The Next Chapter in our Life

Apparently the moving bug has been the water in my family.  3 of the 4 sisters are in the process of purchasing a home within 90 days of each other.

J and I have been through this process before and we got in over our heads. So here we are, 9 years later, and we are starting over. After 5 years of renting and getting our finances under control we are ready to take the plunge again.

We only looked at 10 houses and #10 was THE House.


While we went into the house with a set criteria of wants and needs we found we had to compromise on a couple of points.

1. I said that I HAD to have a big beautiful bathtub in the master bathroom. Sadly, there isn't a bathtub in the master at all. In fact, it's just a plain jane shower stall with a shower curtain. But BONUS, it does have radiant heat under the slate floor. And there is room to remodel a bit and add a tub later.
2. We wanted a Great Room, with the kitchen, dining and family rooms all open to each other.  We got this, but it isn't huge. Its a modestly sized space, but we will make it work. We have a wood burning fireplace to keep it warm and cozy in the winter. And we have vaulted ceilings tall enough for my super duper huge Christmas Tree we have been moving around for 5 years without a place big enough to put it up (Thanks honey, I appreciate your cooperation and understanding). I am thinking of it as less space to clean and fewer places to accumulate junk.
3. 3 bedrooms was a MUST. The boys are far enough apart in age that need their own rooms. We got 3 bedrooms, but they are not luxurious or huge, Evan's room doesn't even has doors on the closet. But I have plans to make them cozy and fun and functional. Again, I'm going with the mentality that its less to keep clean and less room for junk
4. We really wanted a basement. We wanted storage and room to expand. Our new house has a garden level basement but it is going to be the Master Retreat as the boys' rooms are are the main floor. This is definitely not what I had in mind for our room but the idea is growing on me. And another BONUS, the house comes with a sauna :)

 I find myself a little surprised at the home we chose. It is on a busier street than I had originally wanted, it is older than I thought I wanted, its smaller than I what I had planned on, yet I LOVE it. I can't wait to paint the walls and put new flooring in and make curtains and plant flowers and bushes and meet our new neighbors. I find myself dreaming about arranging the furniture and bbq's in the summer on our 3-tier deck. We are talking about adding a new puppy to our family and I can't wait.  No more worrying about when a lease expires. No more living with someone else's design choices. We have a place our children can call home until they graduate from high school. We can paint the walls whatever colors they want and they can choose their own curtains.I am so happy to turn the page and begin this new chapter of our lives.

Life is Good.