The party continues..

YAY! It's still here!

Getting a start on it..

..a little more..

Remember the window from our inside demolition shots?

Here's an exterior shot - still has the trim! I love these little discoveries...makes you think about what used to be :)



Splainin' to do.

So, why – you might ask – would I buy a house that looks like this one? With the rotting, twisted garage and the layers and layers of shingles piled atop its tiny roof, it doesn’t make a very strong case for itself at times…and that’s before you see all the wallpaper and the knob and tube wiring.

The answer is that old real estate mantra: location, location, location!

Not only will my tiny, little house be about two blocks from my office, it’s also the same distance to several restaurants, a small grocery, the library, City Hall, and the microbrewery. Key among them: the microbrewery J Not only that, but my tiny, little house is located in one of the most architecturally diverse neighborhoods in town – something I really enjoy. So while the garage may have you spooked, or the next-door neighbor’s house with all its ills may be an eyesore for the moment, check out the views across the street!

And down the block:

Behind me:

Around the corner:

And, a couple blocks away:

Yes, my tiny house has its issues. But I’m sold on the big-old trees, the big-old houses, and the small-town charm. That’s all for now – come back soon!

Homework

I hate homework - most everything about it, actually. I hated homework so much while in college mostly because I hated what I was doing in college. (I graduated with degrees in Financial Management and Economics...needless to say, this guy was the life of the party.)

I did that to myself because I didn't want to be the guy who was 30 years old, who still wore sweatpants everyday, and referred to passers-by as "Bro" on his way to Personal Wellness. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with sweatpants (I am writing a blog, after all..). I'm just saying the seven year college track wasn't for me. College was fun. A blast. For me, though, moving on was always the purpose. I stuck with a major I disliked because deep down I knew I could pursue whatever it was I truly wanted once I had a degree, and I didn't want to spend any more time getting from 'Point A' to 'Point B' than I had to.
However, there was one thing I learned more than anything while in college: if there was something I didn't want to do, I wouldn't do it. Not in a 'kicking-and-screaming-on-the-floor-of-a-department-store" sort of way. I would do what needed done, but I definitely didn't put my heart into it. And I wanted desperately to put my heart into something.

It took some time before I put it together.

Why was I always more willing to finish my homework when I knew there was a copy of "Cottage Living" waiting for me? Why was 'This Old House' always more entertaining than 'Jersey Shore'? And why do I have this odd fascination with reading Martha Stewart's blog every day hoping for more musings from the vegetable gardens and butler's pantries of Bedford?

I now have a theory. Anytime I have a serious (read: wine-induced) conversation with a really good friend, I find that all any of us are really looking for is simplicity. We don't need to be media moguls, billionaires, or Super Bowl victors. We just need to be happy. We just want to live a life that is full and somehow rewarding - and if we leave the world a better place than it was? Bonus!
I want a house. Not a big house, but one with character and a story. Something I can restore and make even better. A place to call my own and to open up to everyone. I want to have dinner in my too-small dining room using vegetables I grew in my too-small yard. I want something simple. I want a home.

So now I begin the rest of my life - the life after school. The life of my own choosing. The kind of life that gets me involved in my small community. The kind of life where I take my own bags to the grocery store, and save food scraps in a bowl on the kitchen counter for the compost pile. My simple life.