That was when we rented our first house. It was pretty run down, the paint was chipping off the walls, the insulation was non-existent, there was no dishwasher, there may or may not have been mold growing on the bathroom windowsill, and we had sketchy drug addicts as neighbors.
But, for the first few months, I didn't notice any of that. I was wearing my "OMG we're in our first home!" rose-colored glasses. I saw a cute, older home, with two bedrooms upstairs - one where Husband and I slept, and the second which became Binker's room. I saw the third bedroom downstairs, which I figured we would use as a playroom, or another bedroom when more kids came along. I loved that we had a family room, and a separate dining room, it made me feel sophisticated. I saw a a small, cute backyard where I imagined I would play with our son in the summertime. I enjoyed the fact that I could walk to the grocery store, and that the doctor's office was literally three blocks to the left, and our church was three blocks to the right.
The sheen started to wear off pretty quickly though. We soon realized that it was not the best neighborhood for a young family, particularly since my husband was gone so often. And after about the fourth time we had a stranger come knocking on our door, asking for some guy (who I am assuming was their drug dealer), we decided to pack up shop and move elsewhere.
That was when we found the home we're in now, and we've been here just over three years. We knew that Husband would be leaving on his first six month deployment in a few months, so we thought it would be nice for me to be near my parents, so they could help me out, since I would be on my own with a baby. It truly was fate. This house had been on sale for over a year, and my dad called the owner and asked him if he would ever consider renting the house. The owner told my dad that just the night before, he had suggested to his wife that they try renting it out. What's more, the owner was former Navy, so he didn't even tell us his real rent price, he simply asked us what our housing allowance was, and the rest is history.
We really love this house. It's only two bedrooms, but I love the fact that the boys share a room together. We have a large back yard, that the boys love to run around and play in, and we have an apple tree and a plum tree, which I really enjoy picking fresh fruit from every summer. But the best part about this house, by far, has to be the view. We look out over Port Susan, which is a small bay in the waters of the Puget Sound. We know that there is no way we could afford to buy a home like this, so we thank our lucky stars every day when we wake up to this.
Our time here is winding down though. Husband is set to change jobs and duty stations at the end of the year, and our landlords are hoping to put this house back on the market in 2012, so we will be leaving in January. Where we go next is still very much up in the air, as we wait to find out exactly where Husband will be during his next job.
We know that we will be at that assignment for three years though, so we are tossing around the idea of buying a home. The other night we added up how much we have spent on rent in the last three years, and the total number nearly made us cry. Of course we're just thankful to have a roof over our heads, but we would really love to own our own home, and hopefully make some equity in the process. So now we wait to find out what region we will be assigned to, and then we can begin the tentative house-hunting process. Our main concern is finding a safe neighborhood, like the one we live in now. I would like to have a house with at least three bedrooms, so that our next baby will either have his own nursery, or they can all share a room, and then have a playroom for their numerous toys, because Mama is tired of her house being decorated in primary colors, ya'll. And lastly, we would really love to find a house with a fenced yard, so that the boys can safely play outside, and also so that we will have a yard for the dog Husband wants to get.
He claims that having a dog will complete our family. Because obviously, pushing three children out of my body isn't enough.
When I think back on the places we have lived, it really has been an evolution for us, from our tiny apartment we lived in as newlyweds, to the small house where we had our first child, to our current house, which has truly become our home. I will be sad to leave this house, it has held so many memories for us, but I look forward to our next one, and all the memories we will make there as well.
