The "Aug Blog": 30th Birthday Housewarming

Thank you so much to all of my friends and family who came or sent wishes for my thirtieth birthday. I had a great time seeing new and old faces at the housewarming party we hosted later in the month and I'm so appreciative for your willingness to come and visit.

Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions I got that evening:

Q: What have you been doing for work this year? Are you still teaching?

A: I do still consider my profession teaching, but I haven't been doing it full-time. At Halloween I told my old school that I would no longer be substituting for them (after having quit teaching 2nd Grade there). It wasn't helping me to progress and just didn't seem right any more. Almost immediately women in our Bountiful Hills ward asked me to volunteer or work with them in various pursuits. I started the day out at 7:30 as an assistant director running elementary choir rehearsals (1st semester) and an elementary musical production (2nd semester). I then did reading tutoring sessions for small groups of struggling readers when school began. Next I went to a homeschool family's house and taught their language block (which I will still do for a few hours each day this summer as I work through an online BYU course with their daughter). Then I went home and had a couple of neighbor children up for private tutoring to learn how to read. When any of the above got canceled or phased out, I was babysitting another neighboring family's children or doing various other visits and projects in the ward. And then once house hunting started, the loan process and working with three realtors became a part-time job itself!

Q: So about the house...this is pretty big and pretty nice for what you need and what you were going for, right?

A: Yes! We did not expect to get this kind of house at all. And we don't know why we are here, but we came upon it by "accident", liked it better than anything we'd seen, and it just felt right even when negotiations and financial hiccups were frustrating. We obviously don't need the space but we know it's where the Lord wants us to be as we grow into it. We're hoping to get renters in the basement so it's not totally wasted space and we can better afford the mortgage. As for the size, it's all relative depending on who you are and what your expectations are. We know people that are apartment dwellers that can't fathom the need for this much space, and we've been told by others that 3,000 square feet and a house that's almost 40 years old will get cramped and in disrepair real soon if we have kids. We hope not. We hope to always be grateful for this wonderful home and appreciate that we're living in more luxury than 99% of anyone on the planet ever has. What a nice time to be alive!

Q: What do you like best about the house?

A: There are lots of fun little things I find to enjoy, and not so little things like the piano...which has been wonderful to sit down at when no one is home and get back into playing. But overall, I think I like that this home seems timeless to me: a good classic look and rooms and a yard that could fit us for all seasons: young children, teenagers, empty-nesters, and grandparents if the Lord wants us to stay here.

Q: Where did you get all this stuff?

A: We're pack rats, what can I say? :) Just kidding...sort of. We actually are wanna-be-minimalists, and are trying hard to get rid of anything we don't use before we get settled, hence the pile of stuff still left at Isaac's parents' house. However, we have collected a lot over four married years. In terms of furnishings, about 2/3 of them are purchased as part of our closing costs from the previous owner. He didn't want to have to worry about moving them or selling them and was happy to sell us a furnished house. We didn't need all of it, nor the price it cost; however, we're not furniture and decor shopper types, so in hindsight, we feel really blessed it all worked out this way to not worry about saving to furnish it over time. The other 1/3 had been given to us previously and was stored for us, like in the case of the organ, desk, and recliner chair, or we had purchased from our friends as in the case of the toddler bed and downstairs bed set. Our furniture has always been hand-me-downs and we are totally grateful. We were able to give our previous furniture to Catholic Community Services to furnish a refugee apartment in Salt Lake.

Q: Your decorations and knick knacks are neat. Where did you get them?

A: I actually wasn't sure where they all came from, so we did an inventory after-the-fact. 30 were gifts from people (e.g. my sister, students, friends); 20 were wedding presents; 20 were left from the previous owner (the whole kitchen and master bedroom walls we didn't touch). 11 were purchased by Mommy Blair at various points because she loves me; :) 8 came from the decor my roommates had when we furnished our Orem townhouse; 7 were my own purchases. So yes, that's a bit overkill on the decor and thus we haven't spent a dime on that moving here, save getting some of my pictures framed.

Q: Does it really feel any different to be 30?

A: Today certainly doesn't feel any different. But the last six months has. Last year I dreaded turning 30. It was too big. This year I couldn't wait. It was too small. Now it feels just right for my situation. Isaac getting a career job and us buying our first home doesn't hurt. As I like to say, I finally feel like a "real person" (i.e. grown-up to be taken seriously as opposed to a college student 20-something that unfortunately often gets blown off for not having any real life experience).

And the number one question from anyone not at the party was...

Where can I see pictures of your house?!

A: Right here.

Main Level Entry and Family Room