Have you ever had a secret dream that came true? Like something super dear to your heart that you never thought would happen. Then it did. And you just couldn’t believe it. And all you could do was thank God over and over, because you just really couldn’t believe it?
Kind of like blowing out your birthday candles, and having that outlandish wish come true.
When it does you’re afraid to really tell anyone about it. Because maybe if you did it would all go away and you’d wake up and discover the whole thing had been a dream.
That’s how I feel about my home. My house. I call it the Canyon Cottage. But mostly just in my own head and on my secret Pinterest board of ideas and DIY tutorials I’ve got saved. I call it that because it’s near a place called Canyon Lake.
Besides that, I also really like canyons. There’s something magical about being at the bottom of a canyon. A place that’s been cut and formed by the forces of nature, directed by God’s own hand. Canyons are carved from harsh elements, yet become places of beauty and life. The path to this place was carved from proverbial harsh elements. On my way to this home, this front door, I was caught between walls of rock and strife. Yet somehow, after squeezing through lots of tight places, I–we, ended up here. In a beautiful canyon. Wide enough to breath in. Narrow enough to be a shelter.
Maybe that train of thought makes no sense. Or maybe it’s just too romantical. The simple truth is that I love it here and God has gifted me a portion of peace I didn’t know existed since living here. It’s been a balm to my tired mind and soul.
My secret wish that came true.
It might be wrong for me to be so attached to a place, but I just can’t help it. I know God led me here and I’m so, so grateful.
Someday I’ll tell you about all the miracles that played out to bring me here. But today, I’ll just introduce you to the house a bit. (You see, I’m dying to show you the project we’re working on, but it’ll make much more sense if you know your way around a bit.)
We moved to South Dakota (which was a dream come true in its own right) in September of 2016. As with any move, finding a house is always a struggle. There’s a lot of pressure to pick something quick and get in as fast as possible so life can start to normalize.
I arrived one day before Derek and began scoping out the new town. I made a big long list of places I wanted to drive by and check out. If they looked promising, we’d set an appointment to look at them more closely.
I must have driven past 15 addresses. I was all over the place. Some looked good, some looked downright terrible. (And that’s really saying something because I’m a major sucker for a fixer.) There was one place on the list really intrigued me. It was my last stop because it was a little out of the way, and a little more of a commute than Derek wanted. We’d decided on guidelines for where our house hunt could go, and this was just a bit outside of the acceptable radius. But you know me, sometimes I can’t resist pushing the envelope just a little.
So I drove over.
First of all, I loved the drive. I felt like I was in another world. I passed parks and a golf course. People were out all over. Walking dogs, riding bikes, running. Kids were chasing friends and swarming the parks. Then, I found the address. As soon as I pulled into the driveway I was completely enchanted. This place was special. I could feel it in my bone marrow.
It was kind of that feeling you get when you find the right wedding dress. That dress that’s a little out of budget and you know immediately that you never ever should have tried it on. But it’s simply perfect and deep down you just know.
I knew the place was empty. So I got out and walked around. The yard was huge, with pine trees and a canal running along the property line. The location was perfect. Across from the creek, within sight of a spillway, surrounded by a gorgeous city park and a golf course. You guys, deer, adorable, perfect sweet-faced deer, were grazing in the yard. I could hear the water rushing over the spillway, geese flying overhead (which is a nostalgic sound to me since I grew up on the mighty St. Jo in Elkhart), and kids screaming on the playground. Fly fisherman were busy in the creek. I couldn’t believe this was real.
Sure, the paint color was ugly and the decks were in dire need of repair, and the roof looked precarious. But somehow that’s not what I saw. Instead, I saw nights in the backyard playing croquet. Dinner on the deck. And vintage doors that were thoroughly used to welcome guests.
I also saw the very real possibility of icy cold winters in a house with original windows. And months of projects. And budget tightening. But that all seemed ok. Just part of the adventure.
Flash forward to November and we were living there. Derek was as charmed by it as I was. Wait, no. That’s actually impossible. But he sure is good to me and he really does like it too. It’s just harder to tell with him because he’s so stoic. There was a long struggle to negotiate the sale with the sellers (all 5 of them on the deed!) There was a battle to get a mortgage–because who would ever insure a place with such a crummy roof?? Oh yeah, and there was lots of strife after our belongings arrived badly damaged. Tears were shed. And they weren’t shed by Derek.
And we’ve been projecting ever since.
Really I did want to invite you over to see the new place. I was so thrilled with it and all the things to be done and the pretty progress that’s been made. But I just couldn’t . I was afraid that like telling a birthday wish, if I showed you, it would all go away. And it still might. But that would happen if I showed you or not. I’ve decided it’s more fun to show you. Because I miss our long conversations about my misadventures in the home improvement department. It was a silly fear, I know. So, are you ready for a little tour? These photos are pre-move-in, mind you.
- The exterior before we moved in. The apple tree there on the right is a favorite of the deer in the fall!
- We have a really cool walk-out rooftop patio. The potential was always there, but it was hidden quite well. The roof was shingled and painted with a thick, white elastomeric roof paint. That’s just a fancy way of saying that the whole roof was coated with a paint meant to further the lifetime of the old roof…but even that had run its course.
- Inside there’s lots of woodwork. Someone had started stripping it to refinish, but had stopped. Our first project was refinishing the floors.
- I love that charming arch between living room and dining room.
- This house has loads of smart storage and built ins.
- The house was only owned by a single family since being built in 1948. This is where the original kitchen stood, now its a hall to the GIANT kitchen addition put on in 1969.
- We love that the kitchen features a retro built in barbecue in addition to a fireplace.
- The kitchen is massive! Even though it needs work, it’s got a fully intact St Charles cabinet collection–something pretty rare.
- The half story upstairs includes roof access and lots of space for activities.
- Closets and knee wall storage make good use of an awkward space.
There you have it! That’ a little look at where we started. I’m super excited to show you what things are like now, and the crazy project we are trying to finish before the baby comes!
Amy
