A New Nest for a Pair of Oldies

 Long ago, I faithfully blogged our move to a "dream house" in the country and the majority of my posts were written there. But, as they say, "all good things must come to an end." While the house never quite worked or looked the way I wanted it to, it still felt like home. And then, as the kids moved out, it quit feeling that way. It took about a year to get Dave on board. I get it. There was so much untapped potential in the house-but I knew I wasn't the person for that scale of home renovation. And while Dave has a lot of those skills, most of his free time is dedicated elsewhere-much like mine. A major road construction project taking place along our only road to get home definitely worked in my favor and by the end of last year, the hunt was on!

Did you know that the Venn diagram of an aging married couple looking to downsize versus parents of college-aged kids looking to purchase an investment home for their kids to live in now and to rent to other college students later is a circle? I've lived in this college town-or just outside its city limits-for the majority of my life. In fact, Dave and I sold both of our previous homes to parents of college students. And yet, even I was surprised at the intense competition that it was to finally find, bid on, and purchase a new house. We finally closed on ours at the end of June, but it was almost August before we were consistently sleeping here. The Venn diagram may have been an unpleasant surprise, but the unexpected way all five of our kids stepped up to help us move, declutter, and downsize continues to warm my heart almost two months later. 

We opted to buy this house before even listing our other one. We knew the overhaul would take most of the summer, and it did. But last Saturday, Dave and I walked through it one last time before closing on our sale a few days later. It was less emotional than I thought it would be (I was really ready to move!), but still quite a milestone. There are entries upon entries in my archives about what we experienced in the house, so I don't feel the need to expand upon that much. 

Like most neurodivergent people, I can't do anything big or monumental without a theme song of some kind. And I had planned for this one to be "If These Walls Could Speak" by Amy Grant. But apparently, the brain wants what it wants, and I have spent the week singing this one instead. And I have to agree with my subconscious that it really is the right one for this phase of our life. It really does get better.

We Said Hello, Goodbye

by Phill Collins

We said goodbye to a dear old friend

And we packed our bags and left feeling sad

It's the only way

We said hello as we turned the key

A new roof over our heads, gave a smile

It's the only way, only way

Turn your head, don't look back

Set your sails for a new horizon

Don't turn around, don't look down

Oh, there's life across the tracks

And you know it's really not surprising

It gets better when you get there, oh

Well, it really don't matter much where you are

'Cause home is in your heart

It's a feeling that you wake with one day

Some people keep running all their life

And still find they haven't gone too far

They don't see it's the feeling inside

The feeling inside, oh

Turn your head and don't look back

Just set your sails for a new horizon

Don't turn around, don't look down

Oh, there's life across the tracks

And you know it's really not surprising

It gets better when you get there

We said, hello as we turned the key

A new roof over our heads

Gave a smile, it's the only way