Settling

We have lived in our new house for almost a month. Actually, we have been out of town a lot of that time, but we are so happy to be in the new place. Horror story of horrors: We got the keys the night before we left out of town for ten days. So Monday night, Jeff installed new locks on the doors while I cleaned the house. We laid down plastic so the movers could walk freely and we wouldn't worry about their dirty shoes (I come from a strict 'no shoes' household so naturally I'm continuing the rule). At 8 am the next morning, the movers moved us out of  our apartment and into the new place. If you've never used movers, you need to. It was well worth the money to watch someone else sweat in this insane heat. And it's almost comical how strong they are, and how easily they lift and carry the boxes I think are most awkward. After they finished unloading the truck, we showered up and left our new home, all boxed up but safely locked inside.

The trip to California (my childhood home) was filled with highs and lows. My brother coming home from his mission was a definite high. He is a man now. I love and respect him so much. We went down to Disneyland--another high. It was so fun. We stayed in Newport Beach, and that was really pretty. I'll spare you the lows. I am grateful the lows happened. When difficult things happen in life (especially in relationships) and I'm able to process and learn from them, I always come away feeling refreshed and like more of a whole person. This trip gave me that. As always, I was so happy to have my Jeff by my side. He is my match in every way.

But the house. We love our neighborhood. We have a two-car garage (no more bird poop!). We have more square footage. There is no Home Depot (or any commercial establishment) in sight. Overall, we love our new digs and are so happy to be living here for the next few years. We are hoping to rent it out once we outgrow it, which hopefully won't be for five years. Now the hardest part is decorating. What color should we paint it? What furniture should we get? What fixtures should we replace and which should we keep? One cosmetic flaw is the textured walls. Ick. We can spend days scraping, or leave them as is--we're leaning toward the latter. I have to keep reminding myself that we won't live here forever, so it doesn't have to be perfect.  Right now the walls are whitish with a peachy-tan undertone depending on the light. From far away I don't see the texture at all. One worry I have is when we do paint, will the color make the texture more pronounced? Anyone know? Anyone want to come give me design tips? Free hardwood flooring? Anyone?

Buying a house is just too much work.