2006 and 2007 was a whirlwind for Doug and me. We got married, were surprised with a honey moon baby and before we knew it, we were elbow deep in the home buying journey.
It was all very exciting!
Could we actually be responsible home owners?! Heck, I was just 22, a baby myself. It was a buyers market, and we knew we needed a bigger place to live than our apartment that had a barely functioning bathroom.
After looking at some duds, we finally found our perfect house. It was a quaint, bare canvas just waiting for a new family to begin their life and create their own memories. The yard went on for a lifetime and the house was situated on a small, quiet street. While other families past the house by, Doug and I saw the potential and before long, we were closing on our new home.
Getting the keys to my home was a very magical and emotional experience and I kept thinking I would wake up from a dream!
We spent the next few weeks ripping off paneling and painting the walls more inviting colors. Doug called me the manager because I did the least amount of work, but was very vocal about how everyone else was painting. I was even honored with the distinguished Wooster Golden Paint Brush Award from my brother-in-law, Tony.
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| I am so loved, yes?! |
Okay, so I might have been particular with how it was done. Since I was pregnant, Doug wouldn't let me do a darn thing, so directing others was the only way I felt in control! Since then, I have learned to just shush and appreciate the free labor!
Doug and I always said that it was going to be a "starter home." The ultimate goal was to be out of there before we had baby number two. Apparently, life has a sense of humor, but our starter home has been our home for the last 7 years.
But now that our kids are getting older, we realized that we wanted to be much closer to their schools and just closer to the city in general, so we decided it was time to put our sweet, little home on the market.
It still doesn't seem real, but the sign in our front yard says otherwise. As excited as I am, I also feel the sadness. A first home is a big deal. Doug and I worked very hard in order to buy our home and year by year, we've grown more attached to it. We have brought both our children home from the hospital, we've had family gatherings, nice long walks in the neighborhood; I learned to cook in this home, Doug got brave with handiwork, and we just felt at peace with life while living here. We have spent many holidays, movie nights, dinners around our dining room table--all of those beloved memories will be etched into the framework of this house, and I can only hope that the new family that buys this house will feel the love our family had towards one another. I hope they know they are in a safe and sacred place.
We also became close with some of our neighbors. I've borrowed sugar, had driveway beers, coffee and conversations with these beautiful people and more importantly, we all look out for one another. I'm not sure we will find that anywhere else.
I am ever so thankful for this cute home because this is the space when I really grew up. I became the wife, mother, neighbor and friend in this home. Its been so so so good to me. So, as our Realtor put the sign in our yard, I admit I got a little teary. I know some may laugh at that and say it's just a house. But it's more than that, it's a part of my history.
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