Pete and I are 35 and still have never owned a house. We rent a quirky little home with a backyard that is at times better suited to bundu-bashing than games of baseball or catch. The carpets are stained with melted play-doh and mud has been tracked in irreversible trails throughout the house. Our boys share a bedroom and are incapable of falling asleep without a never ending stream of conversation, irritation, and escape routes.
The faux bricks in the kitchen are constantly dropping off the walls in the middle of the night and the dishwasher and I are barely on speaking terms. The laundry room holds me in disdain since I am unable to keep up with all the loads and instead play laundry roulette on a regular basis, gambling that there will be something clean for everyone to wear.
Our mattress is the same one we’ve had since we got married 11 years ago and the frame, head board and bed skirt have long since given up the ghost. None of our art is framed and most of our frames are cracked. And I wouldn’t know a window treatment if it came up and bit me.
Our closets are too small and our old suitcases are too big. They clutter up precious storage space and the boxes of junk that have traveled to three continents with us take up the rest of it. There is no guest bedroom, no basement, and no spare square inch of space that isn’t filled with the constant chaos generated by our boys.
Pete and I have been together for 14 years, three continents and two kids. We wouldn’t trade all the white picket fences in the world for the faces and places we’ve met and loved along the way. Because we rent we’ve never had to worry about fixing broken toilets, sinks, disposals or doors. The back yard is a boy’s paradise; play-doh and mud are the medals of having made the most of a day and renters worry much less about stains than home owners. Our boys are passionate friends who never tire of each others’ company no matter how tiring their exploits might be to us. And sleeping in separate rooms is about the worst idea they can imagine.
The kitchen is quirky but everything in it works. And I’m never alone at the sink, the dishwasher or the dryer because my boys love to smother me in unsolicited help. Laundry takes a back seat to wrestling matches and I will remember the arms and legs wrapped around my waist in tight monkey hugs and forget the mountains of dirty clothes.
Our mattress feels like home. It carries the imprint of a decade worth of loving and enjoys eating our children every evening between bath and bed. We have paintings from every country we’ve lived in that peer out at us from shelves and drawers and yell greetings from far-flung friends. We’ve shared cultures and memories with our children that transcend photo frames and overflow old boxes. Our suitcases have become familiar family members and they’ve earned the space they take up.
We live on top of each other in a rugby scrum of joy and wouldn’t trade a square foot of the rowdy love that results from being parents to our boys for all the Pottery Barn furniture in the world.
And man are we ever excited to add a little pink into the mix.
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{Reposted from the archives as we look forward to this new baby girl perspective.}
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Neither would I…you have a true HOME!! :)
This is beautiful! Love every word of it.
Does this mean you are expecting a little PINK BUNDLE ….like in a baby daughter?
Girl, you haven’t stopped by in a while, eh? ;) Yup, pink as in baby girl arriving next month {gulp!}
When I saw the photo of the boys next to that suitcase I thought.. You can always put the boys in the suitcase when you need a little space..
Heh! It’s one of their favorite spots to hide at home! They fit perfectly!
Thanks Lisa-Jo! You always bless me…we already have a (relatively) small rented home and I know when we move overseas we’ll have less space, but we want to be in the city to be closer to ministry and the life there…
‘ We wouldn’t trade all the white picket fences in the world for the faces and places we’ve met and loved along the way.’
this sums it all up…thank you, thank you, thank you for this perspective:)
I loved this post the first time and I still love it!
Dear Gypsy Mama,
Your amazing perspective is helping me greatly in keeping my own perspective on life at our home. *See my current post. (So NOT like your post. Sigh.)
Your attitude and gratitude for your life has rubbed off on me today.
And by the way, technically, the bank(s) have owned the mortgages to all two of the houses we have “owned” in nearly 13 years of marriage. :) I often wondered if we will ever “really” own a home. It’s important to my husband so because of that I have to say that it is important to me. But really, one day, we’ll have homes handpicked by the Master with no mortgage to pay and that is just fine by me. I wonder if were renters if we wouldn’t have a much lighter weight to carry. :)
Can’t wait to hear about all of your new adventures in pink.
Much love,
Rena @ insert grace here
Stop bragging!! :-)
My husband insisted on being a homeowner (twice!), so now we’re buried in debt for two homes, neither of which will sell thanks to today real estate market, and there is no end in sight. I’m glad you appreciate your situtation. That was my situation before I got married and I would go back to it in a heartbeat if I could.
I hear ya. I still have hand-me-down furniture from my parents and my dresser set from high school is in our guest bedroom. More than that, my grandma’s dresser is in my daughter’s room and my other daughter has no dresser at all! I am blessed with a few new pieces here and there – but I hear ya on the other stuff. Legacies and pride are sometimes established best in the old and simple. :)
it all boils down to thankfulness in the end, and you, my dear, have a heart abundantly full of it. :) love you.
I hear you! I was reading an “expat experience” I wrote a while ago that hit the web today and one of things I realised I’d written was how thankful I am for the memories and the experiences life has brought me, even if it has meant I haven’t climbed any ladders and don’t have a lot (materially) to show for it. It is sometimes easy to look on the dark side and see what you don’t have compared to folks who started early and stayed put, but thinking about the life you have to be thankful for puts it into perspective really quick! Stained carpet and all!
As a former guest in your home, I never felt crammed, cramped, or like there wasn’t room for us. It worked out perfectly to stay on your couches, and we were – and still ARE – grateful! Thanks!
Dear Gypsy Mama,
I continue to be inspired by your mind-opening perspectives on the beautiful faces and places of the world! :)
Congratulations on your soon to arrive baby girl!
I wish you and your family the best that God has in store for you (Jeremiah 29:11).
Sincerely,
Alexis
Ahhh…home!
Thanks for the word-picture of such a beautiful place to hold your hearts!
Teri @ StumblingAroundInTheLight.com
Love the visuals and passion you have for enjoying the richness that life offers you, without the frosting of catalog perfect things.