I made some great headway this weekend with the house. Not only did I replace the dead dishwasher (begrudgingly) but I also primed and painted the dining room (I'm not convinced everyone that looks at our home will like a red dining room). Oh, and I cleaned all my carpets. Yeah, I'm a bit of an overachiever sometimes. No doubt I always pay for it. I could barely walk the few days after all that work.
I have a good friend that decided after giving birth to her third child (after 4 year old twins) that she didn't have enough to do so she dove headfirst into selling their home. They actually are doing the opposite of me in that they need some extra room for their expanding family. She put it on the market assuming it would take 7 months and BOOM! Sold on the 3rd person to look at it! So immediately coming off of maternity leave, she and her hubby, three kids and two dogs are moving into a 1,200 square foot apartment for a few months while their new home is being built.
The look on her face when she uttered these words to me was priceless. She looked terrified.
I assured her that it would be enough. The time she and her hubs would save by not having to do maintenance, yard work, etc. would make up for the smaller space. It would bring her fam closer together.
I don't think she wants to get that close. And I really don't think she believed me. I think this is her vision....
Envy struck me as I remembered back to one of the best summers I've ever had. We, too, sold our house really, really fast in 2008 right before the market crashed. We had to move quickly and I stuck us in a 950 sq ft 2 bedroom apartment (we only had one dog at the time. And one kid.)
We spent the entire summer lounging at the pool. We worked out in the gym on the premises. We took little guy on walks to the nearby high school and let him run the football field, imitating touchdowns. We walked our dog... a lot (I can't remember the last time I walked either of them since we've moved into our 'hood).
And most importantly, we relaxed. We took it really easy that summer during our house build. We had about a 1/3 of the stuff we have now since we didn't have space (stored the rest). By the end of that summer I couldn't even recall a single item in those boxes in storage and I certainly didn't miss any of it.
Best summer EVER. Simpler life. No worries, no upkeep or maintenance. Calm.
I miss that. I yearn for it back. I have no idea where we are headed but if I have it my way we will be feeling the same that we did back then. I know what it's going to take. Strong will and perserverence. And prayers Hubs goes with me.
My goal is to finish up the first floor before the kids come, just shy of the entryway (gotta hire a guy... no way hubs will let me on scaffolding). OH MY GOD! Did I tell you my kids are coming?!?!? I'm so freaking excited I can barely breathe! MY KIDS ARE COMING!!
Calm... calm.... calm.
Have a great Tuesday, friends!
Jen
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