I grew up with a very eclectic home life. We never stayed in our homes very long. My dad was a realtor, so we moved every time he came across a house that he thought would be just perfect for us. The walls stayed white, only a few pictures would be hung and our basement was always full of boxes, waiting for the next move. Some years, I'd attend 3 different schools. It became harder and harder to say goodbye to my new friends and make new ones. That has affected me all my life. And I knew from a young age that all I wanted and all I craved was "home" ~ a place to be, to live, to grow. A place to put down roots and stay put. Home.
My dh had a similar experience with moving frequently but his was more centred around their lifestyle choice to not buy but rent. So if the rent went up, they'd move. If they moved in and didn't like something about that neighborhood, they'd move. If they settled in and then his dad was transferred, they'd move. He went to multiple schools like I did. And he also had a wish for his family to have a more stable life.
For the first few years that we were married, we did flip houses so we could move up the ladder. Our 1st house, we had for 4 years and that felt like forever, especially because we knew it was not our forever home. Our 2nd home we stayed for 1.5 years, our 3rd home was 2 years and then we had a temporary stay in a condo for 2 months when we had a fire in that house and had to rebuild. We moved back but it was super hard on the kids. We knew we'd have to move at some point so they could settle again. Then we visited a home that had gone on the market quite by accident. We were out and about one day and happened to drive by a home we had seen 10 years before when it was a show home. And there it was, our then dream home, up for sale, newly renovated and in our price range. We stayed in that home for 24 years, and then when we built this cottage, we chose to keep the house as our dd was at the time interested in buying it down the road. She's now changed her mind, our beloved tenants are ready to move back home and we're ready to sell. We're meeting our realtor at the house this afternoon. Ironically, we bought it 30 years ago tomorrow and if all goes well today, that's when it will hit the market. Nervous but hopeful we'll find a lovely family to buy it, and love it like we did, all these years. Our kids never had to move schools, or pack up their rooms (until they formally moved out), never had to wonder if they'd have to leave their very loved play room or their amazing back yard. Our 5th home was a good solid house that is now be ready for a new young family. Fingers crossed for a quick sale.
The cottage is our 6th home. It's taken the last 6 years for it to finally feel like it's truly ours. Finally, we are home. We know we won't be here forever as in time, the work of keeping an acreage in decent shape will become too much as we age. At that point, we'll be retired and either move out to our little island in a tiny home OR have a condo here OR do both! Whatever we decide at that time, we know we'll look back with fond memories of this home. We created every nook and cranny, the look, the feel and the atmosphere. It is just as we hoped and we still pinch ourselves that we get to live here every day. I love coming home when it's dark but lights are on. I love walking in to the warmth of life in our little cottage. I love we went bold and didn't follow what the builder and his wife suggested to stay "neutral" and "in trend" but instead painted our walls a lovely lavender and created the "English kitchen" of our dreams, centred around our AGA. There's nothing we would change, though over Covid we realized a separate office space would be handy (on our wish list now). I love the look of our blinds, the light that highlights the butler's pantry, the turret that spans 3 stories, the balcony overlooking the front door, the many windows letting natural light in and the fireplaces that keep us warm on cool nights and rainy afternoons. I know this home will be the hardest one to sell down the road. Not hard in that no one will buy it because we've already had realtors gush over it and tell us it will sell no problem. But it will be hard to leave. I'm sure tears will be shed. My hope will be at that point that a beautiful family wishing to live in the country (but not far from town) will fall in love and embrace this sweet space. Thankful though that we don't have to think about this for a long time. For now, we love it, we live in it and we continue to make it even better. I hope where ever you reside, for you, it is HOME. Namaste dear blogging buddies. Thank you for stopping by our home!
~ Chy
