Purposeful Steps

Papers have been signed, photos have been taken, and soon, a sign will be in the yard. That's right- this beautiful house is for sale! I'm very excited we're making such progress in our goal to go after the life we really want. It is scary, to put this house on the market when the market itself is so dry. Let's call this an act of extreme trust in our realtor. There are and handfull of people who have helped me in very stressful times in my life;  parents, aunts, nurses, wedding planner, and now, realtor. If you find a good one, hold on tight!

We hope more properties pop up in our favorite rural area, south-east of the metro area soon. For now, bring on the showings, because this house is CLEAN! 

A New Year

The first day of a new year lends itself to pondering my life's meaning. I can't help it. Intention is in the air. Purpose pulls at me- Find yourself. Figure things out.

It's easy to see this year will be another of pivotal change for our family. We're unsettled in our current house and are in the process of finding a home in a new area. We're hoping to embark on a new way of living, homesteading. We want to grow our own food, learn to hunt, care for, and cultivate. We want to spend much more time outside and much less inside. These are the things we're keeping in mind as our house-hunt evolves into a land-hunt. The other side of this adventure is preparing our current house to show, and hopefully sell. Sorting through belongings, downsizing, decluttering, cleaning- such tasks are less fun than hanging out with our realtor, yet obviously essential. It feels good to have a purpose after spinning our wheels a bit over the holidays.

On a personal level, this year I'll be writing more. I have so many ideas percolating, and I've always found writing to be therapeutic. I can't wait to dive back in. I'll have to make a conscious effort to invest more time in this area. 

Overall, there is nothing new in our 2013 agenda. We're always trying to do better, learn more, and get to the point. What the New Year does, is solidify those things we want to do, and bring new life to our goals. For that, I'm grateful to this day.

The Hunt Continues

I'm pretty excited about the group of houses we're looking at tomorrow with our realtor. All are on the west side of Denver, some in Lakewood, and some in Littleton. We're taking our time and really trying to find "our" house. The biggest items on our list are mature trees, fenced backyard, and an open kitchen. Other priorities are proximity to light rail and walkable neighborhoods. So far we've seen awful houses in just the right area, and great houses in areas that leave much to be desired. The one house so far that we've loved only has two bedrooms and one bathroom, so we took that one off the list. Trying to keep an open mind, and let patience keep me clear-eyed.

On the lookout...

Home Sweet Meh

Last Spring we lost our rental when it was foreclosed and auctioned. We were so sad. We had planned on renting that house for at least a few more years, giving Steve time to become an American citizen and begin to build credit. Instead we were faced with eviction, plus a rental market taking full advantage of desperate non-home-owners. Once we realized we could not afford to rent in the Denver Metro Area, we called a realtor and learned we would be able to buy with my credit alone. We had one weekend to find a house. I don't recommend anyone buy under that sort of pressure, if it's at all avoidable. Looking back, we did what we needed to do, but oh do I feel we've paid the cost.

The Denver Metro Area is vast, made up by several suburbs and neighborhoods, all smooshed together like a jigsaw puzzle. Finding the right place to live when you're a transplant is tricky. We ended up with a brand new beautiful home in the absolute wrong-for-us part of town. We did the best we could. We thought we'd adjust and love it here, but several months later we find ourselves still unsettled.

We're working with a realtor to see what else is available to us back on the west part of town where we lived the first year and a half after moving to Colorado. If we find something we love, we'll list this house and hopefully navigate the closing dance without too much trauma.

It's hard to admit, sometimes, that change is needed. It's even harder, I think, to come to terms with not loving a place you really, really want to love. But sometimes the fear of change is less scary than the idea of just muddling through, never really comfortable, never really blooming.