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| Goodbye Woodlawn House |
I think that's how I feel too.
I haven't written in a while, so I'll fill you in: We managed to move out of our apartment at the end of January with the help of many cousins and uncles and aunties, and have been in our new house now for about a month. Mostly, it has been quite wonderful. The first week or so was really rough. We realized our heater doesn't do the job, I got horribly sick, and because it is an older house we immediately had about 50 million things that we wanted to fix. Leaking refrigerator, toilets, faucets. The peeling bathtub needed immediate attention so that it could be ok for a kid to sit in, and we very quickly entered the world of blinds and curtains in attempt to insulate.
We've had a swinging door of heater men coming through, giving quotes on various systems. And, slowly unpacking a little more every day.
It's been a lot.
And figuring out how to route my paths to preschool, the art studio, the gym, grocery stores….
But with all of that said, we are falling in love with our new home. It's amazing to have so much space, and to paint walls blue and green and pink and whatever. Our street is so quiet, and in the morning the Eastern sun comes through our bedroom window. Our neighbors are incredible, they bring us zucchini bread and strawberry pie. There are tons of kids, and when it snowed they all got out their big wheels and sleds. Also, I have this tiny space in the basement that is just for me and my art, which is a dream come true. I sit and paint and look out over the backyard and dream of all the camellias and tulips I'll grow someday. Neighborhood cats walk by and stare at me, surprised-- as if they have never seen anyone sit there ever. This week the birds came out and started to hop around in the grass.
We have a garage for our car, which we call "car house", and there is another little kitchen in the basement too, which someday might turn into my larger dream studio space (if we ever manage to clear out all the boxes).
Slowly, slowly, bird by bird, we are learning how to live in a space that is all our own.
And we are discovering new coffee shops nearby, and new beaches and parks.
Settling in is definitely a process that takes time (maybe months?). There are only so many hours in a day, and right now it feels as though most of those hours for me are taken up with growing this baby-- who is at 33 weeks-- which translates to dealing with back and tailbone pain, eating massive amounts of anything I can find, and falling asleep whenever I sit down for more than five minutes.
On that note-- I have a million photos I want to share of the new house, but they will have to come another day because now it is time for a bath (in our newly refinished tub), and goodnight.
