Friday, April 3, 2009

JOURNEY TO OUR DREAM HOUSE

Nikki at Blah, Blah, Blah Blog has sent out a challenge to show your journey to your dream house. Our trip has taken 50 years and certainly didn't end up like I dreamt it would.

This is our first apartment. We had two rooms and a bath with no closets in a basement. It really was a dump, but what did we know? We were 19 year old newlyweds, college students, and the price was right - $45/month. I made new curtains and cleaned it up; we were happy.
After a few months, we moved up town (literally), and now had two rooms and a bath still in the basement but with three closets. I made more curtains, we nested here for two years.

Finally, we were out of college and moved to the BIG city. We now had a two bedroom apartment on the second floor. We could see the sun shine again!

We began to long for a yard; but couldn't afford to buy a house, so we moved to this two bedroom duplex. I made more curtains, but we obviously didn't do much yard work!

Our big dream to buy a house came about. We were 23 years old, and paid $15,000 for this cutie on a half acre in the middle of the city.

Graduate school beckoned, and we moved back to the college town. We bought this little house for $12,500.

Now adventure was calling. We moved to Montana to a new job sight unseen. There was nothing to rent or to buy, so we lived in a motel for 6 weeks until finding this house to rent.

The nesting urge was really strong, and we found this house to buy. We became a family of three here.

A new job and an opportunity to return to Colorado. With the job came this rent-free 1898 house that the city engineer had always lived in. We were thrilled - lots of charm, but it wasn't ours. We tried to buy it, but they wouldn't sell. We became a family of four in this beauty.

So, after two years in the old house on the hill, we built a new rancher with three bedrooms, two baths, and a family room with a gorgeous fireplace. I made more curtains, but we still longed for the old house on the hill.

Two more years have gone by, and they finally decided to sell the house to us. So, we moved back to this great house with wonderful porches. We did mountains of work, stripping 9 coats of paint off of the old woodwork. It was a great house for holiday celebrations with our extended family.


A job change required a move up the road 90 miles, so we bought this typical 1970's tri level with four bedrooms, three baths, and a huge family room. It was a great house to raise teenagers in.

Empty nest for us and the old-house bug bit again. We bought this 1904, five bedroom bungalow with a huge dining room. We put in tons of money, tons of work, and I made more curtains than ever. This was a fun house to decorate and entertain in. But after two hip replacements, all of the stairs got to me and it was time to downsize. This charmer of a house sold in a flash!

So in a hurry, we bought this four-bedroom rancher because we liked the neighborhood. We didn't expect it to be our 'forever' house; and we certainly didn't dream that we would grow to love it so. Since moving here 11 years ago, we have added hardwood floors, crown molding, screened in the porch, painted and painted, and made it our own. No more curtains as I finally have interior shutters all over the house. It's so easy to live in this house, and it has become our dream house that we never dreamt about.

Thanks for going on our journey with us.

Sally

19 comments:

bj said...

OOO, Sally...I adore posts like this. I loved seeing where all you lived. I so wish I had kept photos of all our houses...you were much smarter than me.
hugs, bj

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

Your first house looks so very close to how my first house, looked in 1961. We rented for several years. My first husband was in the USAF. We then began our journey to our dream home, which detoured when we divorced. Then in a couple years I met J, we married and moved to the farm.

The year I was 60, we built the dream home, knowing it would, most likely, be sold in a few years. These days, we're both thinking the condo at the lake is our dream home.

The other day when we were exploring, I got a couple photos of the house I lived in, for a few months when I was in 1st grade. It was next door to my school. I took a picture of both and remembered what these two structures looked like when I was a wee child of 6. I may do a post, one day.

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Sally I just loved this post today and your time travel...how great to have saved all these pictures..I don't do stairs either...but the only thing upstairs is my guest room and bath so I never have to go up there..Thanks so much for sharing this...hugs and smiles dear friend...Gl♥ria

imjacobsmom said...

What a fun post today. I enjoyed your look back through the years. I would have loved to live in your older home - I can see why that was snapped up right away. I had the 3 level tri-level and the four bedroom ranch, too. Where in Montana did you live? I was in Billings from 1984-1986. ~ Robyn

onlymehere said...

Oh my gosh, I've just taken a wonderful journey with you. You have moved many times and I like the fact that you said how your family grew in different homes. I long for a house like yours with no stairs. I need a new knee and so someday we'll move again, hopefully for the last time. Thanks for sharing your journey. I'm going to be doing this post in a week or two also. I loved it when Nikki did it and your's gave me even more ideas! Cindy

Anonymous said...

Oh, Dear Sally! This was a wonderful post and getting to know more about you is the best! Your pictures of all your houses are great! I don't think I've taken all the pictures of where we lived! I'm so glad you're in your dream home. I love to look at it! You need to show us more the of insides...hint hint! :)
Be a sweetie,
Shelia :)

Susie Q said...

Sally! This was such fun! I loved seeing your homes and sharing in your *home life* story!
I wish I could do this post...but since I have had 21 addresses in my life, it would take a week for everyone to read! *laugh*

Love,
Sue

Sue said...

Oh Sally my friend....this was such a wonderful post...I enjoyed every inch of it...the big house on the hill was such a charmer..it must have been wonderful living there...do you have any pictures of the inside....

The Raggedy Girl said...

What a wonderful post and how remarkable that you have photos of all the places you lived in. I hope you put this all in a Scrapbook for your kids. I loved your praise of your current home.

Have A Spectacular Saturday
From Roberta Anne
"The Raggedy Girl"

. said...

Thanks for the comments and now you have to show us all the pictures of your redo.Denise

the pleasures of homemaking said...

This was a fun post! I love the bungalow. I don't think I even have pictures of all the places we've lived and I'm certainly not living in my dream home right now. I enjoyed seeing your journey to your dream home!

Manuela

Helen said...

Dear Sally .. there is no way to describe how enjoyable your post today is! Anyone close to my age can relate to the moves, the homes, the additions to family, the history ~ AND both of my hips have been replaced too! I am thinking it's time for me to find a one level home to stay in forever as I have 27 stairs total in this townhome. Thank you again ..........

SmilingSally said...

I do agree with you about curtains; I can't stand 'em, especially the kind that's shown today. Just a length of boring fabric hanging on either side of the window. Most of my windows are curtain-free.

Helen said...

Oh yes I did buy something ... in the second to last photo ~ I could not resist the hand painted cake stand. The price was right!

nikkicrumpet said...

YAY....I'm so glad you did this!!!! And I'm so impressed you had photos of all those places. Wow you guys really moved around. The house on the hill was gorgeous...what a fun place. And I bet you are an expert curtain maker after covering all those windows in so many houses! It's funny how things turn out. I thought my last house in Utah would be my forever home...and I've moved twice since. We just never know how things will turn out. You current home looks like a beauty. And I know someday soon we're going to wish we didn't have any stairs! Thanks for taking us on your journey...I loved the trip!

TAL said...

A great compilation of pictures of your past and present homes. It's amazing how expectantly you fall in love with a place and decide to stay much longer than expected.

I would love to see some interior images of your home, the crown molding and such. I'm sure it's just as beautiful inside as it is out.

Tim

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hello Friend...

Ohhh my goodness...I just loved this post, my friend! It really tells your story! And...my goodness, you have moved nearly as much as I have in my lifetime! Hehe! I certainly didn't know that you had lived in Montana for a time...how interesting! I have always said that outside of Colorado, I think I would like Montana! Loved seeing the old 1898 and 1904 homes...gorgeous!!! I have always dreamed of having a house like one of those! But like you, I don't think I could take all of the stairs...and I'm only 52 but this fibromyalgia really takes a toll on my body! Anyway, I just love your present home...it's so charming!!! Sounds like you've done lots of work to it as well...to make it your own!

Thank you so much for your life's home tour...it was so interesting! Just getting to know you better and better, my friend!

Love ya,
Chari

A Romantic Porch said...

Sally! What a darling story. So well written! I loved reading it! xorachel

P.S. our home was built in 1904...we've lived here since 1991.

Hedy King said...

I do hope you are a writer in some part of your life; you are wonderful with words. Reading your blog these past months has been enjoyable for me and this entry is especially fun. We have taken a similar journey through homes in our 40+ year trip through marriage. Thanks for sharing.