Time does not pass, it continues. ~ Marty Rubin
2020. Hard to imagine. So much, and so little, has happened in the last four years.
In 2016, I broached the subject of selling our house to EP. His parents' health and mobility were steadily declining, we were having to spend more time going over to help out with basic necessities, and, frankly, the caregiver assistant fees were hurting. I suggested that we could purchase another house with a guesthouse that would be suitable for his parents (and future rental income), we wouldn't have to pay for a caregiver, and we could move closer to downtown as we both work there. He agreed, and preparation began in 2017.
EP and I had a fairly stringent list of things we needed or wanted for a new house - we weren't moving because we disliked our current home or area, so to make it worth all the effort, we wanted some very specific things, but overall, it was the guesthouse that was the determining factor.
We searched for about six months and finally spotted our house on Zillow - but it already had an accepted offer! We were so bummed out. Our Realtor contacted the sellers Realtor and, by stupid luck and happenstance, the offer had fallen through that day. We made a viewing appointment immediately for the following day and placed our offer after the walk-through. In June 2017, we moved into our "new" home in the Willo historic district downtown. We love it! The house was built in 1936, still has much of its historic characteristics, and ticked most of our "needs-to-have" boxes.
The following month, we listed and sold our first house within three days. I was completely freaked out over not selling our first house prior to purchasing another, but it worked out exactly as EP had insisted it would.
While the main house was fairly turnkey, the original scored concrete floors had been covered over with carpet and Pergo laminate flooring. We spent a few months, ripping out the flooring ourselves, having the original concrete floors restored, and painting the interior (the house was stark white throughout and we prefer some color).
The guesthouse renovation began in October once I was able to find help for a reasonable cost. Essentially, we gutted it and took it from a dowdy studio apartment, to a 600 sq.ft. home, complete with a full kitchen, walk-in shower, laundry, new windows, etc. Fully accessible for two elderly people with mobility issues. The process was stressful, but the outcome well worth it. We were able to move EP's parents into the guesthouse in February 2018.
Unfortunately, EP's father's health was in serious decline and he died as a consequence of aspiration pneumonia in May 2018, aged 85.
Summer 2018 was spent preparing EP's parents Sun City condo for sale. I did the vast majority of the work myself to save money. So many evenings after work spent driving all the way out to Sun City and working until late at night. Rinse and repeat. In the end, the condo sold within a couple hours for full asking price, cash. Can't beat that and it made me happy to get rid of one more project.
December 2018 we went on vacation with EP's mom to San Diego, and then the two of us spent the remainder at a resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico.
In 2019, I completed several home improvement projects (rebuilt guest shower, trimmed trees, added landscaping rocks, changed existing landscaping lighting to LED and updated the fixtures, pavered the driveway and created a front patio area, added planting pots, repaired the exterior stucco, painted the exterior, etc.) and signed up for the 2020 Willo Home Tour. EP's mom turned 90 years old in July - and received a commendation from our Governor. We sold our Acura and purchased a Toyota. We vacationed on the Oregon coast in December.
Best of all, we adopted a baby Boston Terrier from Brown Sugar Bostons, named her Piper Down, and brought her home December 7th. She's so sweet, and she and Otto love to play and roughhouse.
In February 2020 our home was part of the hugely successful 2020 Willo Home Tour. So much work, but very fun.
Then in March, COVID-19 hit the US hard, and we've basically been stuck at home since. We've spent my birthday, Ava's 15th birthday, our 19th wedding anniversary, and EP's mom's 91st birthday in lock-down. Both of us are largely telecommuting for work. We are being incredibly careful because we are the primary caregivers for EP's mother and, at her age, we are afraid the virus will flat-out kill her.
May 21st our beloved Ava Missouri died, aged 15 years. She had a fantastically long run, especially with a severe heart condition, but death comes for us all in the end. We miss her every day.
We've also had a record setting hot summer without any rain, which makes everything feel that much more difficult.
We are currently booked to vacation in Jamaica in December for two weeks and WE CANNOT WAIT. Our novel coronavirus numbers have finally started declining and I hope every day that we don't see a resurgence this autumn that would prevent us from getting out of here for a little while.
Looking ahead to 2021, I hope to take on fewer projects and rest more, that Trump is out of the White House, and life can just be a bit calmer. I'm quite tired these days and EP says I have an unhealthy need to be doing something all the time, that I take on too much. An addiction to accomplishing things, I guess. :) Too much and anything is unhealthy though.