Big Year, Big Changes: Part IV (Last one!)

Home is where the heart is.

So they say . . .

James and I have been living the downtown condo life for almost 6(!) years now. When we were first married, we had a 904 sq ft loft apartment with no doors! That's certainly one way to break in your marriage!

For almost the last 5 years we've been living in a beautiful apartment in the Commerce Towers which is just a short 2 block walk to James's work.

Playing cornhole on the roof is not too shabby. Unless you toss a bag over the side. That causes quite the delay of game.

Here's what I love about living downtown:

1. James being so close! He's able to walk home for lunch most days, and if it's an emergency, it's so easy for him to get here. It cancels out the stress of a commute and allows us to spend much more time together. By far this is the biggest perk and the reason we've stayed downtown for so long.

2. The activities! There are so many shows, festivals, games, and other special occasions happening downtown that we are able to walk to. It's a treat!

3.  How safe I feel. We have 24 hour valet and concierge service in our building, and it's nice to know that someone is always watching over our house.

I am certainly going to miss this.

Here's what's not so great:

1. Missing fresh air! We only have one little window in our place that opens, so if I want to sit outside, I either have to go up to the pool area (where we can't bring Birdie and it's uncomfortably windy and sunny) or venture to a downtown park, which are blocks away. I'd much rather be able to step outside a door in my pj's and cup of coffee and enjoy a private backyard.

2. The homeless issue. Houston has a serious homeless problem. Seriously, just read this.
And while the majority of them are harmless, there are some that make walking around our neighborhood very difficult. There are times when I don't feel safe (even with James) and some that won't take "No" for an answer. There is also an issue with them relieving themselves on and around our building. The thought of pushing a baby carriage around all of this does NOT appeal.

3. Feeling a little isolated. While I love the quiet and safety of our building, sometimes I can feel a bit like Rapunzel in her tower. It's hard for friends to find parking, we don't know anyone else in the building, and it can start to feel a little claustrophobic. And I was worried that would get worse when the baby got here.

If only downtown Houston had a bit more of a Bourbony New Orleans feel to it. Just as dirty, but a little more fun!


So even though there's a lot to love about where we are, James and decided that it was time to leave the metropolis of Houston and move a whopping 7 miles away.


For those of you not familiar with the layout of Houston, it's HUGE!!! There are so many possible places to put down your roots, but we zeroed in on an area called Timbergrove.


It's close enough to downtown but still has the quiet and charm of a traditional neighborhood. Also, James's grandparents have lived there for 50 years and raised all their children in the same house. In fact, one of his aunts will only be about half a mile from us!


Timbergrove is the perfect mix of cute neighborhood, close proximity to downtown, and affordability. We loved it! Unfortunately, it seems that lots of other people love it for the same reason.

I'll never get this guy to leave the loop.

For months, we would stalk the Houston realty website, HAR, and watch as a Timbergrove house would be listed, and then suddenly be pending, sometimes in a matter of days!

I was beginning to wonder if we would ever find what we wanted, when our realtor took us to a lot right before Christmas. The house on the lot was scheduled for demolition and would be replaced by a new build that was exactly what I wanted! Lots of space, plenty of bedrooms, one story, huge kitchen, etc.


The only issue was the price. The price itself was very fair, so there was no wiggle room, but I knew it was more than James wanted to pay.
I spent the next week trying to lay out for him all of the perks of the house. I truly believed that after months of waiting, we found exactly what we were looking for.
But it would be James's decision in the end, so as the weekend before Christmas came and family started arriving, I tried to put it on the backburner so we could enjoy the holidays.

Christmas morning as spent at my brother's house where we had all the Friedmanns in town to celebrate. There was lots of present opening, toy playing, and picture taking.
When it came time for James to give me my gift, I was a bit underwhelmed when he gave me a piece of paper.
But I put on my "oh I love it" smile and opened what I was positive was a pre-natal massage gift certificate.

But low and behold, it was a contract on the new house!!!

Obviously I would've been just as excited about a pre-natal massage. But this was still pretty cool.


And so here we are 2 months later picking out brick colors and kitchen appliances as we wait for our house to be built.
It won't be ready til after baby comes, so she will spend the first month or so in a laundry basket, but it will be worth it once we get in!

Right now we just have a large hole in the ground, but I'll keep y'all posted as the house comes together.

So what does that sound of bulldozers and saws mean, dear neighbor?? The Chenos are coming!