It has been just over a year since we moved into our home, in a new town and a whole new reality. This year has seen constant changes - not just to our house, but to our lives, and ourselves. Realistically, the last 4 years have been full of constant changes -- from the moment we decided to move out to the Gorge to be closer to my mom, to selling our house in Portland and moving in with Dave's twin, to having multiple career changes in a couple of years, to buying this cute vintage house and finally, getting my mom moved in and settled in.
We have...refinished vintage wood floors, slept on a mattress on said floors, gutted and refinished a bathroom, removed multiple mold-infested window A/C units that were badly installed, dug down to the septic line only to find out it was disintegrating, gutted and refinished a garage studio, got the roofs replaced, spent hours cleaning up brambles and debris, paid the pros to remove the sliding glass door and install a new center door, and are now building our own linen closet. Oh, and painted...a lot.
In the 6 years we owned our Portland house, I think we only painted some rooms, added drywall and can lights to the garage, and did some landscaping and gardening. It blows my mind the difference between the two properties. Granted, this one has been sorely neglected and needs more work, but we also just have a totally different mindset.
Now that we have gotten through most of the major projects, it is time to slow down and take things one small project at a time. We are feeling much more settled in, and my little Taurus heart can't wait to put those roots down even further. I have a winter break coming up at work, and fully plan on tackling painting at least the other half of the living room. It will be a welcome change from staring at yellowed walls that absorb all the light. I am especially looking forward to finally hanging up some artwork!
Just today I finally went through and unpacked one of the last boxes of my belongings - my jewelry collection!
What is something that helps you feel settled into a new home? We have been building new routines and exploring our little town (like going on Skamania Lodge's Lighted Holiday Walk, below), as well as continously unpacking, assessing belongings and getting things set up "where they belong." I don't even mind cleaning this house - I find it a calming experience these days. There's just something about finding your true Home that feels so centering.
