Surrounding that trailer were miles and miles of dirt!

One year ago in February of 2020, Shulamith and I sat in a white, single-wide trailer, with no masks or hand sanitizer, across from an Edge Homes real estate agent named Chase. Surrounding that trailer was nothing but dirt, miles and miles of brown, rocky mounds of dirt. Chase explained to us the vision for that dirt: a large housing development that included both single-family homes and rows of townhomes. She showed us floor plans and explained the process of bidding for these homes in a ridiculously competitive market that definitely favored sellers. 

Within a couple weeks, Shulamith and Matt had selected a floor plan and put offers on several lots, hoping they would be chosen for one of them. Stressful, much? In the end, they were successful in securing a perfect lot to build their perfect "forever" home. And then it was my turn. Eeeeek! Gerald and I decided to go with a townhome. I've second guessed myself on that decision dozens of times in the past year and continue to do so even today, but I need to stop! There are plusses and minuses to either choice. In the end, for me, it all came down to the yard. I couldn't handle the discouragement of yet another ugly yard, and trying and failing to make it good.

I hate yard work. I suck at it. I also hate the look of a shabby, unkept yard, which is what I always have, no matter how hard I try to take care of it. So while there are clear drawbacks to living in a townhome, I'm hoping this spring and summer, when I'm not mowing and not watering and not trimming and not clipping and not weeding, only to end up with the same ugly yard I had before I started, I will quit wondering if we should have bought a single-family house.

Gerald and I went through the same process of bidding for several units (because there were more bidders than there were available homes) and were ultimately successful in securing the middle unit of a row of townhomes. Shulamith and I think divine providence guided this process, because we had so little say about where, specifically, we would live. As it turns out, I can exit my back door, turn left, walk about 100 steps, and be in Shulamith's back yard. Since moving here two months ago, I've been able to watch the progress of her house from my bedroom window.

Of course, back then, both these houses were only hypothetical. Here in Bluffdale, it was still only dirt. We made multiple trips to Edge developments in Lehi and Saratoga Springs in order to see the the actual houses we were buying, and eventually, construction began here. The process was smooth as silk for me, but Shulamith's house was held up because of issues with the city and power lines. Then there was the giant stumbling block none of us remotely expected when we signed contracts back in February: the global COVID19 pandemic. This left Shulamith and Matt in a small, 2-bedroom apartment, sheltering in place with three little kids.

I am here to report that today, all that ends. First thing this morning, they signed the papers, and we spent the rest of the day moving and putting things away in the Webster-Monsons' new home. We are beyond happy and so grateful and just full of joy that this whole endeavor, which began one year ago, came to this perfect conclusion. It is a dream come true.  

Here are some happy pictures of the happy homeowners!