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“If some lives form a perfect circle, others take shape in ways we cannot predict or always understand.” -Nicholas Sparks
“Life is a circle of happiness, sadness, hard times, and good times.” -Lessons Learned in Life
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This is the SIXTH, and most likely the last blog about the reestablishment of our household into our current home. This blog follows THE BIG MOVE, THE BIG DRAIN, THE BIG PUSH, THE BIG SPRINT, AND THE BIG SIGH. If you have not read these previous blogs, you may want to read them to provide context for this blog.
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I no longer describe it as our new home, as we have been living in it for approximately 1.5 years.
It’s March, 2026. I am composing this blog while sitting on the front porch of my home. It’s 7:55 AM and I have already spoken to four of our neighbors who were walking by the front of our house. It’s 72° outside and nice weather. I’m watching a squirrel scurry back and forth to the park across the lane. It’s gathering building materials for a nest. There are other early signs of spring, as some plants and trees have started producing new growth. Several people are walking their dogs across the open park.
These are the same types of things that I could have viewed from the front porch of my previous home, except for the squirrel! Cars with parents and students are queuing up down the circular lane. They are preparing to drop the children off at the school across the park.
It’s the beginning of another day, and I can quietly sit and enjoy it from my front porch.
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The House
This will be the first full year in our current home that we are not renovating, updating, or landscaping. It seems as though we have resided here much longer than one and a half years.
This house is now our home. It feels right for where we are in our life’s journey. It’s the same feeling we had in our previous home at that stage of our lives. Our previous house was appropriate for that period in our lives. This house is appropriate for this period of our lives.
We are very glad we did interior and exterior renovations before moving into our home. Now that renovations are complete, we aren’t worried about the aesthetics of our house. We’re done for the present! Since we have moved in, we have experienced no additional problems with our home, and we are thankful for that.
We felt the bulk of the problems with our home were cosmetic, and thus far, this has proven true. A new roof, new stucco, and total repainting both interior and exterior mean that future cosmetic maintenance should be minimal for the next few years.
If you own a home, there will be maintenance! Hopefully, any maintenance issues we have will be minimal.
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Exterior Landscaping
Unbelievably, one of the biggest problems we had during our renovation was our patio area. When THE BIG SIGH was written, our contractor was forming and pouring the concrete for our patio addition.
Some of the French drains installed, had to be repositioned, but were still functional. The concrete surface in our courtyard enhanced drainage. The new concrete patio area served as a catch basin and aided drainage for overflow rainfall.
Problems with our patio surfaced when the contractor tried to match stains. The new concrete and the gazebo’s existing concrete did not stain equally. After three unsuccessful attempts to match the stain, we decided to paint the concrete a terra-cotta color. We weren’t excited about painted concrete versus stained concrete. But, we had exhausted other options and decided to apply a painted surface.
The consensus of my wife and me was that paint will eventually wear or chip faster than stain on concrete.
My wife and I were both disappointed, but this is where MANAGING EXPECTATIONS is invaluable. Our contractor made three unsuccessful attempts to stain and seal. As much as we desired a stained patio surface, we reluctantly agreed to paint it. The painted surface is fine and is functional. It’s just not our first choice!
Both adults and grandchildren extensively use our improved patio and courtyard area. When the weather permits, we open our French doors. Our children and grandchildren can move from inside to outside. Because our courtyard area is gated and can be locked, we are less concerned about children outside our home in the patio area. Anyone who has children or grandchildren is aware that they move fast and can slip out of an unlocked gate in a second.
It is now about one year since the landscape design was implemented and planting was completed.
The sprinkler system works flawlessly and our plants and shrubs have flourished over the last year. Things should continue to improve as our plants continue to grow and mature. The visual impact of our landscaping will probably not be fully evident until next year as plants reach maturity.
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Lifestyle
As previously written, this morning I spoke to four of our neighbors.
Our daughter and son-in-law are both architects. They explained that the design of our planned Community facilitates interaction between neighbors. Instead of having large front yards, homes are placed close to sidewalks and many homes have front porches. This brings homeowners closer to sidewalks and streets where people stroll, jog, and bike ride, and encourages interaction between neighbors. I can sit on my front porch and carry on a conversation with someone walking on the sidewalk because they are only about 10 feet away.
My wife and I continue making friends as we meet more neighbors and other residents.
At our annual HOA meeting, the HOA decided to fund increased Community events. More community events mean more opportunities to interact with and meet more of our neighbors and other residents. We currently have several HOA-funded events yearly, but this number should increase over the next few years.
Our daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren moved into their new home. Their home is approximately two blocks away from ours. We now see them regularly. Last night, we watched them playing tennis and then walked home with them and our two grandchildren. It’s nice having them close and being able to visit and interact with them on a daily basis.
My wife and I have not been able to take full advantage of our community’s swimming pools, tennis courts, and Pickleball courts. We hope the completion of the renovation provides more free time for these hobbies.
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Financial
We have finally been made whole again! In the blog titled THE BIG DRAIN, I explained that we purchased our current home before we were able to sell our previous home. Our daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters occupied our previous home until their new home construction was completed.
They moved into their new home in late November, and I spent December prepping and doing touch-up painting at our previous home. Our previous home was listed for sale in mid-January and we quickly received an offer for the full listing price. We went through the act of sale approximately one week ago.
So, approximately 1.5 years after we moved into our current home, we have been able to recapture the equity in our previous home. Not having our previous home’s equity to help in the purchase of our current home created a minor headache. I had to scramble to put together enough cash to purchase and renovate our current home. This whole process was outlined in THE BIG DRAIN .
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Final Thoughts
Reflecting the title of this blog, we have come full circle. The relationship between my wife and me started over 50 years ago. Our relationship has seen us through dating, college, marriage, Family, and four Forever Homes!
This home truly seems and feels right for us at this stage of our lives. We loved our previous home and lived there for 12 years. It was perfect for that stage of our lives.
It makes my wife, and me feel good to see the joy and excitement in the faces of the new young homeowners. We hope they will enjoy and cherish our former home as much as we did.
For the fourth time, we are hoping this is truly our Forever home.
When I questioned my wife several days ago, neither she nor I could state any negatives about our new home or neighborhood. This may be because we are still in the honeymoon phase in our new home and environment. I choose to think it is because I am a Realistic Optimist and understand that nothing is 100% good, but that our current home feels right for us.
The circle continues and only time will tell how things will ultimately work out.
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