photo courtesy of Christopher Harris on Unsplash
bills and a carefully planned savings, we knew we’d be okay for a while.
making a house a home by katie hagler
W
When we moved into our home, the first few weeks were exciting, new, and a roller coaster of emotions I didn’t exactly see coming. The buildup of anticipation had been brewing for this moment for over two and a half years. To understand our story, you would need to back track to the beginning of exactly two years and nine months earlier when life had turned upside down for our family. My husband unexpectedly parted ways with his employer he had been with for almost nine years. Everything we had known, every challenge he had overcome to make it from fry cook to the General Manager of a five-million-dollar Chickfil-A storefront, all went up in theoretical smoke one afternoon.
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We were left empty handed with pain, confusion, and so many questions. We had already been living with my parents because our rental mill home had been put up for sale by the owner. Our search for a home came to an abrupt stop once we found ourselves with no foreseeable income. It was reassuring financially to be with my parents, but at the same time, incredibly disruptive to what our normal used to be. I was a recently decided stay-at-home mom to our toddler aged son, after teaching for several years in a second grade classroom. We both felt in our hearts that I did not need to rush back to work. We knew the unforeseeable future would be tough, but with minimal
The next year was full of emotional, mental, and spiritual growth. Our marriage was stretched, as my husband searched for the right career. There were a lot of disappointments, commutes that were too far and didn’t add up for the compensation. There were great interviews with companies that didn’t have the full package to offer for a growing family that relied on one income. It takes a huge toll on your psyche to see your husband struggle to start new again. The unknown is scary and it’s so important to talk to people for support and encouragement to help you navigate uncharted waters. During this time period, we welcomed a baby girl, our second born. She brought us joy and hope, restoring a part of our soul after having experienced a miscarriage earlier in the year. Like new babies often do, her arrival brought sleepless nights, more financial responsibility, and a little less room in my parent’s ranch. A few months after her birth, my husband began volunteering with the local football team; it was a career he had always been interested in, but had never had the opportunity to put his foot in the door. With his bachelor’s degree in business and the nine years’ experience he had worked in running a business, he was an ideal candidate for teaching. He was soon offered a job to teach high school CTE classes and have a permanent assistant football coach position. As he settled into his new role, we immediately began having conversations about buying a house. We had one specific house in mind. A 1940’s built, completely gutted house that sat on the street my husband grew up on, just five minutes away from the school he now taught at. This house was
