Love at First Sight

It was dark and raining the first time I saw it.  And there, standing in the rain, late in the winter night, I fell in love. 

We’d been driving all day. Mile by mile we drove through three states, a few middle sized cities, one big city and finally through the forest.  I’d never seen the Pacific Northwest Mossy trees (that’s what I call them) as they were that night.  The coast had sustained one of the biggest snowstorms they’d had in recent memory.  (Although to a girl from Utah, the shock at a couple of inches of snow was a little comical.  We’d dug ourselves out of two feet of powder in our driveway that morning just to make the trip.)  But it was a sight to see: trees whose branches sunk under the weight of untouched snow, connected to each other by swaths of moss hanging with ice crystals that sparkled in the headlights.  It was like Currier and Ives meets Dr. Seuss.  Magical.  We were meeting the real estate agent in the morning, the kids were done with driving, and we were famished.  There were so many reasons not to stop.  But we would be driving right past it!  We HAD to stop.  When we were ten miles away I started to get the giggles and count down the miles. 

We saw the “for sale” sign before we saw the house, which is itself tucked into a group of trees that started growing there before anyone on this Earth was born.  The anticipation had risen from the tips of my toes and was spilling out the corners of my eyes.  We turned into the drive and there it was.  We’d been looking at it online for 168 days.  There were others too, but there was something about this one.  I opened the door and the first thing that came over me was the smell.  The rain had sopped the earth and awakened the smell of living.  It was pine and fresh. 

Doug and I pressed our faces in the criss-crossed wavy 1935 glass paned windows, eager to get a look.  In the dark we ran around the property.  Alder Creek (although we didn’t know that was its name) was bubbling in the back yard.  The rain poured down and Doug and I shared a quick kiss on the back deck…those ancient trees I love so much our only witnesses.

I guess you could say it was love at first sight.  

This month on The Living Room we are talking about Reviving Your Heart (#reviveyourheartwithtlr).  It’s been an interesting season in our family.  Lots of peaks and valleys.  Or, I guess I should say, looking back at old valleys from new peaks.  We were really in need of a way to revive our hearts.  And so, we, in all our middle income glory, bought a beach cottage as an investment property!  Yes, we’re venturing into the Vacation Rental Industry.  It’s a risk and it’s exciting and I hope it works.  There’s a lot of fear, but I love the quote by our co-host Michelle that says “Regret feels worse than failure.”  So here we go!

We’ve been dreaming about this for fifteen years.  It was 2001 when Doug, my husband, and I first stood on the beach of the Pacific Northwest and dreamed of someday having a place somewhere along the coast.  We have precious memories and ties to the Coast both together and apart.  Something about my soul belongs there.  We dreamed this up as newlyweds.  Then we blinked and a decade-and-a-half had passed.  We have a daughter who will be all grown up in five years!  It was important to me that we have a place we go to make memories.

You guys, I can’t wait.

I can’t wait to dig our toes into the sand and let the waves swallow our feet.  I can’t wait to play games at the kitchen table.  I can’t wait to barbecue on the back deck.  I can’t wait to hike Saddle Mountain.  I can’t wait to hear my children tell their children about the time we spent at the beach in Oregon and the memories we will forever keep.

If you’d like to follow our journey…ahem…laugh at us as we make mistakes), or if you find yourself wanting to experience the magic of the Oregon Coast yourself, you can watch our progress at http://www.facebook.com/saddlemountaincottage !

Live YOUR beautiful life and do something to revive your heart today,

Christie

#livingroomwithchristie

#reviveyourheartwithtlr