House hunting
Dave and I went and looked at a house today. We've been feeling like we're at the bursting point in our current place, desperately in need of two more bedrooms so that we could dedicate one to the steady stream of grandparents that have been coming for visits ever since Henry arrived. Right now guests sleep on an aerobed in the downstairs bedroom we use as an office. This has been somewhat acceptable in the past, but probably won't be as well received now that the "bed" has a leak.
We like the part of town we're in, being close to the downtown, so we decided that if we do move, it would have to be in the same area. A house came up that's very close to our old neighbors who moved last summer (possibly to escape us; wouldn't the joke be on them?), so we went and took a look. It's a bit pricey and needs some work, but it's on a nice-sized lot. It's got the right number of bedrooms and a truly hideous but huge kitchen (which I loved). It's got a stairwell that doesn't dissect the house into two halves, something that drives me a bit crazy about our current location. Dry basement, nice attic, pocket doors. And yet neither Dave nor I got that feeling you get when you walk into a house that feels right. Nevertheless, we spent the day thinking very hard about it. We went from "Let's make an offer" to "Forget it let's stay here" and back again a few times. Ultimately we decided it would be a lateral move after considering all of the things we'd want to change if we bought it. It also helped us to appreciate the place we have. Sometimes we get hung up on grousing about the little things that bug us about our house to the point where they feel so problematic that we think there's no way we can live here much longer. Looking at the other house today nudged us out of that way of thinking. We've decided to focus on finishing all of the little projects we've started then pooped out on so that we can sit back and enjoy this place. At least until the next thing breaks. Or springs a leak.