Workin' It

Over our spring break we moved back into our Casita. We put a TON of stuff in storage, and we're gradually moving things back (We're still going to keep the extra storage space- to keep our sanity!). We decided to make some purchases, so that our stuff will fit into our place better. I think we went to IKEA at least 5 times! I'll post some pics of how of space is coming together- as soon as I get all the boxes cleaned up and tidy.

We spent hours getting some of these IKEA pieces together...and little miss was a big help. This video cracks me up. She was very serious about helping mom and dad.

And now that we'll be rocking the Dimond neighborhood, I think our house needs an official name, any ideas?

It is what it is

Since August we have been trying to sell our house. We lowered our price and tried again this spring, and got an offer within the first couple weeks of putting the house back on the market. But the deal collapsed yesterday. We are bummed that we put so much time, effort, and money into this 8-month journey...

Today we are back at our cute little house after spending weeks at my mom's (she's been such a gracious host). And we're spending time reflecting on the circumstances.

Mark is strumming on his guitar, and wrote some lyrics-
The breeze
blowing through the trees
outside my window
sky is blue
My baby is asleep
in the other room
We got everything we need
When I'm next to you

I'm reading Cutting for Stone. And last night, after getting the news of our botched deal, the last words I read for the night felt apropos (@ 24% on the kindle version)-

For the first time since Sister Mary Joseph Praise's death, Matron felt a sense of peace, a sense of certainty where there had been none. She was certain that this was the spot- this was where the long voyage of Sister Mary Praise would end. She remembered, too, her first days in Addis, when things looked so bleak, so terrifying, so tragic- it was at those moments that God's grace came, and that God's plan was revealed in his time. "I can't see it, Lord, but I know you can," she said.

So here's what I can be optimistic about going forward-
1-We love being blocks from such an amazing park.
2- We love the convenience of our neighborhood. Yes, we have Peet's, the library, banks, restaurants, 2+ grocery stores- but more importantly, easy freeway access is such a perk!
3-We feel safe in the Dimond- you hear a lot more gun shots in the neighborhood we were planning to move to. This was a low priority for us in general, but somehow having a kid changes these sort of priorities for you.
4- Our neighborhood is very walkable, and encourages us to have a more active lifestyle.
5- Hopefully we'll be creative and make this house work better for us going forward. I'm looking forward to possible renovations.
6- We love the school we're slotted for, Glenview. It's public, diverse, has good test scores, has a dynamic parent community, and is walking distance from our house.
7- We love that we're in between the hills and the flats.
8-We love Farmer Joe's- and we've missed it.
9- By staying longer, we'll be able to put more equity in the house...hopefully it will be a better financial decision in the long-run.
10- The leak in our garage (which really killed our deal), only got 2 of our boxes wet.

Here's to being optimistic!

XOXO,
Rebecca

Season of Busy

Things have been a little busy in these parts--

Just this week:

Mark's finishing up a massive paper for his master's program

I finished up a Lit Assessment course I taught online

Our staging was taken away (now we have an empty house)

We had several realtors show our house (which = a lot of cleaning for us!)

Lots of Christmas parties, shopping, and wrapping

AND...the most important....Sadie is starting to walk!! She's gaining confidence and is taking 3-5 steps regularly. Perhaps she'll be polished enough to WOW the relatives at Xmas.

Here are some recent photos-

 Cutie patootie

 See Mom, I can share (with buddy, Kate).

 They both "stole" these items from each other. The grass is always greener...

 Cheese and books= bliss

 blocks!

Bye bye boring furtniture!

oaktoberfest for sure

So, we've been off this week. And it's flown by so fast. We stayed around Oakland- did some fun things with friends and family: Grandpa Vince visited from Chicago (so fun!) last weekend, we went to SF Zoo on Wednesday, and out to Underdog Wine Bar in Livermore today  to visit my brother. Other than that we really chilled a lot with Sadie, went on walks to Peet's (of course!), and yes, worked. Tomorrow we have a packed day- helping out at Harbor House, my old 9 to 5, and going to the most awesome (for reals) Oaktoberfest in our hood.

The biggest turning point this week is that we came to terms with the fact that we probably won't sell our house this fall. We'll keep it on the market until the staging contract expires...but the market is looking pretty bleak. On the downside, we did a lot of packing and cleaning to get the house ready. On the bright side, we don't HAVE to sell, and we really like where we live (besides it being a little smallish). So I'm trying to emphasize the positives so I don't get too bitter about the wasted $ and effort.

So here's my list, 10 things I love about where we live:
1) Great Walkability: Library, Dimond Park, Farmer Joes, Safeway, Peet's, CVS, Chase, Glenview, etc..
2) We have great new oak floors in the kitchen...they are wonderfully beautiful
3) We really like our neighbors!
4) My driveway garden rocks
5) PEET'S (this deserves to be on the list 2x)
6) Jean Quan Councilwoman - and hopefully soon-to-be mayor!
7) Sausal Creek trails a couple minutes away
8) Our bedroom paint color is perfect
9) Close to friends- nyquists, rorks, ogdens, family... and we always run into people we know
10) Oaktoberfest (but why can't they just call it Oktoberfest?)

So, i love the Dimond. And if we don't sell now, maybe we were meant to be here a little longer. And that's okay.

p.s If you're in Oakland, make sure to check out Oaktoberfest...year #3, and a guaranteed good time for all!
p.p.s. Last year they ran out of beer at 4pm.