Personal: The Last Walk Through
In a little over two weeks, our little house will go up for sale. For the average person, this is stressful and emotional. For us, it is exciting and also terrifying and emotional and I will cry. Probably a lot. I am sure there will be one last walk-through where I will see little golden hour slow-motion movie clips in my head of my kids in the yard, laughing and running through the grass, helping me weed the gardens, swinging on the swing set, and running through the sprinkler. Let's face it, as a photographer, I am pretty sentimental and place a lot of importance on remembering the little details. If there is one thing that sums up my feelings, it is probably the video below.
There is something about the place you live. Everywhere I look, I can see the history. The things we have built, changes made, walls knocked down, walls built. Boo-boos kissed. Hours pacing and rocking in the kitchen. Tears. Laughter. New phases. New friends. It is all so perfectly kept here, and I will miss it.
The next year will be a long one, but as with all good things, it will be worth the wait and all of the work and sweat and tears. After all, we are building a new home. In 50 years, I hope to still be in this home and look around with fondness and remember that my husband's hands made these walls and that we dreamed it together and built it together and made our dream come true. I want our children to learn to work hard for the things that they want. I want them to live a life in the dirt and not glued to electronic devices. I want them to feel grass between their toes. I want to look from room to room and see a lifetime of memories and warmth. I want them to see struggle and reward and a different kind of life.
Gabe and I hope that you all will follow along as we embark on this adventure!
As of 7/11/18, we are here:
-The offer on our land is accepted, and we are working our way through all inspections, tests, and permits.
-We have officially chosen a camper to live in on the land while we build and will be bringing it home next week!
-We have been cleaning and painting and polishing our current home day in and day out in preparation to put it up for sale by July 30.
-Our house plans are bought, and the look of our home is taking shape! We are picking out light fixtures and flooring and colors and cabinets.
-We picked out a beam from a friend's barn (the barn we had our engagement photos taken in front of) for our fireplace mantle.
-The process of financing the build is intense. We are working on an itemized list of literally everything in the house.
-Gabe will be building the house himself - I think this has taken people by surprise, but when we say we are building a house, we literally mean WE ARE BUILDING A HOUSE. Haha.
We have gotten a good deal of mixed feedback. I thought it only appropriate to share here. Here are a few of the things people have told us in response to hearing about our build.
-"You're going to ruin your kids."
-"That is awesome and I am kind of jealous!"
-"You might have to adopt me."
-"No, you're not. You're not going to live in a camper."
-"Have you thought this through?"
-"If you don't do this, you will regret it. Don't listen to what other people think."
-"This is perfect."
-"I have friends doing this exact thing!"
-"Are you sure that Gabe can build a house?"
-"Maybe you should think this through."
-"YAY"
-"You guys are crazy, but the good kind of crazy."
-"Well, I think if you just [did this or that to your current house], you wouldn't have to build a new one."
If there is one thing that I have learned about myself over the years, it is that I get aggressively competitive when someone tells me I shouldn't do something (particularly when it comes to perusing a dream). And really, I just smirk a little. If I didn't passionately chase my dreams, if I let other people's words and cautions hold me back, if I didn't "just do it," I would not be married; I would not be a mom; I would not run my own business in my dream career; I wouldn't have hosted a bridal show; I wouldn't have met so many of my amazing friends; I would be in more debt; I would quite honestly have been unhappy, regretful and disappointed. My point is: CHASE YOUR DREAMS and JUST DO IT.
P.S. All this said, we appreciate your patience during this busy season!! Also - if you have any questions about all of this, feel free to ask. :)
