I'm not exactly sure how it happened so fast.
I'm home.
1 month and 1 day ago my little family moved into an amazing house in my home town. Although it wasn't a drastic change, only outside the City by 11 miles or so, the overwhelming feeling that we are in a new location is enthralling to me.
I love how everything is so comfortingly familiar, yet very much changed in the 11 years since I left this place. My brother still lives in our house with his family, its right down the street. Yet the trees are taller, the area has expanded by miles and once new millennial developments look a little shabby and underused.
If you would have asked us 6 months ago, my husband and I would have said that we were staying in our little city house forever. After all the city is booming now and our ramshackle little neighborhood was quickly turning around with hipsters and jogging strollers now mixed in with the cholos and wayward teens.
Our son is going to be going to school soon we realized, and dealing with the public school system in Denver seemed overwhelming. My husband has been working from home for a year now, and we started to feel cramped in our little Ranch. Prices in town have skyrocketed and the hundreds of thousands of dollars we would have to sped to get a larger property in the city was daunting. We started talking suburbs.
I loved growing up in this sleepy little suburb, a little dated, a little tacky, a lot of pride, a lot of good kind people. I loved my community high school, where, thanks to Facebook, I am still connected to lots of amazing people I grew up with. The selling point was the school district, well organized and developed with LOTS of options and less competition. And so, my life long city dwelling husband was swayed.
We were just going to look, but Oy Vay! This market is crazy and after seeing a few acceptable homes with 10+ offers on them it was easy to get swept up when we found the perfect house, right size, right neighborhood and only a slightly elevated price(which these days, is a bargain).
So in 6 weeks we looked, offered, listed, purchased and sold. 6 weeks and a house we worked on for 5 years belonged to some one else and a home that was very much a reflection of its previous owner was now ours. My poor husband and son were thrown completely off kilter while I was trying to balance my excitement and guilt, relief and worry over actually getting them here. Home. A quiet old fashioned place.
I saw a band mom at Costco, I remembered to call her "Mrs". I know where my high school crush works and have so far successfully avoided my nemesis (I know she's here somewhere, I can feel it).
But truthfully, I haven't seen many people I know over all. I no longer go cruising and hanging out on the driveway has lots its appeal. The 4 wheeling hills have houses built on them, and even if they didn't, my friend with whom I used to 4 wheel with died 5 years ago.
But we are here. My boy and I walk to the playground, and the farmers market on Sunday. Our friends and family have been by. The kids all love the huge 1/4 acre yard complete with pumpkin patch. We found a dive-y Mexican restaurant with great Margs that we can walk to. We are finding our groove after living in the city for 10 years.
My town and I have grown, first apart, and now together.
