StevenLaura

Yesterday we visited a couple of houses around town. Both within our price range. We were excited to see that, with our limited income, we could still get a nice house! The realitor told us, before we headed to the second house, that they were as different as night and day. She was right. One was a beautiful, completely updated Victorian with almost no yard (and no garage) near a lively district of town (with lots of coffee shops, my favorite hippy yarn store, and a vegetarian restaurant). The other was a boxy, boring, one-story bungalow with a large back yard within walking distance of work, but not near any thing else. It is in desperate need of some asthetic repairs. For example, it's got a finished basement, but when we went down to look at it, the ceiling fell in on us because it was poorly hung. We know this is something we can fix, but this is one of many "projects" we saw around the house.

So, do I become urban and trendy (in a house that needed no repairs) or suburban and boring (in a "fixer-upper"). At first, I screamed "Urban!! Coffee shops, book stores, neat neighbors!" And then I realized that the choice was not mine to make. My children had made it for me. We could fix up the boxy house, it would take time but we would fit better in it in the end. We cannot add a yard and a garage to the Victorian, however.

I love the Victorian home. But I love my children more. The other house is messy, but then again, so is life with kids. Goodbye, trendy "Carrboro" self, whatever of you existed in me! Welcome, to all the "mess" that comes with motherhood!