A house is built on boards and beams, a home is built with love and dreams

CHANGE.  It’s a bad thing when it’s forced.  It’s a good thing when it’s overdue. It’s often times uncomfortable and resisted.   It’s one of life’s few guarantees.  We are experiencing a significant change in our lives.  It is the end of a rather lengthy chapter in Riepma saga.  This month we closed on the sale of our family’s home.  

When you’re in the military you learn to not get too comfortable because as soon as you do, things are gonna change- your job, your friends, your co-workers, your neighborhood, just about everything.  We get used to change and I say “we” in a broad sense because family members get the brunt of it too. 

This past assignment to San Antonio has been somewhat of an exception for us because we’ve been here going on 6 years, which is twice as long as usual.  We let our guard down, if you will.  Putting our house on the market was a voluntary decision…there’s not a short explanation, so don’t ask…but it all boils down to CHANGE.  We’re expecting  a PCS next summer so it just made sense.  We don’t do rentals.  We don’t think we’d be very good landlords.

I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened but strong roots were established for us on Shire Country.  A lot of life happened.  Our kids did a lot of growing.  Ethan was 3 months old when we laid down the “welcome” mat and this fall he will be in kindergarden.  We had plenty of good times and plenty of hard times.  There was a promotion, followed by a diagnosis. There was remarkable progress for Ethan in therapy, to a “good-bye” to my parents after living on the same streets for nearly 10 years.  There were “Christmas Lights Extravaganzas” that Kurt will still claim to this day “were for the kids” and there were times that it felt like all the lights went out.  There were countless arguments and just as many make-ups.  When does a house become an entity, almost like a part of you?

We were blessed in our home.  From day one to the day the buyer walked in and made the right offer.  We appreciate selling quickly given the current the housing market and know there are so many other families in more difficult spots.   This change is definitely bittersweet but we are excited about what is waiting for us around the corner and we know that wherever it is, it will be “home."

I married the best lawn boy in the world! Kurt always did an amazing job on our yard. His hard work definitely gave it plenty of "curb appeal."

Our family room was the "heart" of our home. Lots of love, laugh, and tears were exchanged between these walls.

Hunter's room was the first of the kids' rooms to be decorated.  It was a no brainer at the time that it be a space theme.  We spent plenty of hours painting these custom drawings for him.  The final touch was glow in  the dark stars on the ceiling.

This was the second version of Miss Bella's room. When you're a dancer, of course you have to have a dancer's dressing room.  I tell you, I loved this decor so much that I would have taken it as my bedroom!

The fact that Kurt and I share similar taste in decorating has saved us MANY disagreements during our years as homeowners.  We renovated our office in the summer of 2010 and was the final product.  It went from a disorganized mess to this organized and tranquil space. 

If you ever want to create a "man cave" or "movie room," Kurt is your man. Although it wasn't large, this removated playroom, turned out to be a practical place.  We watched movies, tv, and did our exercise videos on the homemade painted screen on the wall. 

Kurt and my bedroom.  Loved this space...