Thank the Lord for great children. When we left in January, we had a vague idea of the timeline for our big move. Basically, we thought we'd be under no pressure to sell the house, and we put that plan into action in early April when we got home. Things have accelerated a bit. The house goes on the market Wednesday. Our habit over the years is to clean house before we leave on trips so we'd come home to very little work. There's a difference between leaving the house clean and preparing it for prospective buyers to assess. This is where the kids come in. Steve raked the front yard, which is just now uncovered from a long winter. He improved the curb appeal immensely. Leticia worked the inside and backyard over. She cleaned, uncluttered, and basically staged the house. Angela arrived from Portland today to lend a hand too. She also had the great idea of each family member write an "ode" to the 434 house. It got me thinking. We've lived in the house for 33 years (Judy 35). Over the years it's been used as a gathering place to build community. We had at least 8 Chilly Dog feeds that used to occur every Halloween weekend. We've had 18 years of Soup Nights, which were originally designed as a way to build propinquity among the neighbors. We once hosted a sit down Thanksgiving dinner for 45 with The O'Brien clan. We've always hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas and most Easters. There's also been as many birthday parties as we an count raising four kids. The house has always been an inviting place, a gathering place, a place of comfort. And since we built the pizza oven, we've held several "pizza" parties, which though smaller, were no less warm and welcoming. We've been well sheltered at 434 W. 27th Ave. It's often made us realize that life is good, especially today.
Missing photos: flower and vegetable garden, garage, shed, pizza oven, hot tub, zen garden. It's a pretty good house.
Congratulations on the help and the improvements. It is beautiful!! Now where are you moving to? or where will you be living after the house is sold?
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