House for Rent

Trenton and I bought our first house together when we had been married for just a year.  I was a 22 year old college student and had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.  I will never forget how I felt when we walked into this house for the first time.  I should have been afraid, or at least a little apprehensive upon making such a huge financial commitment and life decision.  But as soon as I stepped foot in the house, I felt happy and peaceful.  The house was over 20 years old at the time, and had been a rental for years, so it wasn't well kept.  The fixtures and paint were terribly outdated, and both the front and back decks were rotting.  But somewhere in my gut, I knew that Trenton and I would work hard to fix up the house as we built our life together.  I remember walking into the bedroom and looking out the window at the park directly across the street and saying to our realtor, "This is the house we should buy.  I can see our future kids playing at that park." 

Our kids did play at that park, almost daily.  And Trenton and I did work together to fix the house up as we built our marriage.  Everything we put into this house truly was a labor of love.  Whenever I look at this house, I will think of all the help we received from family and friends.  I will remember the renovations that followed pipes bursting, and all the crying and worrying over how we'd afford everything.  I will remember bringing each child home from the hospital, teaching them to walk and talk, and hearing their laughter as they played with their neighborhood friends.  I will think of all the holidays, and birthday parties, and late nights on the deck with friends.  Every time I see a seed packet at the store, I'll think about the first Spring Trenton and I gardened together.  I'll never forget how he encouraged me to stick with perennial plants because then "we'll get to enjoy them year after year."  I will remember my kids playing in the yard as I watered our flowers, and then growing to the age where they could water the flowers themselves and help me harvest our zucchini, squash, green beans, cabbage, and beets.  This home truly was our haven, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to live within its sheltering walls during such a precious time in our lives.

That being said, Trenton and I didn't have any kids when we bought this house.  Its small square footage didn't bother us because it was just the two of us.  Add a bunch of animals and three kids and all their stuff, and we quickly began bursting at the seams.  Since Trenton and I paid top dollar for this home before the housing market crashed in 2006, there was absolutely no way we would be able to sell this house in preparation for buying a bigger home, without losing money. So after much deliberation and prayer, we decided to put the house up for rent and see if there was any interest at our price point.  Within 24 hours we had several couples view the home, and we had renters sign a two year lease within the week.  They are a military family that had just moved back from Germany.  They were staying with friends until they found housing, and wanted to move in within two weeks.  Since Trenton and I were just feeling out the renter's market, we didn't really think we'd actually find a family right away.  Because of that, we didn't make living arrangements for ourselves yet. So we called my Mom and Dad asking if we could stay with them until we figured things out.  Thankfully they were more than happy to accommodate our family of 5, and so we made plans to be out of our house in two weeks.

These are the pictures that I took to list the home for rent.  I'm so thankful to have these to keep and look at as my memories fade.  It has its fair share of problems, but it really is a sweet little home.

Moving was quite a challenge, not only because we had two weeks to pack up our home, but also because we were moving into my parents' basement that was full of boxes.  Under those boxes was carpet that had been water damaged by a leak in the ceiling, and urinated on by several cats over the years.  As a thank you to my parents for letting us stay there, we offered to help them sift through the boxes and dispose of the trash and junk, replace the carpet, and renovate.  So I spent my days at our house packing and cleaning, and Trenton and I spent our nights at my parents' house working our butts off. I took down all the ugly curtain valences and Trenton removed the Styrofoam wooden looking beams off the ceiling, and then decided to knock down the hallow half walls that made the space look much smaller than it is.  The moment Trenton took a sledge hammer to the wall, I looked at my dad and saw the blood drain from his face.  Thankfully, he seemed happy with the finished product.  And my mom is ecstatic!  I'm happy we could do this for them, and we are so grateful for their generosity in letting us stay with them until we figure out our next steps. 

Our last couple days in the house were busy and bittersweet.  Despite the fact that we had been packing boxes, had rented a moving truck, and changed our address- the reality that we were moving didn't feel real until we said goodbye to our beloved hens. These ladies fed my babies farm fresh eggs for almost two years! Is it too much to say that I love them? Thankfully they went to a happy home with lots of other feathered friends at our neighbor's house.  They are thriving there.

It was also sad to say goodbye to the most wonderful neighbors ever!

We celebrated our last evening in our house by having a picnic on the living room floor.  I asked the kids what their favorite memories of the house are- and Emma said, "Christmas mornings."  And Ben said, "I love the park and my friends."   



Bye-bye house!