Close to home

That’s my new house. At least, it will be in six to nine months. The exact date of completion is somewhat nebulous and depends on whether one believes the builder or the neighbors who have already moved in and found that their move-in dates that were moving targets.

Nonetheless I am excited beyond words about this adventure! My husband Rob and I have been married 28 years and lived in three different houses (a couple of apartments too, in the early days). But our tastes and our means have always been pretty modest. We’ve never remodeled anything that we didn’t do ourselves, never replaced anything until the old one wore out. We’ve never even bought a new refrigerator before! (For the new house I “upgraded” to one with an ice maker! Whoooo hoooo! We’re in the big leagues now!)

But one also needs to buy un-sexy items like furnaces, and think about things that I’ve always taken for granted, such as where the outlets should go. Fortunately there are plenty of pretty things to pick out, like tile for the master bath and eventually new furniture and drapes.

The trek to our new house from our current house is just a few miles, so I can check on its progress frequently. The fact that we are incredibly blessed is not lost on me. The last time I was at the house checking on things I was looking out from the window that will be right over the sink in my new kitchen. The view is amazing, but more than my appreciation for the lovely surroundings, I found myself thanking my lucky stars for this wonderful life that I get to live.

Sure, I lost a lot of weight and spend a lot of time thinking and writing about that, but I have this amazing family that I’ve created (along with my long-suffering husband). I get to love and care for them – and maybe even grandkids, someday! – in this beautiful new home. And because I lost all that weight and live a healthy lifestyle now, I’ll probably get to do that for decades to come.

Home is good.

Home is love.

Think I’ll stay close to home.