Chugging Along!

It is hard to believe it has been a month since I posted last... but then again, I guess not a complete surprise, given our life is testing our resilience right now.  But truly and honestly - building this house has not been the stressful part of life!  And in fact, going to the house, is "our escape," as it is something we all love to do!  

There has been so much progress since my last update!  We are now at the stage of having the siding done, gutters on and tile install is being completed.  We also have doors going in, the covered patio ceiling in, and the concrete will soon be poured in the back. 

This process has been so much fun for us.  I am not to saying everything can be anticipated - and not saying choices are easy, given budgets - but it is so such a great feeling of ownership to be able to make choices -along the way- to ensure this is truly meeting our expectations of it being "our" house for the long haul.  (Because sometimes what you "thought" would be perfect, doesn't quite match up to what you had anticipated, so it's nice to be able to adjust!)

SIDE BAR THOUGHTS:  Joe and I have worked SO hard to get to this place in life.  We both came from middle-class, hard-working families, that instilled in both of us, the strong work ethic to get us where we are today.  I am so thankful for what we have, and never take it for granted.  I think the challenge is how we instill the same character and passion for hard work in our kiddos - and we both feel a strong responsibility to do that.  To us, this house represents a shared place for family & friends.  We knew we needed to remove ourselves from the stress of PDX because we wanted our kids to grow up in a slower-paced "community."  And while there are things we do miss about being in the hubbub of Portland, we feel very confident that we made the right choice... While not perfect, we do love McMinnville.