When we began looking for our first house we had dreams of a quaint cape cod in an older neighborhood. Something filled with character. We ended up with a newish ranch with little in the way of charm. But it fit the bill and we knew it was the sensible decision for us at the time. We are nothing if not sensible most of the time.

Over the last 5 years, we’ve slowly made it out own. First, new carpeting and all new baseboards because the old owners did a bang up job of covering up their cats habit of peeing on baseboards. God bless Randy for finding out the hard way by steam cleaning the carpet thus releasing the fragrance into the air. I was lucky enough to be out of town on business for that one. Then came more fun projects like painting, installing laminate wood floor in our bedroom, tiling the master, crown molding and landscaping. With the exception of the carpet, we’ve done it all ourselves. I have a lot of great memories of eating fast food on the floor while covered in paint. Slowly, this house that we purchased because of it’s sensibility wiggled its way into my heart. It’s the place I look forward to coming home to.

But now after 5 years, we’re beginning to feel a little on the cramped side. The projects we’re taking on are looked at differently. Instead of just picking what we like, we think about the home’s next owner. We find ourselves making creative compromises with what the masses will find appealing.

Yesterday I stood in the backyard, smelling my lilacs and I started to cry. We haven’t even put the house on the market yet and it may be some time before we do, but I realized how much our home has meant to us. This will always be our first home. We had apartments before, but we were never able to leave a mark on an apartment like our home. To me, our house represents a lot of love and it reflects us as a couple; our tastes and our differences.

How do you feel about the home you share with your spouse? Does it reflect who you as a couple?