We got our start at 310 High Street in Albert Lea. Matt had the place before we got married...he bought if for $85,000! It was tiny but so cute. We were a block off the lake, we had wonderful neighbors, a huge garage, beautiful hardwood floor, and a small yard to mow. It was wonderful for our first house.
(This is not a very good photo but the poor house was foreclosed on after we left AL and this was it's state)
In 2004, we decided to build a house...what an undertaking. 71827 Phillip Drive was a fun adventure that we put a lot of time, sweat and tears into. It was in an awesome neighborhood (again with wonderful neighbors), had the things we really wanted in a home, and lots of character for a new home. The thing that was sad about building this home was that we were only in it a year before we moved to Farmington. I still think about that place and feel blessed to have been there. We met some of our best friends in Albert Lea and still consider it one of our happiest memories to have lived and worked there.
We then headed to 19630 Meadowlark Way in Farmington. I can honestly say looking back that I appreciated the townhouse...it was beautiful and new... but I strongly dislike everything else around that move. It was not the place for us and definitely not a place that I wanted to raise our kids. It served it's purpose for the time but I believe God kept us moving to get us to where we are now!With a new job for Matt and a strong desire to get closer to family we headed to the Kenyon area. We had the opportunity to move south and with Matt already making the commute to KW for work it made a lot of sense. We just didn't know where we would go! That brought us to PO Box 82 or in other words the Cheese Factory! We lived there for 5 1/2 months and it was like living in a cabin. At the end of the driveway of some very dear friends, the Cheese Factory was 800 square feet of happy little living space. A tiny kitchen, tiny bathroom, tiny living room, two tiny bedrooms, a larger unheated storage area and the most gorgeous landscape you can imagine. When I think about living there it makes me smile. Cameron was only about 13 months when we moved in an I was pregnant with Emmy. We didn't have a washer and dryer so for the summer we would go to the laundrymat. There were times of frustration after leaving a very beautiful and NEW townhouse but looking back on it, what a fun memory! It was preparing us for living in another old house in the future I think!
Our house today...40210 County 14 Blvd. Even though we are renting this place it feels most like home over any of the places we have lived. I'll be honest in saying I have a love/hate relationship with the house we are in. I realize hate is a strong word so I'll say strongly dislike. I strongly dislike that at this time of year we can feel the winter breeze moving through the uninsulated walls (also giving us a $700-$900 fuel bill each month in the winter!). I strongly dislike that it feels like you are going into an outdoor outhouse when you go to the bathroom with no heat vents in it. I strongly dislike that our old house has very poor electrical wiring and I can't run the washer and dryer at the same time without blowing a fuse! I strongly dislike all the critters (mice, bats, squirrels and who know what else) that live together with us.
The view from our back porch
The beauty of this place
Emmy is almost three and absolutely loves her big brother. Something happened over the summer between Cameron and Emmy....they became friends! It has been so fun to see how they play together and take care of each other. I won't deny that they can have a good fight once in a while but overall they really love and care for each other. She is into princesses, purple and pink, loves her dolls, is not afraid of getting dirty, is tough and feisty (we say it is the red in her hair!), and is an absolute joy. Here is a photo Matt snapped of her this summer.
