Friday, September 30th, 2005

365 Days Later

On September 30, 2004, we raced from law office to law office, accepting a check for the sale of our 1960s ranch-style and immediately handing it over for the 1902 Victorian. I was nervous.

Owning an old house had been my dream for as long as I could remember, and it was coming true. Yet every time I sign a contract obligating me to years of payments, I feel a little woozy.

On top of that, we were moving to a new town. Giving up my 8-minute and D’s 20-minute commute for 40 minutes each. Giving up proximity to our relatives for a more arm’s-length distance.

Most people thought we were crazy. Most people still do. Why would anyone choose to commute farther? There are good houses in Tuscaloosa – why couldn’t we just buy one of them? Why Eutaw? It’s so tiny. It doesn’t have a movie theater! The schools – ugh! And why would we want an old house? Didn’t we know that it would always need work?

We answered their questions – and still do – with a smile and a positive spin. The raw truth is this: the commute isn’t ideal (especially with the gas prices now), and I do wish Eutaw had a movie theater and a couple more restaurants.

But? Owning and living in an old house is as wonderful as I dreamed. And Eutaw offers even more than I originally expected. Like community. The place is chock full of awesome people who care about each other and the town. It’s the kind of small town I always daydreamed about, the kind that in some ways seems stuck in a time warp and in others is incredibly modern.

Like with our marriage, it’s hard to believe so much time has passed, and at the same time, it feels as if we’ve been here forever. We belong together, and we belong in Eutaw, in our house. It’s home.

posted by K | filed under Commentary | 4 Comments

Comments

4 Responses to “365 Days Later”

  1. Beth on September 30th, 2005 12:49 pm

    Hurrah for good marriages and old houses!

  2. Sabrina on September 30th, 2005 2:48 pm

    Congratulations! I can’t decide if it seems like just yesterday or if it feels like a hundred years have past, but either way its a milestone to be celebrated! Pass the cake!

  3. Jocelyn on October 1st, 2005 5:45 pm

    how lucky you are to have found “your place”. Where I live is very different from where you live, but what matters is that feeling of home and I love that also. Nice post Kristen :)

  4. halloweenlover on October 3rd, 2005 12:43 pm

    Another thing we have in common! Our one year home anniversary is coming up on October 29th!

    Congrats and happy houseiversary!

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