It still sounds shocking to write it, because a couple months ago this wasn't even on our radar. We've lived in our current home since Lorelei was a baby. It's the only home our kids have ever known.
This beautiful home is where our kids took their first wobbly steps and murmured first words. They learned to ride bikes in the cul de sac. Played pickleball with neighbors in the driveway and had birthday parties in the backyard on the sunken trampoline. Created an epic haunt for Halloween, sang carols on the stairs on Christmas morning, sprinkled holy water with sprigs from that Norway spruce we planted in the front yard on the new year.
And our neighbors... bonfires, fireball, midnights at iHop and vacations together. The kids run in and out of each others' homes. We're more family than friends.
We adore this home and neighborhood.
And after 13 years, we've only grown to love it more. We had no intention to move.
But one day, Mark and I were driving in the car away from an appointment and, on a total whim, I proposed touring some model homes. Just to shake things up for the day. Mark was game, so we got on the phone to look up "new homes in Overland Park." We wound up far south in a place that didn't yet exist. Driving along, a sign caught our eye for model homes.
The moment we pulled up in front of the random model and stepped out of the car, a man came walking toward us.
"What are you all doing here?" he asked. It was Rick, our old neighbor from directly across the street, walking toward us from--yep--across the street.
Pure synchronicity. Rick and his family had moved to the Ozarks, but they came back and bought a house in the neighborhood we were touring.
"You have to check out that house," said Rick, nodding toward the model. And after a good deal of catching up, we parted ways and stepped inside. It felt immediately familiar. I'd been having recurring dreams of moving into a house just like this... so many dreams of moving, decorating, painting white walls nearly every night.
And on and on it went, the signs everywhere--synchronicity, dreams, number sequences... and then we found the neighborhood where we wanted to build, and it just felt right.
Yesterday, 11/10, we put down the deposit on the lot we've had our eyes on on our daily drive-bys, the kids added the "reserved" button to the glass lot map, and we planted a flag to claim it as our own.
Lot 72. Corner, cul-de-sac, and beside a large open field plus amenities.
Just a stones throw away are the clubhouse and community gardens, pool, park and best of all, the pickle ball courts! And the gorgeous native grass trails leading to a lake for bikes and kayaks.
It's so fun. It's perfect for our family in this teenage phase and beyond.
We're all 100% on board.
If you enjoy design and would like to follow along on our "Camp Connelly" build from the ground up and room by room, I'll be posting pics and progress here on our family blog under the label "Longbottom." (Our new home earned this nickname because it's located at the bottom of Long Street.) Because it's stuff I want to always remember--including the practical details of finishes and paints and the stuff that makes it ours.
For now, a few sneak peeks from my PowerPoint slides with specific details and loads of changes - waiting to hear from Jerry on how all my wild ideas fit into our budget - ha! ;)
Can't wait for those egg swings.
