Surviving year one of owning a home

It’s hard to believe, but Patrick and I just celebrated our first anniversary as homeowners. Oh, how time flies when you’re having fun… having fun paying a mortgage, that is.

Owning a home has truly been a blessing, but we’ve learned a lot during our first year. For example, not watering the grass will, in fact, result in massive brown patches growing in the yard. [And likely a fight between spouses.] Or, realizing that the massive tree in the neighbor’s yard will one day be the death of you. And learning to accept the fact that empty rooms aren’t a reflection of your poor decorating skills, but more so your bank account.

Don’t get me wrong – owning a home has been great. But, it blows my mind how so many people can buy a new place and have it looking like a spread in Southern Living within weeks of moving in. [I’m actually just jealous of these super humans.]

Instead of trying to convince you that my home sweet home is a perfect example of the “American Dream,” I’ve decided to reveal what it’s really like after purchasing a home for the average joe, like me.

SO listen up, first time homebuyers – I dedicate this blog post to you!

“There’s no place like home.” -Dorothy

Prepare yourself to feel frustrated:

When you can’t furnish every room right away
When you compare your home to your friends’ homes [Don’t do that to yourself]
When you get slapped for the most random bills [Such as $50 from the homeowner’s association for not remembering to repaint your mailbox because that’s for some reason a thing]
When you have to spend countless hours raking leaves that fall from a tree that’s not even in your yard
When a bird decides to build a nest above your front door [let it be]
When you learn what “bee poop” looks like because of the large amount stained on the front of your home [Good luck scrubbing]
When you realize that laying new mulch is actually an all-day task
When you accidentally step into a hole in your backyard and find out the hard way that baby bunnies make weird noises [Don’t worry, they survived]
When your appliances begin to break [and so does your heart]
When your neighbors don’t bring you freshly-baked cookies after moving in [That’s what they always do in the movies]
When your husband says he’s going to fix the running toilet & somehow manages to make it worse
When your husband gets mad at you for not being grateful he fixed the toilet [Because he actually made it worse]
When you find out the vacation you were saving for is now money that will go toward repairing the side of the outside of your home [Still so icy over this…]
When a year has flown by and you still have two empty rooms in your home

Yep, it’s been a financially exhausting 12 months, filled with many highs and some lows, but we’ve had the best time turning our house into a home. It may be somewhat empty, but the memories and laughter outweigh the lack of furniture and décor.

Prepare yourself to feel happy:

When the eggs hatch from the nest a bird built above your front door & you realize it’s a foreshadowing of your own life
When your husband DOES finally figure out how to fix the running toilet [$200 and three trips to Home Depot later]
When instead of cookies, your sweet neighbor brings you a plate of freshly cooked Indian food and you realize you were the one who should have baked YOUR neighbors some cookies
When you no longer have to walk to a parking garage, because you get to park in YOUR driveway
When you DO finish furnishing a room and your husband tells you how “homey” it feels [Even though he still doesn’t recognize when you cut your hair]
When your husband is giddy over buying a nice edger, then wants to spend hours working on the yard [In a perfect world, you’re sipping a mimosa – but in reality, you’re outside helping trim the hedges]
When you see what your home looks like for the first time after 6-inches of snow falls in your area [Winter Wonderland… magical!]
When you finally own a kitchen table and eat in YOUR dining room for the first time, as a family
When your grass DOES turn back green in the spring [We really weren’t sure this would happen]
When the temps get cold enough to enjoy a warm fire in YOUR fireplace
When you walk through your door after a long day at work and have the feeling of, “It feels so good to be home”
When you finally have enough money to fix the outside of your home, but then find out you’re pregnant
When a year has flown by, and you realize one of the two empty rooms will now become a nursery…