We are moving! Thats right, moving 10 minutes across town. After months of house hunting, house obessing, house stalking, houses lost to other people, we finally found the one! The one we raise our kids in, the one we send them off to high school in, the grown up one.
It all started about 4 months ago when we went to look at an unfinished deserted "castle" as we called it. The price was astonishingly low, it was not done being built and it was basically the size of a castle, to Adi at least. We were curious to see what this market had so we went. It was pretty cool and definitely a steal, if you wanted to finish the floors and add a kitchen. But totally not us. Much to Adi's dismay we just couldn't live in such a garish house. Even when Adi sat on the front steps and pleaded "Daddy please buy me this castle."
The hunt was not supposed to continue, but it did. You can't show a lady some new digs then tell her no, can you? Adi fell in love with about 17 of them. Most of the ones with pink rooms or swing sets. Andy fell in love with 2, I fell in love with 2, in total we lost 4 "dream houses" by thinking we had time to think in this market. We were reminded each time that a good property, priced right was gonna go fast. At least we were choosing good properties right?
Months went by, we looked at every house in and out of town. We were constantly torn between moving further out in the country with a little piece of "land" (like an acre or so to raise some veggies, chickens, and maybe even a goat) to the "hip" part of town where we could walk to restaurants, bars ( ha, like we ever get to go out), ice cream, you know the important things. The thing was, we weren't really hip enough to move to town. And our plan was always to move further from town.
Funny how plans work isn't it. We both new the second we walked in the house that we loved it and it was the one. It also doesn't hurt that its 1.8 miles away from the kids cousins, and our brother and sister in law of course.
This new house doesn't come without heartache though. Leaving our neighborhood of Oteen will not be easy. I've made a list of all the things that we will always remember about this house and why it will be so hard to leave.
1. Our neighbors. About a year after we moved in the house across the street went up for sale. I immediately called my "first friend in asheville" Becca, who was looking to buy, to come look. That night she bought it. Her and her partner Dave, and roommate Lucy, have been the best neighbors a girl could ask for. In snow storms we always have someone to play board games and drink wine with, all summer long we have a classy above ground pool to swim in, BBQ's, morning coffee, seasons watching the bachelorette while eating yummy baked goods, a built in dog sitter, cat sitter, house sitter, garden sitter, kid sitter, you name it! Walking to the brewery on Friday nights threw their back yard, stalking other neighbors, shooting street lights out that glare in to our bedroom windows. I guess this list could keep on going but they are neighbors and friends who can't be beat! we will just have to make the 10 min drive to see each other now, but it won't be the same.
2. Our first house.
3. House where we got married and came home to after our honey moon.
4. Where I labored all night in before Adi was born and the home we brought her home to.
5. Where all the labor of paperwork for Belay's adoption took place and the home we brought him home to.
6. The walls we painted and the wall paper we tore down.
7. The addition that was built during the end pf my pregnancy and into the first weeks of Adi's life. (Just imagine a newly breastfeeding mom, screaming infant, and men walking threw your living room with ladders)
8. The insane couple who built our back deck and tiled one of the bathrooms and all the insanity that came along with them.
9. BBQ'S on the back deck
10. the view from the back deck, there is NO other view like it.
11. bringing both our dogs home, as sweet puppies.
12. my constant rearranging that always drove andy crazy
13. The annual Yankee swap Christmas party with the most awful gift exchange ever.
14. All the old neighbors who moved out and all the fun new ones who moved in.
15. The trails behind our house, running, walking, taking the dogs, sledding down.
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| walk with the dogs in the snow at 9 months pregnant. |
16. The nature center being a 1/2 mile walk down the street.
17. The blue jean ball that take place every first weekend of June, too bad we have yet to go.
18. La Posada- best, quickest Mexican restaurant minutes away.
19. The small 900 sq ft 2 bedroom one bath that turned into a slightly less small 1200 sg ft 3 bed 2 bath house that is always forcing us to stay close together and cozy, and to constantly be de-cluttering.
20. Planting a tree over Adi's placenta, which has grown so big and strong over the last 3 years thanks to all the nutrients in her placenta being put back into the earth. Maybe we should bring this tree with us?
21. Planting the Pear tree we were given as a house warming gift by Andy's mom.
22. Planting the Red Bud tree we were given as a wedding gift by our friend Karen. I don't suppose we should take all 3 tree's with us should we?
I'm pretty sure I could keep going, but I won't. This house will be missed. But the next house is awesome and I can't wait to get in it. The past few weeks have been hectic to say the least. Living in boxes and mess is not my forte. We should be in our new house by the weekend so we are trying to make these last few days good ones.
