My family and I have escaped any form of the flu (so far) but it appears that Matthew and I contracted a mild case of the “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR EVER-LOVING MINDS?”
It all started last week when he was looking through real estate listings online. This is nothing new; he loves to see what houses are out there and where our fits on the market. Also, he likes to snoop. Don’t tell the neighbors.
He was going through the listings and called me over to show me a particular property. It’s on four acres, with an amazing view of the valley below. The house is smaller than ours but is by no means tiny. The decor isn’t bad but would need a bit of updating. We’d be closer to town and our friends and (Here’s what he pitched me) we’d have faster Internet. (We’re on satellite Internet. We live in the sticks, yo.)
He drove by it a few times and then we drove out there as a family on the weekend. I love the view and shaving five minutes off of our drive into town wouldn’t be a bad thing. He left a message with a good friend of ours who is a Realtor and told her to contact us after the weekend. She did, and stated what we knew deep down. We would be crazy to give up what we have. And not just the nice kind of crazy where you hand out flowers to people that you meet but the kind of crazy where you mutter to yourself and people cross the street when they see you coming.
We sat and talked about it and came to the conclusion that while one day might be a good idea to move closer to town, we’re just not ready to do so. We are only a ten minute drive from the center of our small town. We’ve poured almost eight years of work into this house to make it our home. We refinished the exterior of our house (More here). We gutted our master bedroom and made an en suite that I love. We made a craft room for me that might just become my writing room. We’ve renovated our Great Room twice and apart from the never ending cleaning up after meals and snacks, it’s my favorite room in the house. We have a laundry room that may be in the basement but is pretty darn cozy, even if I do say so myself. We created a little girl’s room that my daughter loves to show her friends. We have poured unlimited time and love into this house of ours, and have borne three babies who have known no other place as home.
Are we ready to walk away from it all for the sake of a view of farms and other people’s houses, and to save five minutes of driving? No, we’re not.
I pondered all of this as I took Nathan, Emily and the dog for a walk down to the creek.
(While going down our driveway…Nathan: “Emily, it’s really steep. Let me hold your hand so you don’t fall.”)
We are a five minute walk from a beautiful creek that runs alongside the TransCanada trail.
Not only is our house itself ensconced in nature, by meandering a few minutes down the road we are treated to rushing water and a well-groomed trail.
There is an old railway line next to the trail that the kids love to explore.
There’s nature and such coming out the wazoo.
Matthew can hop onto his ATV at home and leave straight from there to go on an adventure. When we’re in the throes of winter and I’m cursing the cold, he can get on his snowmobile and again, leave right from our driveway to go off gallivanting in the snow. We have three acres that back onto government land. Our yard is huge, completely private and the kids have all of the outdoor fun they could ever dream of.
One day, we may want to make the move away from here. Today is not that day.
36 Comments
You really do have it so good – I wouldn’t want to move away from such an awesome spot! 
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If I showed this post to my husband, he’d be knocking on your door asking if he could buy your house! Moving can be exciting but you’ve got it GOOD!
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My life is so different from this. In my whole adult life, I’ve never lived in a house without knowing at the start that we would be saying good-bye to it in a short two years, three at the most. We’ve lived in some really fantastic houses and neighborhoods, and sometimes knowing at the start that it’s only temporary has helped us appreciate them more…and sometimes it becomes a mantra to help us deal with the things we don’t like (“Only one more year, and then we can leave”). I can’t even imagine eight whole years in one house anymore. I was actually thinking about that the other day, about what it would be like to buy a house knowing that we could stay in it for ten or twenty years…I could barely wrap my mind around it.
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
You guys live the military life, though. You seem to have a lot of fun with it, though I know it must be hard to leave friends behind…
I’m so glad you distinguished between the kinds of crazy. (not crossing the street to avoid you)
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Well, if I’m being honest, I swing between the two on a daily )hourly) basis.
I would give my first born to live where you are!!! Beautiful!!!
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Thank you! But keep your firstborn. 
I’m totally the opposite of you – a city dweller through-and-through who sometimes wishes for acreage. But when I find myself looking wistfully at listings for houses in the “country” suburbs (i.e. on 1-2 acre lots – ones that look a lot like yours) I remind myself…I can walk to the library, grocery store and Starbucks. My girl will never have to ride a bus to school because they are all less then a mile away. We can hop on the commuter train just 2 blocks from our house and get downtown in a few minutes for an NBA or NFL game.
But, I totally understand the feeling of “maybe…someday”.
angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
You’re life reminds me of when I lived in Vancouver before I met Matthew and got married. I love to visit the city, but couldn’t give up this community to do so. We’d have to move 4 hours away to have the city life.
I can’t even tell you what I would do to live in a place like you. I would love so much to be surrounded by all that nature. Being that close to a creek would be HUGE to the kids. You’re very lucky but I know other places can be tempting sometimes too!
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Well, if you ever make it out west we’ll take your girls to the creek.
Your house sounds like the kind of place I’ve always wanted. And I’m still in awe of Emily’s room. So light and pretty.
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I almost like her room more than mine. Almost.
GOOD!! I LOVE your house and yard. It’s so beautiful. And I didn’t even notice the 10 minute drive, as everything HERE takes more than that anyway.
I think you made a good decision
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So beautiful! I spent half of my childhood years living on a small island, so we had tons of outdoor space to run and play in all the time. It was a tough childhood for other reasons, but I do remember loving always being able to play outside, and the fun adventures we’d have in the forest or on the beach or elsewhere.
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We do this every now and then too but in the end we are still here after more than 8 years. We will move someday, but for now, we just can’t give up what we have.
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Um, when you do move can we buy your house? Seriously it’s GORGEOUS. And in the process, can you take pics of my three kids and post them on the walls like that? 
I’m wow’d. And a bit more than jealous!
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Aw, thanks Lisa.
I had somehow missed the pics of the great room renos. You guys did a fantastic job. The whole house is beautiful, and you live in such a great location, even if it is the sticks.
I think it’s great that your kids get to grow up there. I was out for a walk this morning remembering how awesome it was for me ( I gre up in the sticks too).
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
We’d really be insane to leave. We know it. The kids love it here, and so do we.
I’m the opposite, a total city girl, but I know the feeling of loving where you are. And I say stay there until you’re ready for something else, something different. Because otherwise you’d probably always regret it!
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great photos, Angella
I know you’re not a fan of the dog but I have to say that I’m impressed that he’s well-behaved enough for your kids to walk him. My dogs are probably a third of his size and I have a tough time controlling them on walks.
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Thanks. As for the dog, I had to walk him for the first ten minutes or so until he calmed down/we got past the nasty dogs down the road. After that, he was actually pretty good. I’m just as surprised as you are.
we too love looking at houses, altho we don’t have the wonderful place that you have (would LOVE your house!) we aren’t ready to go anywhere just yet.
and, of course, love the photos!
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Thanks, Heather!
You’ve created the magical place called “home”. Perhaps when your children are grown they will do what my sister and I like to do- quiz each other about the quirks and details of an old city house in a place called Far Away that was occupied by sweet people we can no longer see and wish with all our hearts that we could.
You have a lovely place in a lovely location. Your children are going to remember the woods outside, the pets, the celebrations. It seems like a dream place to grow up in- don’t you feel sorry for kids cooped up with tiny, sterile yards and no place to really, truly explore?
angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
This comment made me smile from the inside out. Thank you. I mean it.
Moving is one of those bittersweet things…The chance to start fresh, new adventures etc. but at the cost of what you know and what is home. We moved a year and a half ago, from what I had known as home for over 12 years. I wouldn’t have moved if it was my choice, but I can say that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and our house now suits us way better. (Bigger house and yard…Oh, and incredible ocean view!)
Comment by Michele on November 5th, 2009 @ 7:24 pmLook at those leaves. I wouldn’t want to move either.
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angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
I know. Wanna come over?
Nope, I wouldn’t leave that awesome-ness either. Gorgeous.
Elaine´s last blog ..A Decade
Yep, I’m confirming your suspicions. You DID have a case of “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR EVER-LOVING MINDS?” but it was SEVERE not mild .
Your homesite now looks like an adventure; I love it. Your pictures? Beautiful. It’s okay to look across the way at “greener grass”. I think y’all saw yours is the perfect shade of green for YOU!
angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Aw, thanks for this Robin. You made me smile.
Looking back at all your reno posts and the photos created a longing to be sitting in your bay window with a DC chit chatting and listening to the beautiful sounds of playing children.
Missing you today. I can’t imagine you guys anywhere but that house… ever. It is SO perfect and the envy of many of your friends. Too bad we never got to buy a chunk of land out in Faulder or who knows what might have been…..
Comment by christy on November 7th, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
angella Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
I know. I KNOW. (You guys can come visit any time, you know.)