If you read my post a few months ago, you know that I NEVER thought I would live in this house. Yet here we are almost three years later and this house has become everything I dreamed we would have in a home.
My husband is a very hard working man, his position in his company is a testament to that. Supporting him while he lives his career dreams everyday is easily done because he is working that hard for his family. He also is allowing me to live my own career dreams of being a stay at home mom, wife, and now blogger.
We’re very happy in this lifestyle we live.
But since switching companies almost two years ago, we have had countless conversations about moving closer vs. staying where we are. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ve also read the post titled ‘from moving asap to staying forever‘. That was written in March and the conversation has come back up a handful of times since.
We talk about it then we brush it off by saying ‘it’s not THAT bad’. Each time in the back of our minds we know, it is. It is that bad to be an hour or more away from him, unable to just meet up for lunch, stop by and say hello, see him within a few minutes of him getting off of work.
So, a lock box has been placed on our door and our house was to be listed. It is really happening I thought. Through all of our previous conversations, we have never actually taken a step to move forward.
The amount of emotions we felt about this is intense. Excited for the next chapter. Happy to know we will be so much closer to Michael. Ready to find the house our family will make home. While also sentimental about every inch of this house. Sad to be leaving the place where we created a community from scratch. Emotional about the home we will leave behind for someone else.
Over the course of the last week two weeks, we have looked at a house closer to work that we liked. After doing an initial walk through, getting numbers written up for it, and walking through a second time.. we changed our minds. Some of its features are beautiful, things I wish our current house had. In the same breath, it needed so much work to continue the updating the owners have started. With the house having 3 acres less than we have now and costing double the price.. we had to take a hard look at things. Was paying double the mortgage really worth a 30 min shorter drive?
The amount of weight my husband would carry on his shoulders with a home costing double PLUS needing a lot of cash and elbow grease put it in was not worth it.
We have a beautiful home with so much land and potential for future projects, like a huge deck and a pool with a great big patio around it. We have a great preschool for the kids, a group of friends surrounding us, the MOMS Club that supports me in more ways that I can count. Leaving this would be very difficult.
Instead, we are deciding to be more intentional with our time together. Making the most of each minute we get. Going the extra mile (or 50) to see Michael when we have the chance. Our time with him is very important and we will continue to make every effort.
What I am reminding myself in all of this change is that.. while it’s just a house, this is the house that is our home. It has been a blessing to spend time here but our family is what made this a home, not the house. Whether we live here for the rest of our lives or move somewhere down the line, our family will home anywhere. WE are what makes the house a home. The house is just a house.
