Just Lauren

That’s right, Shari and I signed so many papers this past Wednesday and now have the keys to our very own condo. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a couple minute walk from the High Line Canal trail, right next door to the complex’s pool, I’m not sure I could be happier. And also very stressed and exhausted. Hahaha. The first phase of home buying is complete, and that is exciting and wonderful. Now we’re in phase two where we hire a handful of people to fix up the space before we move in. It means lots of communication and lots of money. It will all be worth it, of course, but figuring out what we want done now and what can wait until later and scheduling everything and confirming everything is a lot of work.

Phase three will be moving in and settling in and then phase four will be living in the space and thriving! Woohoo! It’s been a journey and it’s not over yet so I’m doing my best to keep breathing and talking everything out. Lots of journaling is happening as I work through my worries of, “what if we keep finding things that need fixing?”, “what if the handymen charge us more than they quoted us?”, “what if the handymen don’t do a great job?” and “what if the slightly weird smell of the place never goes away?” Great news there at least, I didn’t smell the weird smell when I went over this morning so I’m taking that as a great sign. Plus, the window guy today told us that instead of paying over $4,000 for a new window (ONE WINDOW), we could likely just get the glass replaced for like $200. Um, yes please. That’s a major relief and Shari will be calling that company on Monday.

I never had the money or confidence to make any major changes when I owned a home years ago so this is all a new experience for me. And while I did just say it was stressful and exhausting (which it is), it’s also pretty dang exhilarating. I like being able to say, “rip up the whole floor” and “paint the entire house” and trust people to do what I say. We all know I like bossing people around and being in control, so this is perfect for me (while also being a good learning opportunity of letting some things go from my grasp). I’m going to love living there. Shari and I met the neighbor above us on Wednesday and I think it’s going to be a blast. She knows everyone in our building plus others scattered throughout the complex. She’s chatty, friendly, and says that all the neighbors take care of each other. She’s already planning on having an open house soiree for us in her home once we move in. I mean, how welcoming is that?

So condo stuff has been taking up most of my brain the past month and a half and it’ll continue to take up a good chunk of my brain for another month but it should slow down a bit and at least there’s no more legal documents to be constantly signing. I have lots of events to look forward to in the next four weeks so I hope I have the mental capacity to enjoy them all. Thankfully today has been a really wonderful day for refreshing my mind. I met up with a friend at Tokyo Premium Bakery (she had never been!) that I hadn’t seen in at least six months where we also ran into one of my other friends. I so enjoyed chatting and catching up with everyone that I left feeling energized. Then Shari and I met up with the window guy at the condo and I’ve spent the rest of the day at home, doing odds and ends. I even had time to sit outside in my hanging chair and just relax. I forgot how incredibly peaceful and rewarding it is to sit in that chair so I’m grateful the weather was absolutely gorgeous today in the way that only Colorado winters are.

Other happenings in my life: I tried hot pot for the first time thanks to Elisabeth’s brilliant suggestion. She, Shari, and I went out and Elisabeth showed us the ropes (it’s a bit intimidating). It was delicious and so much fun. I went to lunch with my friend, Aeri; I went to dinner at my friend Mel’s place where she showed us beautiful photos from her trip to Mexico City which made me desperately want to visit myself; I played board games at Enchanted Grounds with Elisabeth, Shari, and two of our friends in honor of Elisabeth’s birthday; and I painted a dinosaur at Elisabeth’s birthday party. I’ve had some really great times recently and I’ve been able to truly be present and enjoy them which has been wonderful. ❤