So, I’ve got a knack for finding trash. It runs in the family, I guess. I blame my father entirely who, on my oldest sister's 16th birthday, bought a junk yard for our new home and claimed it had “potential” if we could just look beyond what things are and envision what they could be.
This kind of wild perspective is often met with skepticism or disbelief (“Dad, I can't believe you bought a dump for my birthday!" -16-year-old Adrienne) and, to be sure, sometimes ends in failure. But such is the risk of a fixer-upper. Sometimes it just doesn’t fix-up.
And yet, sometimes, you get to watch beauty emerge from such an unlikely source, and the result is truly satisfying.
Danny & I just bought our first house (woohoo!)—not a junk yard, but a fixer-upper for sure—a vintage 1920’s home, owned for the past 50 years by an elderly couple who recently passed away. Their children were now looking to get rid of the house… and so, one man’s trash became our treasure. It has ugly linoleum floors and chipped plaster ceilings and so much potential. We can’t wait to make it our own!
And yet, sometimes, you get to watch beauty emerge from such an unlikely source, and the result is truly satisfying.
The family junk yard, now.
Danny & I just bought our first house (woohoo!)—not a junk yard, but a fixer-upper for sure—a vintage 1920’s home, owned for the past 50 years by an elderly couple who recently passed away. Their children were now looking to get rid of the house… and so, one man’s trash became our treasure. It has ugly linoleum floors and chipped plaster ceilings and so much potential. We can’t wait to make it our own!
The best way I can describe this house, though, is that from the moment I walked in the door, it reminded me of my wedding dress…
I’d watched Say Yes to the Dress. I’d seen friends and sisters light up as they tried on “The Dress” made just for them. I knew how this whole thing worked and was looking forward to my own magical day of wedding dress shopping… surrounded by my mom and sisters and fancy white lace. A halo of light! A perfect fit! Squeals and hugs and tears of joy…
Instead, that day was canceled by a snowstorm. Take-Two landed on a “fat day” (you know exactly what I’m talking about, ladies), where nothing fit my body or my price range, and I left in hopeless tears, convinced that I’d be the only bride in the history of the world who never found “The Dress.” My 8-year-old niece Emma reassured me, “I just know you’ll find something, Aunt Amanda, because I’ve been to a lot of weddings and I’ve never seen a bride in plain clothes!”
And she was right. I did find something, the very next week on a normal Wednesday morning walk with 2-year-old George and his cup of Cheerios. We happened upon a charming little thrift store, I peeked inside, and behold! A halo of light! A perfect fit! Squeals from George and Cheerios on the dressing room floor. I’d found “The Dress.”
And she was right. I did find something, the very next week on a normal Wednesday morning walk with 2-year-old George and his cup of Cheerios. We happened upon a charming little thrift store, I peeked inside, and behold! A halo of light! A perfect fit! Squeals from George and Cheerios on the dressing room floor. I’d found “The Dress.”
Sure, it had a hideous collar and poofy sleeves. But, with a little fairy-godmother-magic from Diana Clark and Kim Griffey, we watched that trash transform into this treasure…
And walking into that 1920’s fixer-upper house, I knew it was just another treasure hiding behind a hideous collar and some poofy sleeves.
It certainly wasn’t how we expected to find our first house… in fact, since we were living in Texas at the time, Danny never even saw the house until the night before closing. (Now that’s trust!) :) I just happened to be in Birmingham for a doctor’s appointment, happened to drive past a few houses and give our Realtor a call (who happened to be on her way back from vacation), and we happened to walk through eight houses and find one on the last morning, hours before my flight out, that was just perfect. Danny’s parents graciously checked it out later that night for a second opinion and gave us a thumbs up.
So we made an offer...
…and became HOME OWNERS.
All of the fears I once had about those oh-so-daunting words—the financial commitment, the sense of permanency, the feeling of being “stuck” to one place—are now gone. This one just seems so right. And with the bargain we got, we’re hopeful that a little fixing-up will make for a good resale, should that time come.
We’re thrilled about the location—the most international part of Birmingham (we've already met neighbors from Lebanon and Nepal!). Thrilled to be living just a stone’s throw away from some of our best friends, Joel & Kristen. Thrilled to have a place of our own to call home as we grow our little family.
It’s so much more than we deserve, and we’re simply thankful.
Renovation is well under way... stay tuned for photos to come! :)
P.S. Apparently 16-year-old Adrienne caught this "trash-to-treasure" vision as well. For a sneak peak at her family's recent fixer-upper house project (AMAZING, and so much more ambitious than our own!), check out her blog here!
