mean that is going to happen with almost any home you purchase if you didn’t build it. Going into it, our thought process was that with the kids being older and in more sports, we won’t have a lot of time to spend on a fixer upper so let’s buy a house that is done but we can make it more ours when or if we want to.
If you know me, you know I like to keep an eye on real estate listings. Last month we may have looked at a few homes. One was on 8 acres and needed A LOT and I mean a TON of work. As in, everything was already ripped out and had some drywall hung but not even a ceiling was done or anything. We determined it was one priced way too high and two it needed way too much work. We also looked at another home that my husband really loved in a neighborhood that I really love. I didn’t love it and it was probably a little out of our price range.
After looking and chatting, we realized our best bet is to stay where we are for another 5 years. I feel like I go through this process every few months. Sigh. Probably say a prayer for my husband who has to deal with me. Anyways, part of that discussion was making a list of things we wanted in our next home or missed from our last home. After looking at the list, we realized we could do a lot of those things to our current home and we wouldn’t have to sell a home, buy at a higher interest rate and do all the physical work of moving. Because right now, moving sounds like so much work. SO MUCH WORK. Packing and Unpacking. Cleaning, so much cleaning. Running to 850 different stores for things like curtain rods, cleaning supplies and food you don’t have to cook. Gah. I’m still not recovered from doing it two years ago.
One of the big things we were hoping for was land or even better to be on a lake. That will be the next house in a few years hopefully. For now at least we want a more private backyard. We are thankful and enjoy the view of the pond and not looking into someone else’s kitchen or living room.
Two summers ago, we had some contractors out to give quotes on cement patios but we decided to wait. As with everything else, the price has gone up significantly, so we got some more quotes this past month. Thankfully we found someone we like and will be moving forward with a concrete patio in September. I can NOT wait! My vision from two years ago for the backyard will be almost complete! I am sure I will post about our plans on the backyard soon.
So all this to say, I need to remind myself, we spent many years turning our last house into a home with various projects. It’s going to take time here too. When you leave a home that you really loved and begin again, it’s hard not to look back and wish for what you had. Today is another reminder that God has given us many confirmations that this is where He wants us. I’m thankful for this home He has for us, for the opportunity to create a space to live in grace, grow, create memories and invite others in.
Leave a Reply