When Does A House Become a Home?

For the last 10 years this house has been filled with many things: a new-ish marriage, babies into children x 2, many days and nights of decisions about the serious and not so serious.

Last night we signed what seemed like a bazillion papers to make our home someone else's dream. In the past weeks of crazy days trying to get everything market ready is has been easy to forget that I have loved this house for so many reasons. On a hot summer day much like today we rounded the backyard for the first time, saw the porch and knew if was our house.

We have spent many a sundrenched afternoon under the shade of a huge fig tree on that porch, watched the boys play from the swing, and walked to the nearby park nearly every day.

For all the reasons we have called it home it was a good, good run. As someone who would rather do most anything than home improvement, the last weeks have been tiresome and frankly I have been a real joy to be around. The last thing you will most likely hear me say involves a love of products purchased at Home Depot.

I leave this morning with the boys on a week long trip to see my mom for a few days then onto Florida to see my inlaws then back to help with my mom who recently had two minor surgeries. We will stay for a couple more days with her before returning home late next week.

Ben's 5th birthday, the official start to summer, a new daily schedule, new schools for Ben and Ian, con't nightly packing and cleaning, and a transition to a new home will take up our days when we return. But for the next week I will lounging by the pool, taking the boys to the beach, and staying up late with like-minded late-night lovin' family (which is all of them.)

I never imaged that I would spend a decade in one place and I think I underestimated just how much 10 years would look like in a well loved home. As we walked through last night with our agent, he pointed out just how much this house has to offer, esp to someone similar to us a decade ago.

I agreed and I hope the right family is out there waiting to know the same.