oh amelia.

These are our listing photos.

I took these pictures in a rush Sunday morning -- right before we left for Florida. We had just come off 3 months of non-stop work to get the house ready, wrapped up grad classes, and finished with our kids before the summer program. We were exhausted and couldn't wait to get on the road. The "for sale" sign went up as we packed the car and drove off. We had no idea that an offer would come in 3 weeks and set everything in motion. 

My gratitude towards this house is hard to put into words. We fought to give it a second life, but in return it taught me more about myself than anything else ever has. That may seem crazy to say because it's a, you know, house. But we pulled all nighters working here, we answered the door on our first Halloween here with masks on -- not Halloween masks but breathing masks so we didn't die, we cried here, we laughed here, we danced here, we filled three dumpsters of demo here, our family and friends came for meals here, we swore we would never buy another fixer-upper here while we lovingly caulked every gap and crack. 

And then ...

Our family. Our family. Our family. 

They were here through it all -- countless days working on plumbing, drywall, electric, painting, moulding, etc. etc. etc. We never took them for granted -- and we always felt like the luckiest kids in the world. The time we spent together was beyond precious. I hope one day we can repay them for all the time, love, sweat, and patience they gave to us.

So here's to the new owners. We hope you love this place as much as we did. 

orlando

I still can't believe that in 2 weeks Josh and I will both be living in downtown Orlando. Right now I'm waiting for the moving pod to be dropped off. 

This is by far the ballsiest thing we have ever done. Sure, this is probably a baby move (not international, not vegas, etc) to some, but for us it's kind of a big deal. For the last couple of months we have gone back and forth daily -- having no idea what to do. Some days we were set on staying in pa and other days our bags were packed. Living in limbo was not fun and every date night or cuddle time on the couch was all about this choice. It was a huge relief when we finally committed to moving. We could plan and get really excited. 

If you know us or have been reading this blog, you know that we have been going through some challenging times. From working too much (work, grad school, renovation) to dreading winter, something (or everything) had to change. I always thought I would be at my school forever -- when I realized it was time to leave, so many possibilities opened up. We aren't naive enough to think the grass is greener on the other side -- but have learned that happiness is about the choices you make. We could easily target a few specific, tangible things to change that would make our life better (and easier).

We are definitely sad to be moving farther from our family and friends. The relationships we have are amazing and we know how lucky we are. But the thing is, they will continue to be amazing. The time that we spend will be concentrated, quality time. It will be different but I think it will be better. 

I'm (we) finally feeling like myself again. I haven't wanted to share here because I didn't always like what was coming out. I'm back to blogging now -- and we will be sharing this whole adventure. The pictures will certainly be brighter. And there will be beach photos in December.