Farewell to Our First Home

In the fall of 2008 I moved into a quaint little Cape that nestled itself against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From August to October of that year, I painted and prepped that little house for what would be the first chapter of my upcoming marriage. In October 2008, we exchanged vows, I changed my last name, and we began a life together in that little house.

 Photo Credit: Realtor April Bailey

Much has happened in and outside of those walls. We survived storms of all sorts. We hosted friends, family and strangers. We reaped the harvest of a modest garden and hiked the surrounding apple orchards. We watched sunrises and sunsets. We made that little house a home.

Some of our fondest and saddest memories to date have been made in that house.

It is the house that we brought both of our babies home to.

 It's where G began to love cooking and baking...

It is where we spent countless hours outside with each passing season...

It was where we got the news that my father and grandfather passed...both in 2012, just months apart.

It's where birthdays and holidays were celebrated with such joy.

It is the home where I would fall in love with my husband over and over again.

It was my sanctuary at the end of a long day.

For 8 years it was the place I called "home".

We tested the vows of marriage as we took on renovation projects…some of which were only finished because we put the house on the market.

Why would we leave such a strongly built, memory containing, scenic spot? Simple. We had another dream. About 4 years into our marriage we decided that one day we would build. We loved the idea of starting with a blank slate and creating a house that encompassed all that we’d like in a house. A couple years ago we were blessed to purchase 28 acres. The view is stunning and the location is ideal considering my husband and I work in opposite directions. We are hoping to finally break ground by the end of February or early March.

 This is a dream we have had and to see it all start to come together is overwhelming in the best way. God has shown us his favor through this whole process. It began with the land purchase. It then began to come together even more when we were able to rent from my in-laws and move out in order to finish some projects and leave the house empty for sale. Within about 3 weeks of being on the market, a couple fell in love with the location and our little house and as of this week, the ownership was transferred from us to them. Everything has come together beautifully and we could not have asked for a better outcome for all involved.

I look forward to sharing this next part of our journey as it unfolds. Until then, I’ll leave you with some of the sweet memories that made our first home so dear.

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