w.w.j.d.: Now Residing in Berkley

We closed on our new home on Friday. It’s our third house but in a way feels like our first. The first, of course, was a condo in Burlington, VT. Prior to that, Tony was in the Air Force and we rented an apartment in Alamogordo, NM (a two-bedroom with a separate backyard for $375/mth!). After our 1.5 years or so in Vermont, we headed for Boston, a city somewhat foreign to me except in dinnertime mentions about my Dad’s construction sites. Now I know why he left at that insanely early hour. Boston was somewhat sexy – ok not if you compare it to NYC – and a place I always wanted to live. And so began our stint of rentals throughout the city: the garden-level (basement) apartment on Comm Ave. in Brighton; the 450-square-foot brick-lined place in the North End surrounded by drunk, spoiled college kids; the townhouse-style apartment in Southie that shared a deck with the neighbor – and landlord – and his family, including “Keeper,” the Australian black shepherd that liked to make himself at home in our apartment and once shit on the upstairs rug. Once we had our fill of city living and decided we were ready for a driveway – or even a *gasp* garage – we bought a cute home by the water in Hough’s Neck, Quincy. Real estate agents would use the word “cozy,” which means incredibly small. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hough’s Neck was the Cape Cod of Eastern Mass and our home was the neighborhood country store. The surrounding homes served as cottages for the wealthy. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed our 4 years in “The Neck,” but we had outgrown our home, not to mention our yard, driveway and neighborhood. We needed more space, more yard and most importantly, family and friends nearby to help with Jill.

We found all of this in a beautiful home in Berkley, next door to my hometown of Dighton. The house makes me feel like a princess: so lucky to be able to share this with Tony and Jill, and so excited to have enough space for family and friends to visit. This weekend alone we may have had more visitors than the first year in Quincy. Mel, Brian and Cole came over Friday night for pizza and beer. Jill was so excited to play with Cole and show off her new house and playground. On Saturday, Ethan and Heidi came over to help move and Mel to watch Jill while I unpacked. In no time, Tony, Ethan and Heidi had left to return the moving truck. Mel and I were desperate for Cole and Jill to nap so we drove down the road to the Berkley Arts & Crafts Fair to tire them out. Jill danced to the live music but had no interest in the booths at the fair. She thought the best part was the playground and the fire station across the street. Cole crashed in the car on the way back to the house. Jill did not. She was too wired to nap, go to sleep at a reasonable hour or sleep much past sunrise. Heidi, Mel and I unpacked the kitchen while Cole napped and Jill continued to run around the house and slide down the “big geen slide” in the backyard. Ethan and Heidi stayed well into the evening. We built a fire to relax in the backyard. Heidi commented on the darkness of the sky and the clarity (did I just write and backspace over clearness??) of the stars. Yes, we are in the country. Falling asleep to the sound of crickets with no sign of cars speeding down the street or street lights shining into our bedroom window. I feel like I’m finally home.