This week marks 10 years in our home. I remember the first time walking in the front door and breathing a sigh of relief. We’d been looking at homes for a couple of days and while we’d seen things we liked, I wasn’t crazy about any of them. I knew this was the house for us when I walked in and breathed that sigh of relief – it felt just like the home I’d had in my mind. I guess our realtor must have seen the look on my face as well and commented that it was the house. It had a good sized kitchen and a yard big enough for a garden. The two things I loved most about the house then are the two things I still love the most about our house, ten years later.

Apparently this is the best picture of the front of the house I have – right after I’d painted the front door (you can still see the green painter’s tape and “west paint” sign on the steps) – oh well!

Our house has seen a bit of a transformation while we’ve lived there. The yard went from a neglected and very dull rectangle of overgrown raspberry bushes, trees planted too close to the house, and dog stained lawn, to our productive little retreat. The inside of the house has seen quite a few changes – mostly cosmetic, but also many repairs and functionality adjustments. Of course we will continue to make it in to our dream home over time (I wish this was one of those blogs that showed miraculous renovations that happen pretty much overnight, but unfortunately time and money stand in the way of that, sorry).

I’ve been thinking about the house a lot lately – it was built in 1978, which isn’t that old, but I don’t know too much about it besides that. There is very little evidence of what the house originally looked like as it has seen a few renovations over the years. The outside is more than likely exactly the same (besides the yard of course). I wish I could see pictures of what the house looked like when it was brand new, but I think even if something like that existed, it would be very difficult to obtain. I’d also love to know about the people and families that lived in our home before it came to us – we know a little bit about the previous owner we bought the house from, but not too much. It’s not that any of these things would be of benefit, it is out of pure curiosity.

I love our little house and am looking forward to spending the next 10 years in it!