2013 is a big year for me. January marked my 10th anniversary with Jai; May 2013 will mark the 10th anniversary of my mom suddenly passing away and the unexpected turns my life took as a result of that; and in September, I will turn 30 years old. This decade has been one wild ride, that’s for sure! I’ve been working hard to put some of the past behind me this year and create a much-needed fresh start in many areas. Jai and I have both been making big changes in our diet and fitness, losing over 75 pounds between us; and as you can see from my previous post about painting, we’re putting the final touches on a decade of renovations.
When my mom passed away, it was a completely unexpected tragedy in our family. After she died, I inherited our family home, so I literally became a homeowner overnight at 19. It’s hard to explain the subsequent course of my life to others, because it was such an insane situation, and I really don’t know anyone else who has been in that particular position before. I always liken it to moving into a house that someone else lives in, without moving any of their stuff out. My parents had a lot of stuff here, partly from decorating with things they liked and having experience dealing collectible items professionally; add to that the fact that they had boxes and boxes of family history on both sides, from important family photos to my Grandmother’s clothing – stuff I wasn’t about to toss out just to make more room. After a lot of hard work, I have pared things down, but I still have boxes and boxes of stuff in my attic marked to sell on eBay or save for the rest of the family. It’s ironic, because I’m not a knick-knack person at all!
The house also needed some work, so Jai and I soon began the process of renovating the entire home. After close to a decade, we should be pretty much done with everything by the summer. We’ve added a driveway, a deck, improved attic space, added shelves, made furniture, completely renovated every single thing in the bathroom – tub, shower, toilet, sink, walls, you name it – painted, the list goes on. At the moment, we have two rooms left to paint, work to do in the kitchen and future dining room, and then it will primarily just be little touches, like buying a new dining set, picking up blinds or roman fabric shades for all the windows, add even more shelving, and taking care of other small details. It’s been a very, very chaotic 10 years because between the construction debris and storing/sorting through a lot of family items, the house has always been in upheaval, which drives me seriously c-r-a-z-y. People wonder why it’s taken so long, but as the saying goes, you can get construction done quickly or inexpensively, but never both at the same time. As a teenage homeowner with extremely limited resources, I did my best to get progress rolling along with slim funds and little time, since I still had to go about the business of building my life as an adult, starting my business, and coping with the aftermath of everything that had happened in wake of my mom passing away. It has not been an easy decade by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel like this year will be one of putting the past to rest and building for my future. They say that your 20s are supposed to be the best time of your life, but for me personally, I’m looking forward to a bright future in my 30s!
What milestones has 2013 brought for you, readers?
Wow, you inherited a lot of responsibilities at a young age. It seems like you’ve done wonderfully for the circumstances. I love seeing the pics of your house in different posts – it is gorgeous! Yay for reflecting on the past 10 years and being happy in 2013!
My goal for 2013 is to work hard at my job so that I can feel stability!
I myself lost my mother very unexpectedly. While she didn’t have a home of her own, she did have A LOT of stuff! It still seems like an endless amount of boxes and knick-knacks that I have to sort through. Add those to the mountain of junk that I inherited when my husband and I married and I am right there with you!
My goal is to finish the task of making his house ours and finally sifting through the “stuff” by the end of the summer.
It feels like a bitter sweet fresh start, I don’t know your entire walk this past decade but can certainly relate to the overwhelming process……..roman shades, paint, emptying boxes, ebay, and creating new spaces!
Cheers to the future! May this decade bring closure and new beginnings.
My mom passed away unexpectedly last summer. She too was a collector and had boxes upon boxes of family history documents, photos, etc. Thankfully I have a lot of brothers and sisters and we were able to come together and go through everything in about a week. I can’t imagine having to do it all by myself.
So far our biggest milestone in 2013 is our new baby! Our third little boy joined our family just 6 weeks ago. Not long after, my husband celebrated his 30th birthday.
Thanks, guys, for sharing your experiences here. I appreciate it a lot. It’s really nice to hear from others who have been in similar circumstances! Lucy, I’m glad I’m not the only one who has had a long process making my house “Mine”.
Amy, congratulations on your new baby!
Wow you guys have really done a ton of work. My mom is 87 and has been living in our home for a few years now. I am currently in the process of selling my moms home overseas and it is really stressful. Even though I have 6 siblings, for some reason I have been the only one to step up and help my mom. I love garage and yard sales but I hate preparing for them. We have so much we want to get rid of this year.