I’ve put off writing this post for some time now. 2.5 months, to be exact. When the decision came, at Christmas of all times, it was unexpected. We all had to take a moment to process it… to mull over it and make sure it was the right choice. Because it wasn’t the easy one. Looking back, at the risk of sounding totally dramatic, I think I cried every day for over a month. We’ve poured nothing but love into this house. But the time has come, and we’re moving. 

We’ve run the gamut of emotions, and here we are. When we were prepping the house to show, we told only a few friends and family before we listed. I barely wanted to talk about it, for fear it would become my entire personality. But life’s kind of funny like that… It always works out in the end. When it was live, our house went on the market and under contract within a few days. I feel like I’ve given myself time to mourn, and all that’s left are these raw places likened to a mosquito bite when I’ve scratched it too much.

“I wouldn’t wish selling a house on my worst enemy,” an empathetic friend told me when I was bemoaning all we needed to do. She’s not wrong. The lack of sleep and the remnants of a bad cold I can’t seem to shake one month later are a physical testament to this truth. My fingers went numb from scrubbing the ovens, for starters. So, revisiting these very real, complicated emotions for a public share on top of all of that just makes me want to retreat to the bedroom for a very long slumber. I’ve definitely procrastinated announcing this one. I’m also procrastinating packing. {We’ll be moving our oldest out of his dorm soon, then the other two back into their new places relatively soon after this relocation. No one warned me hOw mUcH MoViNg HaPpEns when you have college kids…} 

Because it’s never “just” a house.

This last decade has been an absolute adventure in the sweet spot of life, watching our babies grow into incredible humans. Sure, I’ll miss my fireplaces with the tile that sparkles. The kitchen’s stained glass glow in the afternoon sun. The charming blue ceilings and lazing in the pool on long summer days. Their cozy bedrooms, the hideaway, the garden, and the trees the kids chose and then planted in the front yard with their own mud-crusted hands over one spring break. The way that we labored for so long to transform this house into something we truly love… We are grateful to have been so lucky as to have something we will miss so very much. 

But the truth is, this house is what it is because we made it that way. So I can’t live in fear {Cue: ArE YoU SuRe?! You’ll NEVER GeT BaCk InTo ThIs MaRkEt} and shy away from the hard things when it’s time.

When I find myself tearing up again, what I’m actually mourning is the big yellow school bus stopping at the driveway, and the patter of little feet as they arrive home from school. The endless chattering on about their day while we pore over their latest school project with freshly baked cookies at the kitchen island. Screams of delight as they chase fireflies in the yard in the late spring dusk. I’ll miss Christmas mornings, family dinners, and games by the pool. I’ll miss laughing so hard my cheeks ache with friends when we hosted such fun parties. Birthdays in this house, and slow Saturday-morning brunches are what gave soul to this place.

I’m mourning so many of those little moments left to serve as poignant reminders that our children are truly growing up. Because it’s never “just” a house.

With a second graduate in just a few short months, the timing for all this is not my favorite. It’s not ideal. I fought it for a while. It’s a lot of changes for all of us, at once. Too many, if you really want to know. But the kids have been absolute troopers. And I, true to character, have been a total ball of anxiety. Sometimes, you have to be ready to take the leap. This one was unexpected, and we weren’t sure where we’d land. It feels like we’re closing this chapter on a wonderful decade of life. And {deep breath} I have to be okay with opening the next one. 

The beautiful part? The memories are priceless. And we get to take those with us to the next place.

Why are we moving?
A simple answer is never easy. It’s multifaceted. In short, we purchased this house for the kids. As much as I poured my soul into it and tried to convince myself so, it was never our “forever” home. The yard and the school made it the perfect location for them to grow. Now that they’re slowly building their own lives, {we will still have one at home next year, grandfathered in at his high school}, it’s time for our very own move where it just makes sense for Jamin, me, and the three kiddos who are slowly leaving the nest. 

We’re doing something new and exciting. We’re reformatting our business model and changing our trajectory. We have a lot of personal projects in the works, and can’t wait to share more with you on where it’s all headed. It’s bittersweet, as we couldn’t be more thrilled with the possibilities ahead. Sometimes you have to say goodbye to something you love, so you can begin anew. Don’t worry, we’ll still share more exciting client projects coming your way, but this move makes it possible to change a few things that just weren’t sustainable with a long-term design business.

We’ll be sharing more of our own exciting projects we’ve had in the works for some time, too. 

Where are we going?
Right around the corner. We’re actually renting a really lovely house, since we plan to expand our business and eventually build something of our very own, or find a historical property to restore. We’re not sure where we’ll land, and we love that. It was a risk to put our home on the market while unsure where we’d go next, but we’re firm believers that things always work out for the best. Even if they don’t feel like the best, in the moment.

When?
2.75 weeks. I’m truly grateful for this timeline, since we have a senior. With all these transitions coming everyone’s way, it was a lot of changes at once for our middle, Emerson. This actually blows my mind, given that everything is working out for the best… It gives her a moment to settle in before graduation and leaves space to prep for college and enjoy her summer. I won’t say much about the new owners here for obvious reasons, other than they seem to be just who I envisioned handing this place to: someone who will love this sweet house just as much as we have. In the meantime, this in-between rental house is a great place to call home for the next few years while we put everything else in motion. We can’t wait to share more with you. 

When it comes down to it, what we’re doing is bigger than a house, and the timing, as much as I absolutely despise it, is right.

That’s the tricky part of life, listening to your gut even when it’s not the easy route. We’ve never shied away from the hard stuff or the less-traveled route. Terrified, but we’re doing it anyway- is definitely the title of this next chapter. It’s a bit reminiscent of about ten years ago, almost to the day, when we found this house.

It all started with a family selfie. We’ll be grabbing one as we move on to our next chapter, too. 

So here we go. Geronimo. It’s a good thing we can take the things that really matter with us.
Because we’ve come so far. And it’s never “just” a house.