On the Horizon

It's hard to look to the future right now because so many things are uncertain, but Matt and I have been working toward something for awhile and our first major step is complete, so I feel the need to share.

We've sold our house.

We signed the closing docs in our car. If this isn't peak 2020, I don't know what is.

If you've been reading here for awhile, you know we bought our first house in the summer of 2014. Our plan was to do what we called a "slow flip"; our timeline was four years but it ended up being six.

2014

Our biggest overhaul was the kitchen. In the intervening years, we've also repainted the inside and outside and spruced up the landscaping just a bit. After Hurricane Irma, we got a new roof.

2020

We celebrated New Years and birthdays in this house. We buried Archie there and set up a little memorial for him. This is where we celebrated my promotion, half a dozen wedding anniversaries, and quite a few Passovers. This was a good first home filled with memories.

But it's time to move on.

Our last photo, taken on moving day.

This was a scary time to plan a move. We listed the house in early March, right before Coronavirus really impacted our area of the country. The house went under contract barely a week later. So, we were dealing with showings, realtors, appraisers, etc, while also dealing with finding a place to rent, all while avoiding people and the outside world as much as possible. During this time, school went fully remote and I was working from home full-time. (I still am.)

Things have been stressful, to say the least.

One of the biggest hurdles was finding a short-term rental because...well, the future doesn't stop for a pandemic. Our goal before COVID-19 was to move to Seattle; this had been a dream of ours for a couple years. Things were delayed, mostly by Irma, but now that the house has sold, the possibility is back on the table. If things fall into place, we will make the move this summer.

Luckily, we were able to find a place where a short-term/month-to-month lease was an option, so we have officially moved in and bought ourselves three months to figure things out.

Now that the sale of our house has closed and we've moved out, I feel less stressed. I can finally look ahead with anticipation rather than anxiety. Things are still uncertain, but in a this-is-an-adventure sort of way instead of a wtf-are-we-doing way.

As things settle down, I hope to go for my first run in three weeks, scope out some job options, complete the school year as successfully as possible given the circumstances, and stay healthy doing it. I hope you are all staying healthy and safe, too.

ABK