I love your brain

So it’s been years since I wrote anything here but we’ve sold our home of nearly 30 years (actually longer for me because I lived there before I met Dan) and we’re embarking on a new adventure. Much as we love our home and especially the gorgeous backyard we created about ten years ago, complete with a pool and outdoor kitchen, it just doesn’t serve Cole well and we need to do something different. We’re opting to rent for a couple of years, maybe more, until we better know where Cole will land when he’s ready for a group home situation, so the hunt is on for a bigger, more open space, pool, and decent sized bathrooms with tub or walk-in showers that can accommodate his bathchair.

Yesterday we had a chance to look at four houses. A couple were very high on our preference list and seemed to check off most boxes. There is one house in particular that we LOVE. And it lived up to every expectation. We’ve submitted an application and are hoping that despite our credit not being stellar, our income is significant and we believe we’ll be pretty fucking great tenants. We like our spaces to be warm, clean, stylish and well cared for. We’d bring the same to a rental. We’re on pins and needles waiting for everything to get reviewed and to know if this is the place.

As you can imagine, this is a really big deal for us. The house we are leaving was my grandparents house. My mom grew up in Cole’s room. I spent my whole life visiting or living in this house. It’s special and beautiful. It’s just too damn small (only 1,158 square feet with two bedrooms and one tiny bath). The backyard transformation gave us a lot more living space since you can be outside in Southern California nearly year round. It’s the only home Cole has known in his almost twenty-five years and we’ve build so many memories and traditions with our extended family and friends over the years.

Strangely, I don’t feel as sad about leaving as I thought I might. I’m sure it will come in waves as we pour through all of our stuff and pack up but I feel more thrill about setting up a new space, a new home, even if it’s not exactly our home. The notion of really culling our take-along furniture, clothes, and stuff feels liberating and having a chance to introduce beloved things into a new space, in different configurations with art shifting from familiar companions to create new inspiration. The idea of having more space to store things, and to feature treasures delights me.

I can’t wait to welcome loved ones to share space with us when we land…