The Changelog

This morning, we closed on the sale of the house we've been in since 2002.

We're excited about Grandpa's farmhouse that we're having renovated, and it will be great when we get to move in there in December or January.

But it's sad to leave the place that has been home for these last few years. Terah and I got a chance to spend a few last minutes over there today.

All sorts of memories came back. We remembered our long walks up and down the driveway, hand in hand, laughing and talking. We remembered sitting out on the west edge of our property watching the sun set behind the trees. We remembered playing with our cats, having friends and family over, the excitement when we moved in, all the hard work we put into renovating the old part of the house, and so many more things.

We also been looking back and laughing at things that were really pretty annoying at the time: having no water because of ants, having to move out for a few days on Valentine's Day because of a skunk, being without power for most of a week because of ice (and having to cut my way in and out through the driveway).

We'll have memories, photos, and some small souvenirs from our old house. But we'll miss it, too, just like we missed our house in Indianapolis and its pond with attack geese. (That's another story.)

When we moved to Kansas, my grandma, who grew up a few miles away, heard our address and said, "Dutch Avenue! That's right at home for me." It was right at home for us, too.

Yes, it's true. Yesterday morning, Terah and I closed on our purchase of Grandpa's farm! We're excited, and now the real work begins.

Obviously, we seem to have ignored everyone that thought we were crazy. Or perhaps we just admit it and move on. <grin>

So... Our big move (yes, we're buying a farm) is moving along!

We're tentatively set to close on it next Tuesday. The last two months have been busy. A lot of phone calls to arrange permits.

The director of planning and zoning retired recently, and they didn't have a replacement ready. So all building permits were on hold until a replacement arrives. In the meantime, the county clerk's office was trying to handle basic inquiries. I called it one day, and didn't realize until later that I was speaking to the county clerk. I grew up in this county but obviously I've lived in larger ones too long if I'm surprised about this. Everyone was very friendly and as helpful as possible with an unfortunate situation.

I got a surprise phone call today. Apparently the telephone company is running new lines in rural areas of the county (upgrading to support DSL) and they wanted to know if that place was going to stay vacant. A "not at all!" later, and it looks like we'll be able to get DSL by the time we move in. WOOHOO! We were bracing for dialup or wireless...

There are still some bits of paperwork that have to get done before Tuesday yet, so it's not 100% guaranteed that we'll close then. But we're getting excited anyway!

I've posted some pictures of Grandpa's yard. Follow the link (and note the second page).

Here's a sample:

Last month, I wrote about some reactions to the news that we're expecting a baby. Now we have some additional news that we've been sharing with people. Here are some of the reactions we're getting.

"You have NO IDEA what you're getting in to."

*laughter* "Oh, you were serious!"

*stunned silence*

"That's GREAT! I'm so happy for you!"

"That's exciting!"

"A REALLY, REALLY, REALLY.... BIG, BIG, BIG project!"

So.... We're planning to sell this house:



And buy this one:



The place we're buying is my grandpa's farmstead. As you can see, the house needs a lot of work. We'll hire the same person that did some remodeling in our current house to work on it. We'll be replacing the foundation, siding, roof, interior walls, wiring, plumbing, etc. A big project for sure. But it should be very nice when it's done.

The floorplan on that house is, for us, more suited for having children around. It has some large common areas and smaller bedrooms (our current house is the opposite). The house is smaller than our current one, which is actually a plus. Terah is even interested in learning how to drive on dirt roads! Plus it will be nice to live at a place that's been in the family for so long.

Also, there's little chance that this area will be developed any time soon.

I'll post some more pictures in the next few days.