Once we passed the 2 year anniversary of starting the remodel, we decided we needed to start putting down some roots. We started looking for a new house; bought a townhouse in January; moved in February. The months which followed affirmed our decision. The past several weeks, though, have been bittersweet as the remodel has finally come to an end.

When I first moved out of the Berkeley house, I was ecstatic to be moving for a variety of reasons. Even so, as I walked out the front door with the last box in my hands, I sat down on the top step and cried. It’s the first house that bought, and like so many firsts in one’s life, it holds a special place in my heart. Now, even though I’ve moved on to my second house and have turned it into our home with my wife, letting go of the Berkeley house is a trial. I feel like a parent sending my only child off into the world after raising it and helping it grow up.

I am ready to let it go. It might pull one more cry out of me, sitting on the top step one last time. But I am ready to release it for someone else to enjoy.