Houses

This is our house. Okay, not really. But it’s a house my husband found and wanted me to look at it and think about, which is a big deal for us because we don’t have an “our” house.  The house we live in now is the one my ex- husband and I bought when we first moved to Alabama almost 15 years ago. He and I got divorced shortly after, so for most of those 15 years my two daughters and I have lived there in single-parent female-centric bliss. Now my husband and I have been married for 4 1/2 years, the girls are pretty much out on their own (one married with her own home and the other a college senior) and it’s time for our own place. I mean, he’s a great sport and hasn’t minded that the house is full of girly stuff and remnants of my ex-husband and doesn’t really reflect his style at all. So when he said, “Hey, I found a house I like. Let me show you,” I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I love this house! I love all the little nooks and crannies. I love that it looks different and comfortable all at the same time.  Of course, I’d change several a few of the details, and we haven’t gone inside or even seen a house plan, so who knows? And we’re not talking about this specific house, either. It’s off the Natchez Trace Parkway near Saltillo, Mississippi, in a new development. It’s a pretty spot but not the place for us. But from what I can tell from the outside of it, if I could take this house (with the several few changes) and plop it down somewhere close to family and friends and art galleries and theaters and good grocery stores, coffee shops and bookstores, I’d be happy. Of course, I’m happy right now in our house that still has decorating leftovers from high-school prom 2004 and the spot where our beloved Lab chewed the windowsill, but I can see where my husband might be ready to move on. And I think I’m (getting) ready, too.