Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

It feels so good to be back!

After two years, dozens of meeting with architects, engineers, inspectors, making hundreds (although it seemed like thousands) of decisions, gritting our teeth through many, many mistakes (often not by us), laying up nights worrying about how it was all going to get done, enduring setback after setback, we kept pushing the grand vision of our family's future home to the fore. To have done otherwise would have meant insanity. Yes, it was hard.

But we did it. And like childbirth, I can barely remember the pain. I think. I never would have imagined that such a small house would have required so much, but I suppose when you are watching every penny, it just has to. 

And now that were here, what I love most is living with all of those details and feeling the care behind them. Everything from the door knobs to the lightbulbs, the color of the lightswtiches to the pulls on the cabinets, gives our house the feeling that it's uniquely ours, that it's a true reflection of who we are and how we live.

It's a treat to see just how much the boys needed more space and to be able to play outdoors, even without a real backyard, yet. 

We've already celebrated two birthdays and the new kindergartener in the house. Our neighbors have brought us homemade lemonade, brought the kids toys, given us the neighborhood lowdown. And there are lots of kids to play with and invite over. It's the first time I've ever really felt part of the community where I live. I'm even helping to get speed bumps put on our street. I mean come on! 

It's taken me a while to emerge and feel the rhythm of my life return. But I'm glad to be back in this space, and hoping to reconnect with all of you too.