After months and months of a very tedious and complicated real estate transaction, we finally closed on our new house this past week. These are photos from the real estate web site and someday they will serve as "before" when comparing to "after". We feel beyond blessed to finally live closer to schools, work, and activities our children are involved in downtown.
Read the end of this post for the Readers Digest version of our miracle.
Front door. The round windows to the left are the office.
If you enlarge the photo, you will note that the windows and doors are framed with
decorative mediterranean tiles.
There are beautiful pots and
plants all over the patio and yard.
It is as the real estate ad described- "A Charming Mediterranean-Style House"
Another view of the front door. It is too hard to see in a photo,
but there is a very funky door knocker on the front door. It is a large brass hand.
The back yard. Patio, pots and beautiful plants.
Can't wait to start playing outside when the weather is cooler.
It is a very cute yard and patio.
Another view of the patio and the back of the house.
The french doors go to the master bedroom.
There is another set of french doors that goes to the living/family room.
The side of the house. The doors on the left go in to the kitchen.
Up on the second floor, you will note a set of french doors.
They lead to a "Juliet" balcony located outside of Katherine's room.
There is a yellow and white striped awning that will be re-attached
after the pressure washing is complete.
View of the kitchen and breakfast nook.
DIning Room with the furniture that came with the house.
Lovely and handy for Ron and I today as we ate our first meal together
in the new house.
Master Bedroom-walks out to patio in back.
You may note at the point-there is not a stitch of carpet in the entire house.
Tile Tile Tile which means I am on the lookout for Rugs Rugs Rugs
Master Bathroom-very spacious.
Megan's Bathroom. It will be stonewashed blue next time a photo is posted.
Stairs view from upstaris with an enormous mirror at the landing.
The mirror's frame with be gold/ bronze/ pewter-ish the next time I post a photo.
Still toying with some fun updates for the banister and rails.
If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have seen some of my stair ideas.
The stairs looking up. Some day, the tile in this house will be replaced
with wood like we have in our current house, but for now,
a carpet runner is on my radar for these stairs.
They are not the most attractive but have a lot of potential.
They are wide and tall. The closet underneath the stairs is HUGE
and tall enough we can walk inside,
unlike most closets under the stairs that are more like crawl spaces.
Downstairs guest bath. It has a funky shower "door" aka a sheet of thick glass.
The striped wallpaper is coming down (already in process)
and this room will have a brand new look and feel.
This is the bathroom that you, my guests, will see the most when you visit.
The Office. One of the coolest rooms in the house, but in need of some work and update.
This room has some sort of "grasscloth" rug on the floor with
ceramic tiles attached to the perimeter and those white shelves are bolted to the ceramic tiles.
They are coming up.
This is the first room you see when you enter the house and go through the foyer.
Generally, it will be Ron's "Man-cave" but Andrew will sleep here when he visits.
Katherines room. Her 44" desk will fit in between the two closets in the 48" space.
She has yellow, green, and a bright berry pink/red accent in her bedspread
so you will see those colors pop to life as we get her room painted and decorated.
Megan's room. I know, right? She has a built in library with beautiful shelves.
The books came with the house and she is sorting through them.
There are books in several languages.
Her room will have pops of navy, mustard and chinese/poppy red. Fairly neutral wall color.
Both of the girls chose their bedspreads and color schemes. I am using this move to teach them about planning a room, painting, decorating, budgeting your decorating dollar, etc.
I am using soft tones, nothing too bold or bright so I can use all my reds, golds, poppies, yellows, oranges, etc in the accents. Many pops of color.
Here is the Reader's Digest version of our miracle:
So our Plan A was to move to WPB closer to schools, work, and activities.
Then Plan B derailed Plan A (think campaign and election)
When Plan B turned out the way it was supposed to, we were able to go back to Plan A and move forward.
Many factors made it possible for this house to be placed in our path at the exact time we were ready to pursue Plan A. We know the Lord opened many doors for our family to be at this point.
We have been quiet about many of the details of this move for fear it would not go through at the last minute, but deep inside, we knew it was right and would eventually come together. This move felt more right than anything we have experienced in a very long time. It was so clear as to where were should look for a house, what Ward (congregation) we should be in, how close we should be to schools, etc. It was just so very clear. And now that the pieces of this puzzle are together, there is no doubt it is right.
We have attended our new Ward (congregation) all summer where the girls are very happy and settled in. This was putting the "cart before the horse" but they had to attend camp with that Ward and Stake due to our school still being in session and it was important for them to bond with their new youth group. It just did not make sense to bounce them back and forth when we knew we would be moving. They are part of one of the most amazing youth groups I have seen in the Church. We did not see that coming and it has been one of the most delightful surprises in this entire experience.
In our absence from our former ward, It has been interesting to hear the "stories" aka "gossip" as to where we are and why we are moving (from the Ward we have lived in for the past 20 years). The stories grow more wild (and disheartening) each time one comes back to us. It has given me the resolve to be extremely careful about the way I speak and talk about other people and their lives.
Once the word was out about our move to another town, I expected raised eyebrows and crazy rumors around town that we are moving because of the election results, etc. But the people in this town and my friends all over town know better than that and I haven't had any wild stories come my way from around the community. Most people know we have been hoping to move for quite some time now. Downsizing has been a big goal for our family. I will miss Wellington and the hometown I have my heart in, but I will not miss putting over 100 miles per day on my car 5 days per week.I truly love the Village of Wellington and so many people who live here.
Of course, there is a full chapter book to write about this miracle. It is a long post that I have written and then try to shorten. There are so many twists and turns that led us to make this move, all of which were directed by Heavenly Father.
Stay tuned for the chapter book.
And meanwhile, if you are local, join me for a day of packing or cleaning at either house. No, we have not sold our current house, but that is the next miracle.
