Houses and Family Portraits

We have become slightly obsessed with the real estate in the area. Knowing that we'll probably end up here for the long haul (if we can afford it) since our families are here, we can't help thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice if we had a house?" Don't get me wrong, we love our shoebox. But we can't live here forever. Rufus' crate is already in the middle of the living room floor, and our one storage closet is already stacked as high as my chest.

Here's a house I wish I could call my own. It's in Arlington and every time I drive by it I drool a little bit. I'm not loving the new wooden gate, but other than that it's perfect. It has a bigger yard and driveway to the left and even has a little brick oven and a garage!

It's not for sale, and judging by the new gate and the fact that it wasn't always white-washed, I'm guessing there are fairly new owners living in it. Oh well.

Houses around here are expensive, and many are expensive and old that need updating. But I think there is something to be said for the lived-in look. Why buy a pretty, recently renovated house for more money when you could spend half as much and buy a fixer-upper and fix it up just the way you want to? Something about that really appeals to us.

We're also into the idea of a townhouse. For the long haul. Cheaper. Not as much yard work. Cozy.  And we love cozy (as long as it's a bit bigger than a shoebox). As long as I have a teeny yard where Rufus can run around and I can pretend I am a gardener and try to grow a few plants, flowers, and some herbs and veggies before running for cover when my hands get dirty and I see a grub or a worm, I'll be happy.

One day we'll need more space, but for now we'll look at houses and learn about what we like and don't like (white-washed brick, at least 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fenced-in yard, no pool). I'll continue to browse Apartment Therapy and dream up the rooms of our future house (mostly white/neutral interior with pops of bright color).

For now, we'll stay in our shoebox where we can call a maintenance man and don't have to mow the lawn or rake leaves. I'll grow my dinky basil plant indoors for lack of gardening space. We'll take Rufus to the dog park or the lake when he needs a good romp-around off-leash. And I'll try to appreciate our floor to ceiling mirrored wall while we have them because goodness knows if we buy a house with them I will consider taking them down myself... with a hammer.