Isn’t it funny how when a life-changing moment occurs, you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing at the time?
Take for example, the end of summer 2014. It was close to the start of the 2014-2015 hockey season, and Steve was preparing to head overseas to begin playing in a league in the UK. We had hummed and hawed all summer about the decision to move “across the pond”, but like our move to Alaska a few years before, ultimately decided we had nothing to lose and would take the chance. His visa was set, his flight was booked and he was good to go. The plan was for me to join him a few weeks later. I had made my visa appointment, put in my two week’s plus notice at work and began making my UK bucket list.
The day was like any other day. I was downtown Toronto, on my way to work, and had just walked up from the subway when I got the call. “I don’t think I want to go, I think I’m done,” were the words on the other line. While there may have a been a few unkind words out of my mouth (because well, hello, I had just quit my job), ultimately, I was proud he made the decision on his own. Really, I should have seen it coming. The travel was starting to get to him, and we had a good thing going in Toronto. He hadn’t been this close to family for this long since before he left home at the age of 16. Our good thing wasn’t to be messed with.
Anyways, long story short, we decided to start putting down some roots in the place we were going to call home. First up? Finding a place to live. (Oh yes, after I went and begged for my job back.)
With the Toronto real estate market at an all-time high, we knew that owning a home would be out of the question. Instead, we decided to get our feet wet in the market by starting small and eventually working our way up.
We knew move-in would be a few years away, but ultimately signed on the dotted line of a pre-construction condo. It had everything we wanted, was in a booming neighbourhood with good schools, access to public transit and close to family, and most importantly, fit without our budget. (It's also close to the beach, which for this water-loving mama, was a nice perk.)
Fast forward almost four years, and in less than four weeks, we will officially be taking the keys to our very first home!
Since this is a completely new building, we are starting with a completely blank slate, which means having the creativity to design our own space! Yes, that does add to the stress of moving, but it is also very exciting.
Over the next few weeks here on To & Fro, I will be sharing our design inspiration for the space, before-photos and eventually, once our vision becomes a reality, the afters. Stay tuned!
What is your decorating taste? Where do you get your inspiration? I’d love to hear!
