It’s just a house.  Or is it?

Facing divorce in 2006 I had a tough decision to make.  Should I let the house that I just recently bought go or find a way to hang on?  It didn’t make any sense for one person to live in 3400 square feet.  But I’m stubborn and I just bought the thing and I really liked it, so I found a way to stay in it.  Was it the best financial decision I ever made?  Nope.  Hindsight clearly says I should have severely downsized and bought back in after the market recovered.  But you can’t time the market and kick yourself for that.

Was it one of the best life decisions I’ve ever made?  You bet.

I cannot count the number of social functions we’ve held at this place.  Memories don’t have a price-tag.  I got remarried in this house.  We’ve hosted Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving, birthdays, family reunions, grandkids overnighters, college football / Duck games (some more memorable than others), several concerts with various band configurations I’ve been in, and quite a few friends gatherings just because.  It’s been truly amazing.  With Donna’s vision, we’ve been able to transform this place into the type of place that is perfect for gatherings.  I don’t regret one second or one penny.   Memories.

In my old neighborhood, you kind of sort of knew who your neighbors were but you didn’t socialize with them much.  In this neighborhood we did – in spades.  Social functions are happening all the time and lifelong friendships have been made.  You can’t put a price tag on that either.

There’s been some tough times too.  I had a stroke in the kitchen in 2013 where I laid on the floor wondering if the spinning would ever stop.  I injured my back doing minor chores and spent the better part of 2 months crawling around it.  Donna and I both saw job changes shortly after we were married in 2010.  We got through the Great Recession in this house – together.

While it’s been a fantastic 25 years in Tualatin, 16 of them on Meier Drive, Donna and I feel like it’s time to downsize a little bit and get a place together that we can call our own.  The original reason for moving to Tualatin had to do with School District.  I haven’t had kids in the school district in over 12 years.  I used to be Vice President of Little League baseball and I felt like I knew everyone in town.  Now I head into town and hardly recognize anyone.  The drive to and from work for Donna is a 5 times a week burden.  Honestly, the hardest part about leaving will be seeing a little bit less of our amazing neighbors who we’ve become close friends with these past few years.  But we’re determined to make it only a little bit less!

So we’re both selling our houses and have our sights set on a new place up near Lewis and Clark College where we plan to make more memories with old friends and new.  A lot more memories!  That’s what it’s all about.

We’re crossing our fingers everything holds together so we land in the new place.  In the mean time, I have a house for sale that if you’re interested, give me a jingle and let’s make a deal!

Here’s the listing: https://www.redfin.com/OR/Tualatin/10555-SW-Meier-Dr-97062/home/26700654