Thursday, October 20, 2016

Moving



Hello.

Remember me?

The blogger who used to write here?

I'm back! This has been possibly the busiest two weeks of my life. The first week in October, I planned and ran an auction benefiting a local Title 1 school. Then in the second week of October, I planned (for the past year) and attended a national theater conference on gender parity and racial equity in the arts. And this week? Well... this week, I'm moving.

Somebody shoot me.

Yes - we're moving. After seven years in our beloved home, we're downsizing and scaling back. As many of you know, our son Charlie has a host of medical issues. And to be honest, he's an expensive kid. We moved into this house before we had our second child. He has so many upcoming needs and our family needs to be light on our financial feet in order to meet those needs.

Additionally, I'm feeling overwhelmed by the size and scope of our Texas ranch house. Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute of it. And if I wasn't stretched to the limit with multiple jobs and two kiddos - one of whom is very high need - then perhaps I might be happy to maintain a home and garden. But at this juncture in our lives, we need to simplify our lifestyle and minimize our output. So, we've sold our home and we're moving a few blocks away into a two bedroom apartment.

What does that mean? I'm saying goodbye to 1500 square feet of living space, selling 2/3 of our possessions and paying off all our debt with the proceeds from the house. BAM. It also means that I don't have to replace a roof, or repair a hot water heater, or mow my lawn. Instead, I'll call the super, enjoy the pool and wipe down far fewer surfaces every day. It means I'm in much closer proximity to my kids and we can focus on the things that really matter. Am I sad? Sure. Am I happy? Yes. I'm both. But most of all, I'm grateful. I'm grateful to even have the choice to down size and change things up to better meet the needs of my family.

So stay tuned! I move on Tuesday the 26th. Of course I'll take photos when I'm in the new place. Until then, I'm making ruthless choices about what to take and what to keep. And at the end of the month, I'm hosting an estate sale. Wish me luck!


4 comments:

Taste of France said...

Best of luck to you. I hope your estate sale is a raging success.
FYI, the average home size in the U.K. is 828 sq. ft.
Space costs time and money. Good for you to trim that back to be able to spend more of both on what matters to you--your kids.

Rebecca said...

Sounds realistic, liberating, wise, with the potential to energize and enhance your creative life!

Wendy said...

Sending good vibes your way.You're such a positive thinker, but of course you must be feeling some stress.

Loretta Fontaine (EcoHappy Blog) said...

Best Wishes with this move Sarah - and may you and your family land is a space of light and love!

-Loretta