DAY 61: Change is... good...?

Eric, an Oregonian, attended medical school in Kansas City, Missouri.  Eric was certain, from the first day we moved to KC, that we would be swept away by a tornado. Being the more sensible one about these things, I assured him that there was not a gigantic image on his back of a middle finger pointed at the sky and I was sure we'd be fine. At the time I was managing a care facility and I told Eric that I took care of people each day that were in their 80's, had lived in the area their entire lives, and had NEVER seen a tornado. Hush up. 


During Eric's fourth year of medical school, a tornado went over the top of our town home while we were cowering in the basement under a desk, holding a baby Lauren & our dog. Thankfully we were okay but that sealed the deal: we were heading back to Oregon as quickly as possible.


Purchasing a home is a nightmare, to begin with. And this was 2004, when the housing market was just starting to "boom." Homes that were once affordable were quickly becoming unobtainable. I remember getting the call from the real estate agent who was scouting out houses in Klamath Falls for us. She said "Amy, I have found a house for you. And you need to put it a contract on it. Today." I replied "...what color is it?" I didn't know the Klamath Falls area at all. Heck, I didn't even know the real estate agent. But sometimes you have to trust that things will be okay and this home has served us well.


It's odd, seeing the sign in the yard. It's sitting underneath the tree that Lauren loves to climb. The tree used to have a swing in it but over time, the swing went a different direction, I guess. When we first entered this house, Lauren was two. We had a different dog, different cars, the house had pink wall-to-wall carpeting... (Thankfully there was beautiful hard wood underneath.) There was work to be done so Eric and I rolled up our sleeves and we made the house into a home. It was a work in progress and we tackled what ever job we could afford, at the time. We removed carpeting, refinished floors, added sheet rock, built patios, redesigned landscape, cut down trees, fertilized trees, planted gardens, leveled the dirt, refurbished bathrooms, took the kitchen down to the studs, rebuilt the kitchen, resided the house, and whatever other ambitious thing we felt we needed to do. And most importantly, we brought Corbin home through the front door and completed our little family right here on Hilldale Street. I'm so proud of our house and what we accomplished. 


But now it's time to go. We knew, moving into this house, that it wasn't our last. And we have found another beautiful home that needs our attention...  Today I feel somewhat sentimental about our house. It's as though I know the end is coming and I'm saying good bye to a friend. We made our mark on this place, had some wonderful times, and will look back fondly over our years here.

I look forward to meeting the new owners, whoever they may be! I wonder what projects they will see here... Will they like my "white trash half bath"? That's right. I decorated one room in my house with a "white trash" theme including a quote from the movie Joe Dirt  on the wall. Because 1) it's one of the best movies ever made and 2) who wouldn't want a Joe Dirt quote posted, somewhere, in their home? I mean... really? And in case you're wondering... yes... the letters are easily removable. Not that anyone would want to take that awesomeness down.

That's where I'm at, today. In the midst of signing all kinds of paperwork and taking care of a sick Dr. Hempel, I managed to get an hour of cardio in. Now I'm going to put on some PJ's, lay in bed, and watch HGTV. I've got a new house to pimp out.


See you tomorrow...