Our "Forever House"

Four years ago we lived in a nice neighborhood, full of families who commuted to work over the river to a neighboring state.  They were lured to live here by the lower cost of living, especially the lower taxes.  My husband, born nearby, worked over the river and commuted about an hour away while I commuted an hour in the opposite direction to my job at a public school.  We lived outside of a small city. Our neighbors in the development where we lived had ties over the river and were not over friendly. For the most part we never made it beyond saying hello. The school district also faced a lot of problems: budget shortages, weapons, drugs, gangs, poor test scores, and the list went on.

After we were married we started talking about moving before we started a family.  We packed up all of our extraneous chotskies.  Boxes were stacked in the garage to the point where we couldn't put any cars inside. As soon as our house was up for sale, we started looking at houses for sale in the area where we wanted to live. We should have known this was going to be dangerous for our wallets. 

We found our "forever house".  This is the house where our daughters (who were just a thought at the time) will grow, will have their first sleepovers, will catch their first school bus.  It will be where their first boyfriends will come in to meet the parents (us), and where they will  make their childhood memories.

We made an offer even before our other house sold.  Luckily this was before the real estate market had tanked so our other home sold shortly thereafter. 

We can look beyond the leaking toilets (all three at the exact same time right after we moved in), the field of dandelions (which we are still dealing with), the sunken pavers, and the floating liner in the pool (due to drainage issues since we live at the bottom of a hill).  I can't forget to mention the ground hog (that is larger than the cat that roams the neighborhood) that has taken up residence under our shed.

Our neighborhood is safe. Our neighborhood is the kind of place where the women gather once a month to play Bunko.  Where people look out for each other.   Our home resides outside of a small town.  The kind of town that was settled centuries ago and still tries to maintain its roots.  Our school district is one of the best in the county.

While I know no place is perfect and there are always flaws.  How can we not try to see beyond them?
 
This is where we choose to be happy.  This is where we hope to stay.  And this is where our roots will grow.

What is your "forever house" like?