Tuesday, February 07, 2012

New Beginnings with Loved Ones


All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.  ~Anatole France
After years of renting (16?), we finally decided it was time to buy our own house.  For the last seven years we have been renting my husband's childhood home, a 1970's ranch on 17 acres.  The boys and I have loved living here, but my husband (who works 6 days a week) has been feeling like the house and the land owns him.  Last month we were relaxing in the den when he turned to me and said "I am not going to have time to really take care of this place until I retire, and then I will be too old to take care of it."

That really opened my eyes to his feelings about living in the suburban country.  I look around and see a field of green grass, fences full of juicy blackberries, chickens scratching around happily in the dirt, and a pond full of catfish ready to be caught and thrown back.  My husband sees high grass that needs to be cut for hay, fences overgrown with weeds, a chicken coop full of rat snakes and black widow spiders, and a pond that is not only drying up, but full of water lilies that need to be removed.

My nature retreat has become a nature nightmare to my husband.  And the house is well-built and a great size, but very outdated and constantly needing repairs (which we handle since it is part of our rent).  And I must mention that this land is close to town and incredibly expensive, completely out of our price range for the foreseeable future.

So this Christmas we decided it was time to find our own place (preferably without green shag carpeting and flocked wallpaper, they are a pain to remove) and we fell in love with a cute house (pictured above) that will be perfect for our family.  It was built only 30 years ago but looks vintage, is only 10 minutes from my husband's work, is located in the town where my husband and I grew up in and met for the very first time, is close to both our families, and has a large yard with trees and plenty of room for my little boys to run and play.

So the chickens have been divided among neighbors, friends, and my parents (they have a baker's dozen so that we can share the fresh eggs) and I am sitting typing in a room covered in half-filled (or half-empty, however you want to see it) boxes of books, toys, albums, etc.  And right now I am reminded how much I really hate moving. It is a bit overwhelming.

I will be hit or miss on the computer the next week until we settle in our new home.  But I am really excited about our new adventure and will be taking plenty of photos.  The boys aren't bittersweet at all about the move because the new house has dirt and stairs, two of their favorite things.

My husband is not going to miss those chicken snakes. He really hates snakes.  ;-)

I think I am going to turn off the computer and drink a glass of red wine with my husband.  And take a bubble bath.  It is going to be a long week...

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31 comments:

  1. Is that a picture of your new home? How lovely and picturesque! I hate moving too, but I love setting up and decorating a new place. Good luck and I sure hope it all goes smoothly for you guys. What you give up in land space, you'll make up for in quality of life!

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  2. God bless you, darling, you are quite the tough cookie :) Moving can bring out the worse in you, so go for the wine and the bubble bath and take it one day at a time!

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  3. I so feel you!! We have 13 acres with Libby, Lucy and Bernie Madoff the goats, plus Doris the Evil cow. We bought the land and built the house 15 years ago..now it's 3000 sq foot with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths that have to be cleaned even though they aren't used. We use the kitchen, laundry room, den and office and out bedroom. We don't own this place, it owns us! Like you I see the beauty in it everyday, but my husband sees just another job and not time to enjoy it. Our kids are grown and gone and now 2 grandsons later, we are tired! But I can't bring myself to to let go of our dream home...we did this together and I am just too sentimental to sell! Good luck on your adventure!
    By Patsy J. Lander on New Beginnings with Loved Ones

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  4. Congratulations! What a beautiful new home you have. Moving sucks, but just think of all the potential of life in the new place. Fun! Good luck with the move.

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  5. Beeing a farmers wife I know your husbands feeling, and yours. I wich you and your family a very warm and happy life in the pretty house.
    Regards
    Renée
    PS. Thank you ever so much for all your sharings DS

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  6. First things first - congrats on your first home!!! Secondly, changes are good and you will love your new house. You will be your own landlord. That's so much fun!
    I have moved too many times to even think of the move as of something stressful. I will be moving from Italy back to the US in a couple of months and I know the best thing I can do is to have a glass of wine and not to stress out about movers breaking stuff, me packing it, transit, living without house-hold goods for a month or two....
    Life is too short to stress out about a change. Have a glass of wine! Cheers! ;)

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  7. It's wonderful that you can move into your own house. What a blessing! I'll be praying for a smooth move (and for lots of rest and relaxation afterwards).

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  8. I love, love, love your new home!! So happy for you!!!

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  9. Congrats on your beautiful new home and best of luck with your move!

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  10. Congratulations on your new home! When I was a kid, all I wanted from a house was stairs too!! How great that you were able to find a place that met your needs AND wants :). I hope you have many happy years there!

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  11. My husband and I have been married almost 44 years. We have moved a number of times. Each place, with its memories, occupies a small corner of my heart.You eventually have a wonderful patchwork of memories. Sounds as if you will do fine. I just disliked dealing with the empty boxes after unpacking, but your boys will be sure to build all kinds of things with them.

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  12. Oh my goodness! Your new house is beautiful! It sounds like it was a wise and good move for all of you. Good luck with all the moving and enjoy your wine and bubble bath.

    Blessings,
    Jamie

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  13. It's lovely! I too love the look of the older homes. We have worked really hard in making our now 22 yr old home look more traditional and I am very thankful my husband is very handy with tools and such. It will be wonderful for you to have your own home, I am very happy for you and your family. We live in the suburbs and my husband would love to get back in the country but at this point it just doesn't seem possible, but so thankful for what we do have. Congratulations Rita!
    Doreen

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  14. Congratulations on your beautiful new home! I hope you and your family will have an easy transition.

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  15. You house is beautiful! I hate moving, too, so you have my sympathies there. But, it's a great opportunity to clean out all the accumulated stuff! Enjoy your glass of wine and don't give the blog a thought--we'll be just fine until you get back here. :-)

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  16. you have a wonderful way with words, thanks for sharing. Your new home looks beautiful! congrats to you and your family. we'll be here when you get back.

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  17. Congratulations on your new home. It's looks awesome. I hope all goes well with your move. It's always such a big job. Can't wait to see pictures once you are settled.

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  18. Congratulations on the new home! Good luck to you all. The house is adorable.

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  19. WOW! What a fabulous new step :) moving stinks- but the end result can be pretty awesome :) Congrats on your purchase!!!

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  20. The house looks adorable! And although it still looks big to me, it will be less upkeep and more time for other things. Your husband is wise thinking ahead.

    I've learned that it's not the house itself but the people and love within that makes a house a home. I'm sure yours will be lovely.

    Many blessings,
    Debbie

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  21. What a beautiful new home! At first I thought that was the one you were leaving, and I was sad for it. Lol I hope you have a wonderful moving experience, despite the work it takes, and the best of luck to you (and the best of dirt and stairs to your boys!).

    Paulette

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  22. Your new home looks so charming. I hope you'll be so happy there! Best of luck with the move. It is so much work, I know. Hang in there ;)

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  23. Praying your move goes smoothly... Looks like your new home is beautiful!

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  24. We moved in December right before Christmas and I hated every second of it. I love our new home though. It has so much character and really feels like home. Your new house looks gorgeous. I hope the move goes smoothly and you are able to call it home soon :o)

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  25. Your new house looks so whimsical! Sounds like a good move for all, congratulations and good luck.

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  26. I love your new house! I actually love to move too but I have so much of my life doing it that it is 2nd hand to me. I imagine after living in the same place for so long that it would be very hard. My record in one place is 6 years so that's a lot less stuff to accumulate. When we moved into our current house less than a year ago we had downsized quite a bit and only brought things we really loved/needed with us. It felt great. I wish you much luck and peace during your move!

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  27. Oh my goodness!! What a fantastic house! It is just adorable - looks like my dream house~ :-)
    Wishing you a quick, easy move and hoping you love your new home!

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  28. The house looks wonderful! I love that it's new-ish, yet looks like it has a lot of old school charm. Good luck with the move!!

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  29. Rita,

    The picture of your new home is beautiful!!! I look forward to many pictures and stories you'll share with your readers about your new adventure .... I'm so excited for you and your family!!!! As for the chickens .... I used to have a pet chicken and man she was so fun to have ... I know, it's an odd thing to have as a pet but she had her own personality.

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  30. I love your new house!!! That is exactly what I would love to find, unfortnately they don't exist up here! I am glad you guys will be finding a bit of peace and sanity in your new home! Looking forward to the tales of the new homestead!

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Rita