Home Sweet Home

Last year, you were able to follow along with our pregnancy journey. What you may not have known, however, is that while I was busy growing a baby, we were also in the process of building our first (and hopefully only) house! We used to joke that it was a bit of a race to see which would finish first… Luckily, we were moved in and mostly settled before C made his arrival.

We have officially been in our forever-dream home with our little man for just over a year, but deciding to buy a house almost came at a whim. Whenever I had downtime at work, I found myself researching “custom home builders” and day-dreaming about designing my perfect house. I stumbled upon a neighborhood just 10 minutes from our apartment at the time and ventured out to look at the models of two different builders with my dad. I walked into these gorgeous houses and my heart and mind were made up – it was time to buy a house!

That was easier said than done, of course. Not only did I have to get K onboard, but we had not been saving for a down payment. Being home owners was still a little ways off in our minds. But, I took him to see the model home(s), showed him the ratings for the schools in the neighborhood, and when we learned that we wouldn’t need our down payment until closing (aka, after construction was completed) we realized that this could really happen - gotta love the LaRosa double-secret-probation-budget!

In August, we settled on one of the two builders in the neighborhood, but it was still a few months before they got the OK from the city to start construction. And so, we waited – and started saving. In December we got word that the city had given the green light, and so we picked our lot and floor plan. In preparation for the momentous decision, we traveled across the Metroplex to see homes in different stages of construction and met with a realtor to get her input on resale value of the changes we had in mind. Eventually, we settled on the Riverstone and placed the symbolic “sold” sticker on the map of the neighborhood.

In January, we found out we were pregnant, and informed our builder that it would be great if our house could be finished closer to the 6 month end of the 6 to 9 month timeline. With a September due date, we really did not want to be moving with a newborn! Later in the month we met with our contractor to go over our blue prints; we opened walls, we rearranged our kitchen, we added windows and extended the hardwood floors, we added a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, and we expanded our laundry room for more storage. We met with the company that would be wiring our house to decide on the location of our outlets, on a home security system, and our entertainment automation system. We went to the builder’s design studio and picked our floor tile, the orientation of the backsplash tile, our grout color, the brick color, the color of the trim on the house, the color of the dividers in the window panes, the wall color, the countertop shape, the design of our garage door, the type of cabinetry, and made decisions on every other customizable option in our home! Although satisfied with all our decisions, I was a bit nervous to see how it would all come together…

At the beginning of February, we broke ground and eagerly waited for our home to take shape. The beginning of the construction was slow, but once the foundation was set, the bones of the house began to take shape. Every weekend, we would drive by to see the progress on our house and shoot the contractor an email anytime we had a concern or question. By the end of April, the outside of our home was complete and, lucky for us, we had a mild spring with very few rain delays. We were actually ahead of schedule! Over the next three months, the wiring and ductwork was installed, the dry wall went up, and then the cabinets and hardwood were placed. The stairs were stained, and the walls painted. At the end of July, we closed – but not before dealing with the stress of a final walk-through and transferring of funds between banks to actually pay our down payment and closing costs. The first weekend of August, with the help of family and some friends, we moved into our new house and started to make it a home.

Give Lemons

When life gives you you lemons, make lemonade lemon risotto.

With an 8 month old, K and I had to stay closer to home for this year’s anniversary celebration. No paper tickets to Europe. No cotton retreat in a Fredericksburg cabin. No leather seats to Charleston. Lucky for us though, fruit & flowers was an easily obtainable traditional gift for the fourth year, and a cooking class was just what we needed for a date night out to commemorate another year together.

MENU:
Lemon and Saffron Risotto
Sicilian-Style Grilled Chicken with Fresh Herbs
Basil, Mint Lemon Sorbet

Sur La Table almost seemed to be catering specifically to us with their lemon centered “al fresco” menu, and with drinks in hand (three cheers for BYOB cooking classes!), we eagerly took our place in the kitchen. Aprons, check! Cutting boards, check! Hungry bellies, check!

The night started with a quick introduction by the chef leading the class and then we dove right into zesting lemons and making a simple syrup for our sorbet - we had to get all the ingredients into the ice cream machine early to give it plenty of time to freeze by the end of the night.

In between cheese and cracker snack breaks, we juiced and zested another lemon, learned the proper technique for chopping fresh herbs, and dropped our chicken into a fresh, aromatic marinade before starting in on our risotto.

Now, Kevin and I have never made a risotto, but everything I know about it comes from Gordon Ramsay yelling at contestants on Hell’s Kitchen. Risotto is supposed to be rich and creamy, cascading onto the plate when you serve it… it’s not supposed to be too runny ort too dry. It is a delicate balancing act that required us to ladle broth into the pan, one scoop at a time, while constantly stirring for 20-30 minutes. It’s not an easy dish! 

With one eye on the delicate and demanding risotto, we placed our chicken, bay leaves, onion, and lemon wedges on skewers and grilled them on a convection skillet (potentially, one of K’s favorite parts of the night). As the food sizzled and the aroma of crisp lemon filled the air, we were nearly salivating by the time dinner was served!

Some lemon zest here, a little lemon juice there, two hours of cooking (sans-baby) and another year together, it was a magical Saturday night. Plus, it’s totally starting to feel like our love story has lasted four-ever... get it??? I crack myself up sometimes!

I Wish I Had Known

An open letter to my mother, on my first Mother's Day

Dear Mom, I am SO SORRY. I am sorry for the tantrums, the sass, the eye rolls, and the "I hate yous." I didn't know what I was doing to you at the time. I'm sorry for the frustration, the exhaustion, the tears, and the heartache. I didn't know; I wish I had known.

My journey through motherhood is still in its infancy (pun intended - your grandchild is just shy of 8 months old, after all), but it has opened my eyes. Mothering is a life changing, identity crisis inducing, mentally draining, never ending task. It is physical and emotional. It is breathtaking and boring. But hands down, without a doubt, that tiny human that smiles at me, cries for me, and clings to me is my greatest accomplishment. I didn't know the joy you've felt until I experienced it myself.

The love I feel for your grandchild is indescribable. It rises and swells from deep within my chest and washes over me, filling my eyes with tears and my lungs with un-breathable air. I look at him and I see perfection. How could he have come from me? There's no way I could have known what you felt about me before I felt it for him. I didn't know; I wish I had known.

I wish I knew how different you became when your own journey of motherhood began. The love and strength that manifests from every fiber of your being when you hold your own child creates a new, almost unrecognizable person. It creates a mother. I didn't know the metamorphosis you've undergone until I too had changed. 

I wish I knew how your body had changed while mothering. How it grew and stretched and physically housed a growing infant only to protect and comfort and emotionally house a growing child. I didn't know; I wish I had known.

As time moves forward, I will look back and wish I had known more. It's inevitable. Mothering is said to be a "thank-less" job, and it looks easy from the outside. But, I am no longer on the outside looking in. I have plunged head first into the deep end, and I am selflessly and wholeheartedly saying screaming: THANK YOU! 

I didn't know what you went through, and what you continue to go through as a mother. As my mother. But I'm trying to appreciate the moments I experience as a new mom - at the very least - so that I can appreciate the moments we shared together. I wish I had known what being a mother was like before I became one myself. I didn't know how important it all was before. I know now, and each day, I will know more.
With love.