Homeowner Level-Beginner

We bought the house, signed the giant stack of scary paperwork, toasted with margaritas, and a month later, it was time to pick up the keys. We were beyond excited as we put the key in the lock for the very first time, even bringing along a couple of our favorite plants to make it feel like home fast. Then a few days later, we flooded the garage trying to pull out an old laundry sink we THOUGHT was disconnected from the waterline. I guess this is how you learn, right?

Now armed with a toolbox and a fear of water pipes, we put up curtains, did our best to repaint a dingy screened-in patio frame, and belly laughed when we remembered our panicked faces as we ran around trying to find the water shut off for the house.

We spent Christmas Eve on the floor of our living room building an IKEA sideboard with Pizza Hut and a bottle of champagne. Extra cheese for me and sausage, peppers, and onions for Victor. It was perfect, just two kids in love with each other and their new home. I've always thought following an IKEA instruction manual together was the true test of a marriage. I can now say that the trick is to consume some kind of carbs and alcohol while building, so you lessen the blow when you realize you used the wrong screws and have to start over.

I feel at home in this house. There is light, the floors aren't slippery, and there is plenty of room for my shower chair in the bathroom. Cardinals sing by our window in the mornings, and the sweetest neighbors who have lived across the street for 27 years brought us dinner and a card our first night here to welcome us to the neighborhood. I can hear the faint sound of the night train in the distance, something I always found soothing when we last lived in this area. We get to decide what color the walls should be and what finish our pool should have. We pulled down the old address sign and replaced it with our own sleek, matte black mid-century style numbers, to contrast the white house. It feels damn good to be done renting and call this place ours.

I guess it's true what they say-
"Lo que está pa ti, nadie te lo quita."
What 's meant for you, no one can take away.