Ten Years Today

I remember.

Putting in the offer, so scared of such a huge commitment, a seemingly enormous debt.

Sitting in the cafe that used to be our favourite spot, getting that phone call. It's ours!

Walking past, driving past, every day before settlement. It's ours!

Moving in, being so proud of having our very own place.

The party that celebrated us buying our home and our engagement. All our friends and family were here.

Opening our wedding gifts in that room, right there.

Spending weekends painting, gardening, making this home ours.

Sitting outside in the evenings, so relieved to be home from work and back in the hills.

Watching the owls, kookaburras and parrots nest in the gum trees, fly down to our decking and watch us.

Friends coming to stay, when their own houses were being worked on.

Coming home from holidays, always so relieved to be back. There's nothing like coming back home.

Finding out I was pregnant with Abbey - I was right over there, then I told Steve in that spot just there.

Decorating our baby's room, life so full of promise.

Looking out over our garden and seeing how much the plants have grown. That tree, I was given for my 21st birthday. Those flowers, when Abbey was born.

Friends and family coming over, so many dinners and lunches and breakfasts and drinks and nights chatting. So many laughs, so many good times.

Seeing our little girl run in the backyard, chasing the chickens, and all of them being chased by the dog. Oh, the laughter.

Today marks ten years in our home.

Ten years. One whole decade.

I've shared a lot about our home recently, as we change it from a small house perfect for a couple to a less-small home for our family. I'm proud of what we've done with our house.

It's our home, and we've always been happy here.

They say home is where the heart is. This is a house filled with love and great times. And there's nowhere I'd rather be than here with Steve and Abbey.