I am writing for the Two Writing Teachers March Challenge.

I have been waiting.  And waiting.  AND WAITING.  It took us forever to find the house we wanted to turn into a home.  Few knew we were even looking.  We would venture out under the guise of going to Great Grandma and Grandpa’s house for the football game.  We did do that.  But we would just stop at one to five houses for sale along the way.

Our realtor was patient and kind.  I think he had a soft spot for our story and I know he did for McK.  She reminds me of my own, he would say.  Maybe that is why he was always willing to look at even the worst properties.  He wanted our little one to have a home as much as we did.  He never discouraged us and held hope long after mine had faded.  We would find this house we wanted and he was going to make it happen.

We had been looking since the dog days of summer when February came around.  We saw this house on the interwebs and didn’t think it would be for us.  Our realtor encouraged us to keep an open mind.  It is not often that a home in our price range with this kind of square footage in an area that we loved would come onto the market.

So we went to see it.

And we fell in love.

We just knew.

We were able to see past the horribly stained carpet to the floor to ceiling windows curiously missing from the online listing.  We were able to imagine opening walls and pushing out the kitchen to make it the one of our my dreams.  We could reconfigure the maze of doorways like a game of tetris to create a floor plan that flowed.  My husband was willing to indulge my HGTV fantasies as long as we could stay on budget.  So we took a leap of faith and did it.

With the generous help of family and friends, we have been transforming this house into a home.  We have been waiting to move in until it is livable since we are renovating every last inch of the house before we move in.  But big steps have been taken recently.  As I write this, a little crew of three is installing the beautiful counter tops on our amazing cabinets.  I cannot help but to pop into the kitchen, bathrooms, and dining room to take a peek at the progress.  I am trying to stay out of the way but I am so tired of waiting.

It shouldn’t be long now until our family is able to live in the home we created.  We cannot wait to see what this house holds for us.  I am sure it will be full of happiness and kindness and love.