That's right. We've succumbed to the suburbs.
We are now the proud owners of a 1900 square foot house, equipped with 3 bedrooms, a den, a loft, and brand new stainless steel appliances! :) A bargain at a short 20-25 minute commute to work. Not too shabby for the Dunckley's!
It's funny how certain things show up on your radar when you've reached various stages in life. I have a new found appreciation for things like a nicely manicured lawn. I can't help but recall my college house when I lived with 6-10 girls (number of roommates varied depending on that weekend's events) and we were in charge of maintaining our own landscaping. Although we should be taking full responsibility for the wilderness that was our front yard, I do have to wonder, what was wrong with our landlord?? If I decide to rent my house to 4+ college girls, I'm going to venture a guess that the majority of them have never operated a lawnmower, weed wacker, or any other type of lawn accessory, nor do they have any intention of purchasing said equipment. You would think that our landlord would have realized the extent of our thriftiness the first time he noticed that 6 girls were splitting rent in a 4 bedroom house. (My bedroom also served as the formal dining room...no joke.) If that wasn't enough of a give away, he may have noted that the oil tank, which supplied our heat, had not been filled in 2 years. Instead, we situated ourselves in front of the oven and baked everything. Who cared that it took 3 hours to bake a 20-minute cake?
This is no exaggeration. Our grass and weeds were so overgrown that we had 2 Christmas trees, bags full of dirty dishes (the consequence for not washing your dishes- they wound up in a plastic bag outside) and a trunk that were all camouflaged by the lawn. Those were on the other side of the house from the fire pit in the back yard. Smart, huh?
Our poor neighbors.
It just goes to show you how people can mature. I'm actually looking forward to finding my inner- Martha Stewart and planting a garden. I dream of walking through Home Depot to gather flowers to plant in my pots. The smell of planting soil beckons me through the aisles. The term 'hoe' has a whole new meaning to me.
So as I now find myself diving head-first into suburbia, I still maintain that I will never own a minivan.
Until next time...
XOXO
Mama D
