One of those things - H

I've realized that entering different stages of your life brings new perspective and understanding to something you didn't really understand before. Marriage is a good example. I remember watching an episode of the show, Everybody Loves Raymond around the time I got married, and I understood the jokes. Having kids is another good example. There really is no way to empathize with parents unless you are a parent yourself. Trying to imagine something that is not part of your life experience doesn't even bring you close. Property tax is another one of those. I understood that I would be paying this money, but until I had the bill in my hands and realized that I have to pay this, well...now I understand what it feels like to have to pay property tax. Consequently, I now understand better the freedom in renting and the bondage of home ownership. I guess I look at it that way b/c taking on a mortgage is such a huge commitment, and so is taking care of a house. We already have other house projects that we need to do next summer, and others that we'd like to try to do ourselves in the near future. It's just one thing after another, which in a place like California means a lot of people have to choose between taking care of the house and maybe a family vacation. Hm...family memories or a new roof. I suppose that's why people like to buy new homes.

Someone asked me the other day, what part of the house is not new. I had to think about it, and it's only the bedrooms. We ripped everything else down to the studs. We practically had a new house built. What are we, crazy? Who takes on a project like this as a first time homeowner and remodeler. My mom asked me before we bought it if I had the jhah-shin to do this (which I think is translated as something like motivation or ambition). I flippantly said yes, but I didn't really understand what I was getting into. It's another one of those things. Still, I am excited to see the final product and excited to finally move in. I hope it's done sooner than later.