Resigned to the fact...

In July 2005 I was living in my condo on Happy Canyon Road. Single, recently out of a 7 year relationship and at the point where I was pretty sure my life was over. I had RESIGNED myself to the fact that I would never find love again. I was watching an Oprah on single woman and how they often put their lives on hold for men. For example, one lady had never hung any art in her condo because she "might" someday meet someone and move again, and why hang art now?

It got me thinking....Screw men! I had a great high paying job, I could buy another house. And not only would I buy a house, I would buy the house that I had always wanted but thought I needed to be married to buy. I decided I needed another year to save for a big downpayment.

I was having lunch with my mom that summer and telling her of my plans, yet whining about my condo...how I had outgrown it, how it reminded me of "him" and she said, "Bree, you don't need a $450k house! Why don't you just look now and see if you can find anything you like and can afford with what you have now?" A lightbulb went off! Why didn't I?

Soon I was house hunting in University Hills and quickly found "the one"- cute ranch with big yard and the best part, you ask? 100% gutted and remodeled, with a huge Master and extra bathroom. Not a single upgrade to be done! Sold!

I was out of that condo in a flash, and inadvertenly became a landlord ( ps- anyone want to buy a condo?)

I love, love, love this house. It's been home to "Happy Single Bree", it's been the home that welcomed in RMGDRI fosters and helped create BDHPI, it's the home where in the summer I can open the Barndoor in the Master bedroom & smell the grass, it's the home where I met & married Brian. It makes me happy!

BUT

it is too small now, not enough storage, only a 1 car garage ( oh, and 4 dogs!).

I also made a mistake- in August 2005 I bought the nicest and most expensive house on the block. Now in March 2010, we can't get enough out of it yet to have a sizable down payment for something else.

So, we have RESIGNED ourselves to the fact we are going to be staying at 3400 S Grape St for another 1-2 years! By than, we will have a ton of equity and we can buy our dream house ( ie, dream house non PowerBall style)

With that in mind, we have a few projects that we are doing this month and next to upgrade the things that we want : new tile floors in the kitchen, along with a fancy new sink & faucet, re-staining of the hardwoods floors and maybe, just maybe a new walkway and entrance to the house.

Making adult decisions are not fun. Not being impulsive is not fun. Not being able to park in the garage because it's our storage unit is not fun. Watching everyone else go to Mexico and instead using our money on the above mentioned items and Baby Dew attempt #4, is not fun. BUT, it's what we are RESIGNED to and we might as well make the best of it! And who knows, maybe 3400 S Grape St will welcome a Baby Dew? Than, we can move on.