Our Home

Beginning last spring, March to be exact, Carl and I decided to put our house up for sale, and look for a new one.  We didn't have another one in mind, but knew we would like something bigger, and location was key.  We were located on the highway, which we thought wasn't going to be very kid-friendly in the near future when Carson would want to go outside and play, and ride his bike.  So, we set out on the adventure of selling, and buying. 
We were one of those very fortunate sellers, and our house moved quickly.  We sold within 4 months of our listing date.  That was an answered prayer.
Then came the buying part.  We had a house in mind, but had to travel over a few bumps to get there.  It was like riding a bike, and we were still a little shaky.  We still had our training wheels attached. 
Long story short, we made it through all of the trials, and landed upon a house we both loved.  That's when we felt confident enough to take the wheels off, and ride freely. 
We did some a lot of work to our new house, and we both absolutely love it.  It was a lot of hard work, and we had A LOT of great people to help us.  We are so thankful for family and friends...have I mentioned that before?!  And now, we get to enjoy it!  We then realized that we could ride with no hands.  Enjoying the scenery around us.  That's what we were doing.  We were taking in our new surroundings, and enjoying every little bit of it. 

We closed on our new house 6 months ago, and we have been loving it so far.  We said good bye to our old house, which held a lot of memories.
It was:
....our very first home purchased together.

....the one that Carl purposed to me.  in the living room.  down on one knee.  in the middle of a heart made out of rose petals, and tea candles. 

 

....the one we came home to as a married couple--Mr. & Mrs. Brouwer.

....the one where we got our first pet, Tucker. 

....and, the one we brought our first child home to.  carson david brouwer was walked through the front door of 626 parriott street, and was welcomed home by a giant sign.

That house holds a lot of memories, but we are now making new ones.  In our new house.  And, so far....they have been nothing but great memories.  With, a million more to come! 

Six months ago, we purchased this house, that we now call home.

We did some work to the outside, that really made a huge difference.  We ripped out the bushes in the front, took out the bricks that lined the whole entire house, cut down trees, added dirt, and took out the front steps and replaced them with new ones. 

During........

After.....

The big renovation that we started with was the kitchen.   

We knocked down the wall that was between the kitchen and living room, and holy smokes did that open up the room.  What a transformation.....and, we l.o.v.e it!! 

Before.......

During.....

After.....

The next big project was the basement.  We added an office, bedroom, storage, family room, and bar.  Phew, I am tired just thinking about it :) 

Before.... (the whole basement was open, and bare like this one picture)

After......

The main floor bathroom also needed some updating.  We added a new light fixture, mirror, vanity and cabinet.  It really made a huge difference, and turned out nice!

Before.....

After.....

And, the living room also got a little TLC.  Just some updating, and some lovin'.

Before.....

After.....

Carl and I are back and forth about how long it seems like we have lived here.  Some days it feels like we have been here for years, and other days it feels like we just moved in!  Regardless, we are happy in our new home, and can't wait to see what the future holds.  And, what other great milestones, and memories we will create here, under this new roof of ours. 

Happy Weekend!