Domicile Envy

I received my first Little House on the Prairie book when I was in second grade. My oldest sister, then in college, gave it to me for Christmas.
I was instantly hooked.
Despite the fact that I had blonde hair, I was definitely Laura.
Oh, how I envied my sister Marcia, five years older than I.
I always felt somewhat like the ugly duckling comparied with her.
And compare I did.
Besides, Marcia still had Halloween candy left at Easter!
There's something fundamentally unfair about that kind of self-control.

As a mother, I have read and re-read the whole Laura Ingalls Wilder series a multitude of times. But as an adult, I certainly identified with a different character.
Oh, poor Ma!
How she suffered for her man.
Pa had a bad case of the wanderlust, and Ma was always right there with him.
Ready to pack, ready to break new sod, ready to live in whatever circumstances each new move entailed.
Was she really as happy as Laura thought she was?
How much arguing took place once she and her sisters were asleep?
We'll never know.

As the years have passed, I've begun to recognize something in myself.
Oh, I think I've always known it was there.
But now I'm ready to confront it head on.
I, too, suffer from wanderlust.
Mine takes the form of domecile envy.

You see, we've lived in the same area now for going on 17 years.
But we've lived in four different houses.
Four.
I always have my reasons for making a move, ranging from needing more space, to needing access to a different school district, to downsizing to save money.

It seems, though, that I just can't leave well-enough alone. We always end up moving just after we've done major work on the house - remodeling the basement, replacing all the windows and woodwork, installing a new kitchen. Too soon to recoup the investment and too soon to enjoy the improvements.

You see, once I've fixed things up and put the stamp of my personality on a house, it seems I get itchy to look at someplace different. This itch has ended up costing us a pretty penny over the years and is a major reason we have the debt load we currently carry.

We've been in our current home about 2 1/2 years. It's almost all fixed up. We've poured a ton of money into it and while I love the house, the neighborhood leaves a lot to be desired. We've converted most of the yard into food-producing space, installed a woodburning insert, competely remodeled the bathrooms and the kitchen.

And I'm getting antsy.
Oh, wouldn't it be great to live in the country with a couple of acres?
Or how about just a larger yard in the city?
I peruse the real estate ads, Realtor.com, even Craigslist.

But this time, I'm standing strong.
I will not make another financially stupid move.
Instead, I will continue to work on this house.

As Stephen Stills wrote if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with.
I live here.
And I'm sticking with it.