Pollen-y-anna: 5 Things Home Ownership has Taught Me

I told you that last week marked my fourth year of wedded bliss.

It also marked four years of home ownership. You see, Lucas and I were crazy enough to buy our first home a month before we threw a party for 100 people and traveled to Europe for two weeks.

Do I regret it? Not for a minute. The first year was one of the hardest I could have imagined — between painting every room of the house, buying new furniture, budgeting for some unforeseen expenses and maintaining a pool and big backyard, I think we put more blood, sweat and tears into this place than we did for wedding planning!

So, here are my takeaways:

1. Love the good? Take the bad.

This month, we have been keeping up the near-daily fight against leaves and pollen in our front yard, our driveway, our cars and our roof. It’s BAD, y’all. This is the pollen from just one week:

When we bought the house, we fell in LOVE with the massive shade tree that stood tall in the front yard. After all, we had found a 2-story home in Florida, that featured more than just palm trees! No one told us that the beautiful shade tree would dump all over our house and force us to spend every week raking, sweeping and bagging.

BUT, the same tree allows me to frolic in the leaves like a kid, so in the end, it’s worth it.

2. Sometimes, all it takes is a coat of paint to bring out something’s true beauty.

We learned this lesson early on, and have employed it liberally. When we moved into our house, every door, baseboard and window trim was dark brown. It was pretty hideous. We spent hours — weeks! — painting, re-painting and painting once more to turn brown into white. When we finished, for the cost of about $300, we had a house that looked nothing like its previous dark twin. If we did nothing else to the house, we increased its value with this little upgrade. We recently did the same thing with our backyard fence — here’s a shot from midway through:

This one rings true personally, too. I fully believe that each one of us is beautiful and important, no matter what we wear, how we look or what we own. But I know I feel better after a hot shower and with a cute outfit on. Maybe a little mascara. No?

3. Adventure is fun, but having a safe place to come home to makes all the difference.

Looking at this picture of Travers made me learn this lesson. Our cats are indoor cats, and they LOVE to sit at the window, soaking in the sunshine and trying to kill bugs that fly up against the pane. Once in a while, we open the door and let them out, under supervision. I’m always surprised at how long it takes them to actually step outside. Considering the amount of time they look longingly outside, I’d assumed they’d bolt out and I’d be chasing them.

Then, one day, I picked Travers up and carried him outside, showing him the yard, the garden, and the door to get back in. That was all he needed.

Now, just the noise of me flipping the lock is enough to have him bolting. I think he needed to know that the door would ALWAYS be open to come home and be safe.

Just like my door is always open to friends and family:

4. No matter how big or small the space, there’s always room to try something new.

We have done an ENORMOUS amount of work to the house in four years — renovating just about everything we can, including the kitchen and all three bathrooms:

All of it has made our spaces more useable, but not much bigger. I dream of a kitchen that lets me keep all my appliances out, and a bathroom that has a walk-in makeup closet. (It’s a dream, OK?) But organizing and getting the best layout that our money and do-it-yourself skills can handle has allowed me room to keep healthy foods and cooking tools on hand, so I am never too far away from a delicious, satisfying meal.

I also have room to work out, get work done and even grow my very first garden!

And when you need more room? Find it. Lucas and I did a big purge last year and either sold or donated about 20 boxes of stuff we no longer needed or wanted. Like this:

That allowed us to bring in and feature the things that we really DO need and want. And I have never once missed that lunchbox.

5. When it comes to projects, big and small, teamwork is key.

Whether you’re doing laundry:

Searching for squirrels:

Replacing light bulbs:

Or making the bed:

Having a trusted partner, through the good times and bad, makes home ownership not only a privilege, but a joy.

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