365 days

Isn't this a lovely home? Isn't it a sweet color scheme, with its carefully selected clay-colored siding, cream trim (even on the corners of the siding), coordinated with the pillar color? Don't you think the burgundy was an excellent choice for the shutters-- the door paint was color matched with the vinyl shutters to ensure an exact match. Even the mailbox is burgundy! And the lawn is edged carefully, and watered faithfully. The fence was constructed to ensure privacy from neighbors and keep the dog evidence tidy. Also, behind that fence lies a color-coordinated vinyl shed and a swing set-- the quintessential play accessory for suburban children.

I know this because this was my home 366 days ago.

We had that house built for our family in 1999, on a lot of 8,569 square feet. It was a wonderful house, it was very homey, and we were ecstatic. It was the first house we ever owned, after being married for 9 years and moving 13 times. I kissed the walls in that house many times, thanking God and my lucky stars that I had such a wonderful place to live. It was very clean, very open, airy, and very sunny.

365 days ago we said goodbye to that house.

We moved to a house of similar size, but 80 years older than our previous home. The yard was a smidge larger, at 87,1200 square feet. The house had some dated decor, needed repairs, and with no central air, no dishwasher, and one bathroom (we had 3 in our previous house), it presented a drastic decrease in amenities. No swing set for the kids, just trees.

In the 365 days since we’ve lived at our farm, I have experienced so much. I have seen and heard birds that I didn’t know existed. I have listened to the coyotes bark and howl until the hairs on my neck stood straight. I have looked at the night sky so black that there is no doubt that those stars are light years away. I have watched storms move from one side of the horizon to the other, providing a dramatic light show as they crept.

As I have shared in my blog, I am trying to smell the roses, to dwell on the details and notice all of the beauty. And I couldn’t have picked a better place to be open to this beauty. Our amazing farm does not disappoint.

It’s also been a year of change for me. My expectations for a clean and orderly house have been abandoned. Sometimes I really worried deep down that I had issues like OCD, the way that my house had to be “just so.” Well, living here has cured me of that! I can’t physically keep up with the dust! Remember my issues with the mice? And snakes? And ticks?

I have lost over 25 pounds as we spend our time cleaning, moving, repairing, creating things outside. All of us have built much more muscle!

Our holidays mean more to us, and our expectations are lowered. But not really. It’s not like we are settling for less. We tried at Christmas time to prepare for the shock of getting no toys for the kids. Amazingly, L was beside himself with joy and pride as he unwrapped his own tool set. And he feels so big and important when he brings his tools out to help with a project. Is that really settling for less? I don’t think so.

The animals have initiated quite a change in our family as well. I write aobut them often, so you know how I feel about them. But we have changed our lives for them as well. Remember my trip to the hotel? We can’t go on vacation anymore without being sure to find someone to look after them.

It’s been an amazing year. I am so lucky to have what I have, to be able to enjoy the opportunities that living here provides. I am glad that I cherish the small things, too. They all add up to be life-changing.