No, we’re not homeless, as Merriam-Webster defines homelessness as “having no home or permanent place of residence,” and we have a place to live; it’s just not a traditional, permanently-placed dwelling. If I had a nickel for everyone who finds out we sold our home and moved into a fifth-wheel travel trailer who said they couldn’t imagine not having a house, I’d be able to buy myself a small Frosty at Wendy’s. So what did it feel like to leave our big ‘ole house behind? Here’s what was running through my mind on September 30th—closing day for 11629 N. Oldfield Lane:
“We just returned from signing away our ownership of a ‘sticks and bricks’ house, and I am beside myself with relief! I want to shout it from the rooftops that we’re free at last! (And in fact, I couldn’t resist sticking my head out the truck window to shout an exuberant WOO-HOO on the drive back home to Julius). After spending the last 4 days over there clearing out the last of our possessions, cleaning, and finishing up some projects we hadn’t gotten around to—as well as the final walk-through yesterday with the buyer’s realtor (cousin), mother, father, brother, and nephew, which took an hour and a half—we were more than ready to hand over the keys today.
Doing all the renovations for the past year with the intention of selling was a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, it was hard to not to envy the future owners who would enjoy the changes I’d wanted for myself; on the other, we wanted to make the house as appealing as possible, so we could sell it quickly for a good price. In the end, I was happy that someone would get to use the big, beautiful, custom designed walk-in closet, the laundry closet just steps away, and the new master bath. The fresh paint and carpet (and lack of sponge paint trim everywhere) were the icing on the cake: nice and neutral. Yes, I desired those things at one point in time, but today, I’m so happy they’re not mine.
Things I will miss about living in that house:
- a nice, big shower with good water pressure and plenty of hot water
- waking up to the view of the beautiful woods, and the seclusion they provided out back
- parking the car in a garage and being able to plug it in every night
- full-sized appliances
Things I will not miss:
- always feeling behind on the housework/yard work
- cobwebs forming everywhere
- snakes and other creepy crawlies that insisted on living with us
- seemingly endless projects/renovations
- not having time to go camping
- having too much STUFF to take care of
At this point in time, I cannot fathom owning another home. I know that will change, but for now, given how long of a haul it’s been to get out from under this one, I am absolutely thrilled that we have gone from having 3,100 square feet to maintain to just 375. *WHEW*”
Epilogue:
It’s been 72 days since I wrote that, and I have not changed my mind one tiny bit. In fact, when Ken and I went back to the old neighborhood to pick up some mail our neighbor was holding for us, I looked across the street at the mass quantities of leaves on our former lawn and was so glad Ken wouldn’t have to spend all his time taking care of them. I did not feel even the slightest bit of remorse, or even nostalgia…home is where the heart is, and mine is in this cozy camper with my love. We have everything we need and more…and I love having a house that takes 5-7 minutes to vacuum from end to end!