We are ending our sixth week of home ownership.

As I was thinking about all that we’ve been through in this past month and a half (read it here and here), I am thankful that we couldn’t see the future when we signed the papers. First of all, life would be depressing and scary if you could see every bad thing is going to happen to you. And the good things wouldn’t be as good…because you’d be expecting them instead of enjoying them.

Some people have referred to our new house as a “money pit”. It makes me sad because I feel very protective of our house. I love our home. I loved it when we first walked through it and I love it even more because it’s ours now.

And even though we didn’t plan on replacing the flooring on the main level or changing the faucet or relandscaping the backyard for drainage or ripping apart the entire basement and refinishing it, I’m learning to make decisions and embrace that, even in terrible circumstances, we are able to create a more customized space because of it.

Sure, I’d still prefer everything to be like it was and avoid the stress of all of this. But in the long run, we are able to supervise what’s being done and making sure that everything is done correctly (oh the things you find when the drywall comes off the wall!).

If our home could hear me, I’d tell her that I still think she’s beautiful. I still think she is perfect for our family. I still think she is a good home.

I’d also ask her to please stand strong and stop with the crazy. We need a bit of a break.

As far as the basement stands, we are down to the studs in the lower 2 feet. Because of the water damage, we will have to replace the insulation, drywall, trim, doors, door jams, and flooring. We’re also taking detailed inventory of all damages to personal property (furniture, rugs, boxes that were still unpacked on the floor, etc.) and lining up the construction.

We will get put back together. It will take a while, but we’ll get there.