Another Day, Another New Chapter

Good morning sweet friends!

I can’t help but wonder, do you find that you’re the one to daydream over a fresh cup of coffee in the morning or, like me, are you the one to internally chide yourself that it’s long past when you meant to be ‘asleep’ yet there you are, mind running a mile a minute over possibilities and what ifs?

What if…

More and more often recently, the ‘what if’ affliction seemed to be a constant in the back of my mind. I knew it would only promise a wrench into our otherwise meticulous planning. Though at times it felt nonsensical, that thought persisted in lieu of the enjoyment we’d both come to appreciate in the subtle flow of our newfound routine. …and yet there it was, a little spark, a gentle nudge in another direction (one we simply hadn’t realized that we needed yet), what if?

In that vein, though the Mr and I had both enjoyed a wonderful year in our suburban hideaway (which was nestled along the edge of a nature preserve that I positively adored), a question surfaced that I couldn’t shake. What if this wasn’t the right move for us? That question resurfaced night after night until I addressed it with the Mr. Oddly enough, I wasn’t alone in the feeling. We had leaped from one extreme to another, thinking that in transitioning from the daily demands of a small horse farm to -just- a home in the ‘burbs that life would settle down, that our pace would become more reasonable for our current time, and my health, restraints. If only everything in life could be as simple in daily practice as it is on paper …or as a stray thought in the middle of the night.

In the end, after months of deliberating, we came to the realization that while it was a good fit, it wasn’t the right fit for us. That in itself was a strange wake-up call because that house had been a blessing to us in so many ways. Our drives into work were no longer an hour+ commute with the daily battle against rush hour traffic on the interstate. When we were at the barn, all of our time could revolve around spending time with our sweet boys versus the daily feeding, stall mucking, equipment maintenance, and overall upkeep of our acreage and fixer upper farmhouse. Shopping was around the corner instead of a drive into town, and meeting up with family and friends could be a spontaneous decision again. Reasonable, …right? Beyond so! For the past year, we were in agreement. Our house in the ‘burbs had been a better change of pace for us and yet, while better, it just wasn’t the right fit.

A year had come and gone in the blink of an eye but with that year we realized a few simple truths that we’d simply forgotten amidst our stark adjustment from farm to city life:

• Things in life are never static, they are unpredictable.
• The things you thought you needed, you find you can do without.
• Growth is a natural part of life, flexibility will only be an unrealized gift to discovering what you’re seeking for yourself and your own happiness.

In our case, with newfound challenges present in our lives we found that our focal point had to shift, if only slightly, in order for us to adequately re-prioritize our needs. Confession time… it had became painfully apparent after the first few months that to continue the upkeep and maintenance on an aging three-story home (my legs still get tired thinking of it) that held no entry point into the home without a flight of stairs to contend against, with our laundry hook-ups in the basement when we stayed on the third floor master en-suite, and then there was of course, our beloved senior pups that struggled to enjoy our backyard due to a somewhat wobbly flight of deck stairs that had been recently repainted and sealed to the extent one could slip…quite easily, that this home had been a blessing and what we needed then in order to understand exactly what we needed now. The right fit.

I find myself continually humbled and grateful for the experiences our life together has given the Mr and I, both for the trials we’ve faced hand in hand, as well as the triumphs we’ve celebrated together. So what I am really trying to say is simply this, never ignore the ‘what if’ in your lives. Be bold, listen to your heart, and be prepared to take a leap of faith. Perhaps we’ve done a good deal of leaping in the past few years but when I think of where it’s brought us…I wouldn’t change a thing.

We are now the elated owners of …dare I say, a new construction build… a ‘cookie cutter’ one-level (praise the Lord!) home. And while I know you may be feeling a touch perplexed, …cookie cutter? Really though? Confession part two, I’ve not felt this creative in years! A blank slate to transform and a chance to let my design aesthetic evolve from Modern Farmhouse to Modern Rustic, which we’ve found to be the perfect harmony of the Mr and I’s style. My sketch book is chalk full already and I cannot wait to begin sharing the before’s of each room so that we can all be a part of this transformation together.

To a new chapter and seizing every moment to its utmost!

~Christy