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Guess what? "The norm" doesnt work for us.
- Aug 20, 2009 at 1:38 PM
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For a long time I have prided myself on being a free thinker. Someone who doesn't care what society has to say about her actions, looks, or thoughts...
But I'll tell you a secret. I let myself get dragged into doing something I never wanted to do.. something BIG.. and now its biting me in the ass. This free thinker and strong willed woman just completely folded, became complacent.. and let my life get out of control.
Flash back to 2004. I'm a newlywed.. its June and we are moving into a beautiful 2bd 2ba in the hip new building downtown. It has everything we want.. a pool, spa, gym, party room, close to work, close to play. Perfect for a new married couple. Come late July... I'm puking up my sushi and... wow.. we're knocked up! Yeah. It was the honeymoon, broken condom. We made a decision that night that we didn't want to prevent it (aka taking morning after) and if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. We were overjoyed when I took a PG test that night in July after I threw up in the popcorn bucket in the movie theatre.. and for some reason, my family went into nesting overdrive. But I didn't. DH was in the Navy and I saw no reason to get a house.. then again, he only had a few months left and was starting school soon, so I just gave up.
I didn't want to buy a house when we got pregnant. I was 100% happy in our old apartment. But everyone around me insisted it was "the best thing to do." (For whom?) So we did. And it was a great house. It was on the beach.. it had views to die for. It was cute and cozy. But it wasn't what I wanted, and it was a money pit. Our electric bill in our apartment was $35 a month, even in the winter, and utilities beyond that were included in our already tiny rent. In our house it was $300 a month for utilities, on top of our now 30 minute commute to school/work, on top of the giant monthly mortgage and all the other things that come with a HOUSE versus a rental.. like if something breaks.. guess who fixes it? It was too much for a full time college student and two entry level jobs to handle, especially with a newborn and the hours we were working to maintain.
So when DH graduated college, and found a job in Utah, we thought.. well... I guess prices are low there... we should buy. In two days we looked at 78 houses (seriously. I'm not exaggerating. We didn't go INTO them all because some were a no at first glance.) And we found ONE... only one we could and would live in. So it was a done deal. We bought it. Its your typical first house... here we are in a 3 bed 2 bath in suburbia, complete with two dogs and picket fence. We've been here two years... and I cant say we are any happier than we ever were in our apartment. Dont get me wrong, I appreciate what we have and I like painting the walls colors I want.. but I still think I want to right this wrong that's gone on for four years. I do not CARE about keeping up with the Joneses. I don't CARE about anyones perception of me or my family. I would much rather put $500 in the savings account every month than sit on my front deck and keep up a facade of happiness. It doesn't make me happy, and it doesn't make anyone else that happy either. We only use one of the bathrooms.. and two of the bedrooms. We so rarely use our dining room anymore that I considered turning it into an art studio. Its just wasted space, and I'm sick of DH having to commute an hour there and an hour back everyday 4 days a week. He already works 12 hour days.
So we've made up our minds. We're listing the house for sale. We wont make money on it.. the market fell flat about a week after we bought it two years ago. We will break even or we wont sell.. but I don't even care. I just want to be mobile. I want to know if DH gets a job somewhere else we can just pack up and leave. Now is the time. The kids are young, and the world is large. We have two requirements. A yard for our fur babies, because they are family and deserve the best I can find for them (I found one place with its own dog park! How cool is that?) and #2. that its in a good area. Thats it. Maybe it will take a month to sell. Maybe a year. Doesnt matter. The point is.. we're taking a step in the right direction.. we're one step closer to moving back to Washington which is the ultimate goal.. and we're doing what makes US happy.. not what we thought was the "right" thing to do.
Comments:
Blaine/Bellingham... I lived there my whole life up until this last two years of hell, lol!
LOL. Aw man, I'm over in Wenatchee. LOL I know of some great rentals with fenced in yeards i owuld have suggested. LOL
my dad lived in Wenatchee for awhile! We liked it alot. We're staying in Utah for now.. just moving closer to his work.. but we want to rent so if he does find a job back home we can move faster without having to worry about selling
I know the feeling. However, having rented all my life I am looking to "settle" in one location. Though, on the flip side I am used to packing up and moving every couple of years and tend to get restless. Decisions Decisions. LOL.
Damn, and you'll still be on the wrong side of the water for me too. We're in Port Orchard.
love Port Orchard! Its so pretty there. We've only gone a few times that I can remember though, long drive
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Washington STATE? What area?
- KristiS11384
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