I'm completely in love with our new home. I know I have some blinders on {as one does with new love}, but I see so many great things for our family in the house. I already feel like it will be a wonderful home for us and our pups and whatever other little creatures may come our way in the future.
However, in an attempt at documenting everything that's going on in the process, I wanted to write about {and address} some of the things people have said to me/us over the last couple of weeks.
Well-Meaner #1: Why would you give up your beautiful farm for a little house in town?
I've written about how hard it will be to leave our farm. It's not really something I expected to do when we bought it 3 years ago. But, the reality is that our new house is equally beautiful for a number of different reasons. We're not giving up on anything. We're making a decision to leave behind a wonderful piece of property and a house that has been our home for 3 years. I know the next owners, whoever they might be, will love it just as much as we have. It was such a difficult decision to come to, but it's one we thought carefully about for a long time. And, for the record...the houses are the same size as far as square feet goes...they're just laid out in different ways.
What we are giving up, however, is a lot of driving {both to see our families and to go to work}. We're giving up a distance that separates us from of the people we're closest to in the world. We're giving up a lot of unnecessary things that we've collected over the last few years. We're giving up spending a lot of extra money on a mortgage payment.
Well-Meaner #2: Oh, you must not need a large kitchen.
Let me start out by saying that while our new kitchen isn't as large as our current kitchen, I don't feel like it's a small kitchen by any means. I also feel like we have the same amount of counter space and storage {I think we actually have more cabinets and drawers}.
Does one actually need a large kitchen? Does the size of my kitchen affect how the food I cook there tastes? Does anyone actually care how much square footage is available when they're laughing together over a meal? I'm going to go with "no" on these items, and they're really all that matter to me. I love that our kitchen is open, I love that it overlooks both the dining room and the living room, and I love that no matter what common area Mike & I are in, we'll be able to spend time together. It's very rare that we're actually doing the same thing at the same time, so we find ourselves separated even when we're home together - this "small" but open kitchen will eliminate that issue.
Well-Meaner #3: You'll regret giving up your house. Think carefully.
No. I won't. I may miss it from time to time {probably often, especially in the fall}, but I won't regret the move. I have very few regrets in my life, and this won't be one of them. Every new adventure is a joy and a challenge all at once, but every single thing that's happened to me in my life has been a blessing. Sometimes it takes a little time to figure out why, but it's there if you look hard enough.
Additionally, Mike & I are generally thoughtful people. We don't tend to rush into big decisions {especially Mike, he's very cautious}, we like to look at every angle, and I like to analyze things to death. I'm a little offended, Well-Meaner #3, that you think we wouldn't have thought this through before making a step.
I'm not addressing any of these comments on my blog to "call anyone out." I did that when the comment was made to the person who made it. I don't enjoy defending my actions & decisions {and I don't do it very often}, but I'm extremely proud of this new house and our decision to make the move. And to give proper credit to my friends and family, everyone has said how beautiful the new house is and how they can't wait to see it and appreciate all the little details.
Home is truly where the heart is. It will be in this new house, it's in our current house, and it was in our tiny apartment before this. As much as I've loved and will love the buildings we reside in together {well, maybe not the apartment so much!}, they're just buildings. It's love & family & friends that makes those buildings special...seeing my puppies run around the yard or having friends over to watch a movie or having the floor covered in wrapping paper after Christmas dinner.
So, Well-Meaners, I appreciate your opinions. If we weren't so close, I know you wouldn't have shared them with me. I know you're looking out for our best interests. I know you want to help us see clearly when making this decision. Rest assured, we are thrilled with our new house and can't wait to make it our new home.
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