For starters. We no longer live here:
We put our house up for sale mid October. Two weeks later we received a full price offer, with a closing date 30 days away. Man were we ecstatic! But I will tell you what. NEVER again do I want to sell a house. Especially while pregnant. UGH! That was the most stressful 30 days of my life. Not too mention, perfect timing for our furnace to go out! I hope the new homeowner enjoys that expensive hunk of metal we installed. (plus a/c, stove, new electric panel, roof repairs, and closing cost! grr.) Luckily, we were able to get the buyer to come up on the price to make up for the expensive and unexpected repairs.
So now we live 40 minutes west, in the good ol' town of Wentzville. In the exact same house that I grew up in!!:
We have traded in the sounds of gun shots and barking dogs, for the peaceful sounds of the suburbs and a distant train. Don't get me wrong. I will miss the city. A LOT. We had one hell of a good time in our old house. But we needed something bigger, and safer to raise children. So here we are.
Here are the things I am missing the most:
1. Our city friends- obvi! Charlie REALLY misses her school friends- Elyn and Abigail. The other day she packed a "suitcase" and said she was moving back to the city to see her friends :(
2. My short commute. 20 minutes has now become 40-60 minutes. Boo!
3. My very deep, very comfortable, steel bath tub. Oh how I miss thee.
4. The convenience of being extremely close to the: zoo, botanical gardens, science center, city museum, any/all sporting events, etc.
5. My dang chalk board door! Where am I going to put Chuck's "Honey Do" list now?
But on the other side I am enjoying:
1. My new master bath for my many nightly pee trips. No more wobbling my fat butt down narrow stairs several times a night.
2. No stairs while bringing in groceries. (can you tell I really despise stairs at the moment?!)
3. Being able to leave my house at night without the fear of being robbed.
4. No worries about the South Grand protesters and helicopters hovering above our house.
5. Watching Charlie do the exact same things, in the exact same places, that I did growing up. For example, it was a bit sentimental watching her ride her bike in the neighbors driveway yesterday- the exact place I learned how to ride without training wheels!
One last thing I want to share. The first day we met with our realtor, she gave us homework: write a letter to the new homeowner. So here it is!
To the future homeowner of 2330 Arkansas:
This home has been our "baby" for the past 6 years. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into the house that it has become today. Seven years ago, my husband and I graduated college, got married, and began our house search. We knew we wanted to be near Tower Grove Park, but fresh out of school our budget was on the low end which limited our options. Luck came our way, when we met the previous owner of the home- Josepha. She was elderly and could no longer keep up with the home and needed to move to an assisted living facility. After viewing the home with my husband, he became very nervous about the massive amounts of wallpaper, textured ceilings, blue 80's carpet, and colorful paint choices. I on the other hand become excited about the potential the home could offer- thank you HGTV!
Thirty days later, we closed on our home, helped Josepha move into her new home, and began our renovation. First, the blue carpet was pulled to reveal beautiful wood floors that just needed a little sanding and stain. A total of 7 different patterned wallpaper was carefully peeled off the walls. Inch-by-inch of the ceiling was scraped to remove the old texture. And for several years we have slowly rejuvenated our home, one room at a time.
For awhile, the two of us felt lonely. Most of our friends lived in the County, while we choose City Life. But since then our friends have also grown fond of our neighborhood, and the conveniences the City offers, and have since joined us. For several years, we played kickball in Tower Grove Park, entertained in our back yard, walked to nearby bars/restaurants, and carpooled to sporting events. Go Cardinals!!
Four years ago, we welcomed a baby girl into our family. And today we are expecting a baby boy to arrive early 2015. With our growing family, we need to expand into a larger home. We would love nothing more than to stay in our current home, but we have decided to move our family into the home that I grew up in and to continue to build on my past family memories and traditions.
We will greatly miss this home. As recent graduates, expanding in our careers. As newly weds, continuing to build our love for one another. As first time home buyers, learning the basics of home renovation. As first time parents, watching our daughter take her first steps in this very living room. And now we hope that you will make as many memories here, as we have.
Cory & Chuck Dickens
Here are some flash back photos...
And then the very lovely pictures from our realtor:
Farewell Arkansas house!!
