New Home

Trying to catch up on our life a little here, so the biggest thing that's happened to us over the summer was that we moved! We were seriously growing out of our other home (especially with Max working from home) but we were planning on sticking out the recession and waiting for our home value to go back up. It hasn't been effected too badly, but still, homes are supposed to be investments, right? ;) Unfortunately we could not wait any longer to move. We had a horrible, ongoing and escalating neighbor situation on our block. We had BIG issues with three families on the block. Two of them because of their bully children, and the parents' lack of parenting skills, or just plain didn't care. The third family was the elderly, senile and cruel next door neighbors and their adult looser son. Our boys literally would not even make it out of the driveway before being subjected to verbal abuse, from kids AND adults. New neighbors moved in down the street and suddenly they would literally shield their faces when they walked by our house! So a mob mentality was definitely brewing. Max and I could have handled the adversity, but it was simply NOT a healthy situation for the boys anymore.

So we decided to rent OUT that home and rent another home for ourselves for now. We found a property management company, we fixed the house up and got it rented out within 3 weeks, although the tenants didn't move in until about 6 weeks after we listed it. AND we found an awesome house just a few miles away. It is bigger (5 bedrooms, 1 for each kid and an office for Max!), newer and in a MUCH better neighborhood! ;) The neighbors like to keep to themselves, which we LOVE. The house was originally for sale, so when we'd seen a house down the street and the family before us had put their application in for it before we did, the realtor/property manager told us about a house down the street that was for sale but that the owners would rent to us. SO we have option to buy this house later on, but we have not decided yet. We LOVE the house itself, and the neighborhood, BUT the backyard leaves some to be desired. Not to mention Max's job situation isn't as stable as we'd like for owning not one, but two homes. SO we shall see what the future holds. Needless to say, we learned the hard way not to get too close to neighbors and keep to ourselves and will not make the same mistakes. No matter WHAT though, I know that Home Is Where The Heart Is. I know that we are a loving, supportive, kind, driven, well rounded family and that no matter what, we will be just fine. We are so lucky and so blessed and we are so happy. ♥

Our New Home Pictures
*Of course this is only the main level really, and I have already moved furniture around since taking these. ;)