SETTLING IN

Our new house on moving day.

We officially moved into our new home on July 6, a full month ago already. I'm sincerely sorry for the lack of updates during the process of getting settled. This month has been full of adjustment--unpacking, exploring our new neighborhood, continuing to learn how to be a mom of two, etc. (We also managed to take a week of vacation in there as well!) I'm now in my final week of maternity leave, so yet another new chapter is about to begin. There have (of course) been a few small hiccups here and there, but all these back-to-back life transitions have gone so well so far that I'm feeling strong and ready to face what's next.

I have to give Willa a lot of credit for this, because she has been sleeping through the night for more than two weeks now! Go Willa! (Johnnie was like eight months old before we got a full night of sleep.)

Anyway, I expected moving day -- which was also settlement day -- to be an emotional one, but all I felt was eagerness to get into the new house and start unpacking. Our buyers were so beyond excited to move in that thirtyeight20 had already begun to feel like their house; and as soon as our stuff was plopped inside the door, our new home was truly home. I'm very grateful for that. The moral of this blog is that seven years of renovating is a very long time, but in the end it's just a house.

I think we all knew that all along.

As I mentioned, we bought our new house from friends (hi, M+E!) who had very much loved and taken care of it during their nine years here. While there are a few things we'll update in time -- some paint here, a new light fixture there -- this house really needs nothing right now. Even simple details like the awesome shower heads and the thoughtful placement of the attic light switch have felt like little gifts. The kitchen cabinets aren't beautiful (they're builder grade oak), but the layout is so great I want to leave them as is. I may paint them one day for kicks, but no rush.

I guess what I'm saying is that it's wonderful to look around and not see Projects everywhere.

The one thing we've had to do is buy some new furniture since we sold a lot of it along with the house. So far I've bought new chairs for the dining room and front porch, as well as a new dresser for me since my beloved Ikea PAX had to stay behind. Ez is building another dining table, and I'm looking at a couple new pieces for the living room. Though I've been dealing with back-order issues and things arriving in wrong colors, this is way more fun than puzzling over where HVAC ducts should go! :)

I still haven't figured out my exact plan for this blog going forward, but I don't think I can let it go quite yet. I think blogging was actually my favorite part of the whole renovation -- which, despite everything, was a really rewarding experience.

Now if you'll excuse me, the girls are about to wake up from their naps and I think we'll walk to the ice cream shop, just because we can.