Hello Friend,
I’m so glad you came to see me under the Perry tree! I’ve got so much to share with you it’s hard to know where to start. Since I like to share home improvement projects I think I’ll start with our house.
So, this is our home. My husband, Ben, and I purchased it in the summer of 2015. We started our search for a fixer upper farmhouse in Washington while living in Virginia. We are a military family and we move a lot. And I mean a lot! At least 11 times in the last 16 years, (I’m starting to lose count.)
All this moving doesn’t mean the process gets any easier. After months of online searches and getting houses lined up Ben flew out for a week to check them out. He rode with a realtor by day and drove around looking for random “For Sale by Owner” signs by night. He would call at night to tell me about all the duds he saw and all the hopeful searches that were lined up for the next day (which would ultimately come back as duds.) He was really bumming me out. He was bummed that he had to come home empty handed. Who likes to go shopping and come home with nothing?
Time was drawing near to our departure date. My parents came to the rescue and went on a trip to D.C. so they could see the sights and then take our three kids with them back to WA. Let us all take a moment to thank the Lord for grandparents… Okay, back to the story. The day finally came for us to leave VA and we were on our cross country trek. I think this was the first time in our married life that the Perry Family curse didn’t attack. I may explain that at another time. Let’s just say everything went well as we crossed the country. We still didn’t have a house to go to but we do have wonderful families. Ben’s parents let us crash their bungalow for as long as needed. Once again let us thank the Lord for grandparents… The kids and I stayed with them. We played at the lake, made strawberry jam, basically had a fun summer while Ben rented a room in a basement closer to base. He spent his free time looking at homes.
Then one day a big blue 70’s split-level house came on the market. He sent me the listing and I didn’t much care for it. It’s asymmetrical (no go.) It’s a split-level (an even bigger no go.) And it wasn’t even in the area we were wanting (yet another no go!) But, we needed a house and once I saw it the pro out weighed the cons. It was in a beautiful location, there was a garden already planted, and fruit trees loaded with apples and plumbs. It had plenty of room for the five of us, plus the dog, and no restrictions on chickens. We bought it almost instantly. It wasn’t the quirky farmhouse I dreamed of. She lacked charm and character, but she had good bones and plenty of room for improvements. That’s where my fun begins.
I have so many plans and I invite you to come along for the ride as she goes from a boxy blank slate to a cozy family home. Wish me luck!
Trisha
P.S. We bought this home 9 months ago and I’ve gotten a good start on making it perfect for us. I’ll slowly get you up to date and add in resent projects as they happen.
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