I already gave you all a bit of a broad overview of what has been going on with me during my hiatus. While recovering, I had a chance to accomplish a few big goals. Unlike years prior, I had to be mindful to pace myself, which means I went a lot slower than normal. Things that normally could have happened in a week took a month or two to occur. But slow and steady wins the race, right? So even slow progress is better than no progress. I’m going to do this update in a few parts, because there were a lot of beneficial changes that happened over the past few months.
Many of you know that I practice conscious creation, so while I believe I had a hand in my health decline (I didn’t develop proper skills for coping with stress and didn’t pay attention to signs that I was damaging my health), I also know that I can use, and have used, my conscious creation powers to get some things that I wanted. So, my biggest accomplishment was . . . I bought a house! It was quite a fun journey, though it had some ups and downs. It wasn’t nearly as stressful as I thought it would be – which is how I know that this was the right time to purchase.
Me on the day that I got the keys – shiny faced and excited LOL!
Believe it or not, I hadn’t planned to purchase a property in the US this year, especially when my health was giving me trouble. I was still considering the possibility of purchasing abroad and relocating. But when I met a mortgage banker acquaintance and learned about what it takes to get home financing, I figured, “Why not?” The moment I felt the process was getting too stressful, I was okay with walking away and trying at another time. As luck would have it, the entire process was smooth and stress free.
Pictures don’t do this foyer justice
I toured a few houses with a particular setup in mind: an older home, at least 2500 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a stream in my backyard, close to my doctors’ offices and my commuter lot, and less than $250K. In my locale, it’s possible to get all of these things but you usually have to compromise on at least two elements. I fell HARD for the first house I toured. It had everything I wanted – even a 4th bathroom. But, it needed a LOT of work done to it (at least $50K), the owners were selling it as is (all risks were on the buyer) and the owners weren’t budging on the price, which was far too high considering the amount of work needed. Eventually, the house was taken off of the market, and I had to start hunting again.
A darling thrifted vanity that made its way to the new house
I viewed a few more, then I saw another delightful home. It had a stream in the backyard, and pretty much everything I wanted, except the price was a bit higher than I wanted. We tried to negotiate with the seller, but they only reduced the price by $5k. Considering the amount of upgrades that the home needed, the selling price wasn’t competitive enough, so I decided against trying to buy it. Then, a couple of days later, I saw the most perfect house ever! I’d have to sacrifice my stream in the backyard and one of my desired bedrooms, but it had an attic that was perfect for a 4th bedroom. The house had been on the market a total of two days. When I went to put a contract on it, the realtor regretfully informed me that there was already a contract on it. I was a little saddened, but I figured that this setback only meant that there was something better on the horizon for me.
Two pics of my incredibly gorgeous wallpaper (again, photos don’t do it justice!)
Well, after touring a total of about 9 or 10 homes, I finally ended up checking out a house that, from the photographs, WAS NOT what I wanted. But, when I walked in, all I could think is WOW! My jaw dropped as soon as I walked in, and when I finished walking around it, all I could say is, “This is the one”. The seller and her realtor were fantastic to work with, and the sale was SO EASY. I knew, just by how relaxed the process was, that this was the home I was meant to purchase.
Decided to use the built-in shelving to display my Barbie collection
This house was PERFECT. The square footage, rooms, location and price were all perfect. On top of all of that, it was in fabulous condition and needed very few upgrades. I didn’t get the stream in my backyard, but I got something even better: there are woods just a few feet from my property line, so I can see deer, rabbits and raccoons outside of my patio window. And my bedroom has a balcony, so I can sit out there, sip my tea, and enjoy the tranquility of my new neighborhood.
Still perfecting the great room, but loving it so far!
It’s wonderful to be able to focus on taking care of my health and to be in close proximity to the care I need and the amenities I enjoy. My family and I love our new home and are happily settled into our new neighborhood. My favorite thing in the world is the fact that my new neighborhood is in the county, so there are lots of trees and fewer street lights. Being closer to nature has been so calming: I love it here!
That’s it for part 1 of my updates. I’ll have more updates next week. Look out for the first Fibro Friday post tomorrow! Take care.
Bronze Butterfly 