One month at the new house

I wish I had pictures to share, and perhaps I'll add some later, but a month and a few days ago, I moved to a new home.

The reasons for my move were that my contract at my old place ended in August, and although my old place was large and lovely in many ways, it had been a rather hard year, and something new sounded kind of nice. My roommate and I had also learned that others living in our same type of place were paying much less than us. I also have been roommates with my friend Jordan for several years now, and I figured that it's nice having her around to hang out with, so I kind of wanted to be roommates with her. She's family.

So, when Jordan saw the ad for our new place across town, she wanted to check it out. It was the week of my birthday, and I was not thrilled to be house hunting. We came and checked it out, and it was this old house, but nothing was done on the inside. It had been all torn apart, and the owners would be renovating the house all summer. Somehow, Jordan decided she loved it. I wasn't so sure. I didn't know how it was going to turn out! And the room that I would be taking was much smaller than my last room, and it had a purposeful gap in the wall that connected to the next bedroom over. I was stressed about the decision, but I decided to proceed with signing the contract even though I had so many doubts and concerns. I prayed and felt neutral, and I figured that was better than feeling bad about it!

All summer as Jordan and I would drive by the house, it didn't look like a whole lot of progress was being made. This added to my stress about whether this was a good decision. Then our moving day was pushed back by four days, but moving day still came quickly, and off I went to my new, renovated home.

A couple things weren't 100% done, and as I started moving things into my new room, I had no clue where I'd fit my things, and I felt like I'd be so claustrophobic in the much smaller room. Panels had been put between my room and the next room over, so I didn't really have to worry about the wall gap. But I was still feeling like this place was too fancy for me, and maybe I wouldn't fit in with the roommates because it was so nice and fancy.

It took me a week or two, but I have come to really love this house. My new roommates are so lovely and cool and down to earth and talented. I like them a whole lot, and I'm so excited to get to know them better this year. We already talk more than I talked to most of my roommates who had been upstairs with me last year. I acclimated rather quickly to my room, and rather than feeling claustrophobic, I just feel so cozy and comfortable. I love the upstairs sitting area, with the comfortable chairs and the sun shining through the balcony door and the hummingbird picture. I love the sound of rain on our roof and all the character of the house with its squeaky floorboards and doors. I love our doors to get in the house. I love the old mixed with the new.

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm not completely settled in yet. I have a couple boxes in corners that I'm still trying to figure out where to put their contents. And I still worry a bit that things are too nice for me. But despite my wanting to be done with unpacking and my slight worries of fanciness, I am feeling so comfortable here. This house is beautiful, and I feel so fortunate and blessed to be here. Maybe some people will find this description weird, but this house has a better feel to it. It's more cheerful than my last place. I feel more content here. And I'm sure life will continue to bring its tests and hard times, but I feel so much more ready to face the challenges.