All good things must come to an end

This isn't the post we thought we'd be writing at this juncture in our home restoration/renovation project, but here we are. After just finishing up the inside of the house, it was put up for sale. In eight months, we've managed to redo an entire house's interior, and although we thought we'd be making a lot of transformation to the exterior as well, that just didn't happen. Time is now in short supply and what has been done is all that we can do.

It's a strange feeling to know that the house is finally ready for us to start living life, and to also know that our life won't be lived here. We took care and time to do our best to make this house something for us to enjoy and feel comfortable in for the foreseeable future -- choosing all the things that made us happy -- but sometimes life has plans that don't keep us on the most obvious path in front of us. The reason for our move to this central Oregon location is the very same one taking us away from it, and it's all a little bitter sweet.

On the one hand, we are excited to have the opportunity to return "home" to Colorado. We lived there so long, it is familiar, comfortable, and all of the friends we'll return to will make it a great transition. Still, it's difficult to process that what we believed to be a permanent move to central Oregon just a short year ago will be ending soon. There are all sorts of feelings about that situation, and we've both run through a slew of emotions in the preceding weeks and months.

I was told recently that I am a glass-half-empty person when it comes to real estate, and while I hope that is not how I'm perceived in everyday life, I can see why someone would think this when it comes to buying and selling a home. For me, for us, home is personal. It's not just four walls and a roof that keeps the elements out, protects us from the cold, and gives us a place to put our few possessions in life. Home is a place that we want to feel comfortable, to have the little things that make us smile, and when, like we have, there is so much work put into a space, it can be challenging to let it all go, particularly on such a short timeline. 

We don't head to the local big-box builder store and point at something randomly to go into our home. Great care, time and thought goes into each room and into the space as a whole. As Sam pointed out to me recently, this has been my art for the last eight months, and sometimes a piece is just difficult to sell or let go of for a variety of reasons. This particular space or work may not be one that everyone would enjoy or feel at home in, but as long as it feels that way to us, that is what truly matters. 

We have also had the misfortune of dealing with more than our share of challenging issues when buying and selling homes. It has never been an easy, smooth transaction, and inevitably things that Realtors say "never happen" will somehow end up happening to us, which has most certainly aided in my personal glass-half-empty approach to buying and selling. 

There are also the additional stress-items in the current economy such as lack of inventory and the ever-increasing price tags on houses -- both the actual prices and interest rates. It's not easy to think about the reality that just nine years ago our mortgage payment was 1/5 of what it will likely be when we return to Colorado very soon. We understand (and are trying hard to accept) this, even knowing that we are in for another project house, but it's not an easy thing to swallow. We have questions and there are so many unknowns. How much will it change our lives? Will we even be able to live the same way?

We are fortunate in that we aren't afraid of work, nor are we ones to shy away from a challenge, so despite the huge number of question marks, we are trying to take our next steps bit by bit without becoming overwhelmed by the fact that we, like so many others in this current market, are in for a struggle. 

While we know that people have questions about what is happening and want day-by-day updates, we frankly don't have answers, just more than enough questions to fill our brains with near-constant anxiety of what is to come. Talking about the situation truly makes matters worse, so for now, we appreciate everyone allowing us time and space to figure out our future path. We look forward to sharing again when things are a bit more settled and less stressful. Life will never be stress-free, but for now, it's helpful to just do our thing without additional voices.

And, the good news is that there will likely be more to share here as we move forward with the next project, so we'll have the opportunity to do so (hopefully) in the near future. Exactly when that will happen is still up in the air, but we hope to be able to continue to share all things related to the next project -- whatever it may be.

Thank you all for coming along on this house journey with us. It's been great to be able to share projects as they've happened. Although we don't have a firm timeline at present, we remain hopeful that we'll have good news to share at some point this summer. Until then, we sign off for now as we settle in to packing our stuff and moving once again.