New Home, Moving and Big Changes
New Home, Moving and Big Changes
Having a child, changes your life
forever and in our case, that has
certainly been the truth and what
Having a child, changes your life forever and in our case, that has certainly been the truth and what a wild ride it has been all around the world. Since Mozart turned 13 it has been particularly full of constant change and leading us into new horizons we never really expected.
While many of you were enjoying a relaxing Labor Day Weekend, we made a quick move into a new “home”. Luckily, as a minimalist family, we don’t take long to pack, but our challenge this time, was furniture as the best deals in Dallas come without furniture.
In many ways, America is the most foreign country to us, especially in a state we do not know….yet, some how familiar too. We feel a bit like aliens who have returned to a once familiar planet.
We thought about pulling our treasures out of storage ( a few antiques, my heirloom chairs, organic King bed etc etc that we do sometimes miss), but it didn’t make much sense to haul them all the way to Texas when we won’t be here too long.
So we did a minimalist Ikea haul in a few hours to furnish our new 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo on an exceedingly low budget.It feels like a mansion after living the last 7 months in one hotel room suite.
Ch,ch,change is in the air and we are figuring it out as we go…always based on Mozart’s needs. We will still continue to travel, but need to base in Dallas for the next year, as Mozart has gotten into a Masters Class for singing/songwriting/musicianship/performance here. She can also take communtiy college courses here and focus on her passions as she world schools.
We love the peaceful vibe here and our windows all look out to the pool and trees so it feels very remote, yet we are close to everything, including walking distance to Whole Foods.
What a thrill to have a big kitchen again! Mozart and I both like to cook, bake and ferment etc and this place even has a regular oven AND a Confectionery oven! Oh and a washer/dryer utility room that we have greatly missed. I’ll likely mostly use just the washer and hang to dry on our terrace ( looking forward to planting things there too!).
Who knew one of Mozart’s world school activities this week would be putting furniture together!
She is thrilled to have her own bedroom again and she placed her keyboard at an angle at these two windows to inspire her song writing. What a sweet view to wake up to and do creative work to. There is room for her desk too, a huge closet and her own bathroom. She is already planning a sleepover!
A joy to her parents too, that we can shut the door when she is doing her music. Not that we don’t love it, but 3 people trying to write, work, make phone calls and do music all at the same time in one small room for 7 months, taught us great patience and more flexibility. ( We actually had more space in the small RV in Europe, because we used much of the outdoors as our personal space).
Our great life ( like any life) doesn’t escape compromises and sacrifice.
One of the greatest simple pleasures is having a table again, as we are the type of family that likes to sit down together at meals, say Grace, savor the food and enjoy the connecting conversations. We’ll even be able to have meals with a this wrap around fire place this winter which will be cozy.
This is a photo of our first meal in our new home. I tried to take a selfie of the three of us, but it didn’t turn out and we were too hungry to take any more.
It’s been pretty intense, finding a place, making decisions, while also setting Mozart up in classes and planning a trip to NYC for Fashion Week as Mozart has been asked to be the youngest backstage reporter. We had to have the miniest celebrations for our 23 wedding anniversary and 9 year travel/location independent anniversary as time is flying by too fast.
Long days, aching muscles, constant intense decision making, a dash of chaos and upheaval, endless adaptability….but somehow it all seems to be working out perfectly and we are learning even more lessons on trusting and loving every moment.
How about you? Is this a transition time period, or just us?
Congrats to you all. It looks lovely. We are always in transition. We made the move from Spain to more of a nomadic life and slowed down for a few months in Chiang Mai. We will venture on and explore more in Nov. So plenty of change. Also homeschooling for the first time, so that is a biggie for us.
I love the look of pride on Dad’s face and the glow of “we’re home!” on Mozart’s face. What great training for her about how to set up a home from scratch and make it a home. Looking forward to news to come from New York! Thanks for this peek into the new place! Great for Mozart to have a chance to feel grounded in her home country for a bit before going off to France or wherever might come next!
Thanks Heidi, it’s the perfect spot for us right now…so Mozart can take advantage of all the opportunities coming in.
RTW Nomadic life was perfect for all her primary years, but for a homeschool/worldschool teen with her heart set on Harvard and a singing career, it seems best to use USA or North America as a base.
I don’t think anywhere else has the community college advantage for a 13 year old, not to mention all the great JHU_CTY and Talent Search classes and programs.
Asia was great for learning Chinese, but Europe is what we are missing now and looking forward to excursions to South America and back to more of Africa.
And more USA of course, so Mozart’s “states visited” can match her countries 😉 and let her appreciate so much of this amazing country.
We’re all thrilled to be going back to NYC, which we love ( I use to live there) and this awesome NYFW opportunity!
So big changes for you guys too! I think it is something in the air, since many seem to be going through shifts.
Soooo many expats and backpackers in Chiang Mai should make it a comfy choice. Enjoy!
Homeschool rocks, so I’m sure you will love it and the freedom it gives!!
BTW, are your kids going to learn Mandarin while in Asia, Heidi?
Such an important language and though one of the hardest, immersion helps greatly ( though the writing is hard even for the Chinese!!).
As usual, you have the perfect eye Margaret!❤ So true, that she did get some good lessons here on how to set up a home at an age where it will stay with her forever.
Yes, so true, I think Mozart is really enjoying this time to ground herself in her home country! 😉
Glad you liked the peek and I have a very good feeling about this trip to NYC! Kind of crazy, but seems just too good to pass up and we all love Manhattan.
Sounds like making the move to Dallas was a big move. Glad that you guys are using it as a home base but continuing to do what excites you. Look forward to future post.
Congratulations on your new home. It bet if feels nice to have a kitchen to play in for a while, and it sounds like you’ll be on the move again before too long!
I’m hoping you can share how you found your motorhome when you were in Spain? We are getting ready to make the leap to family travel here soon, and are looking for a small RV in Spain while we shop for a live aboard sailboat. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers!
Hi Tiffiney,
Thanks it is great to be in a bigger place and we are enjoying it and the kitchen!!
Sorry for the delay, I’m behind due to travel and move.
We got our RV at Braitman & Woudenberg Campers and wrote about it here:
http://www.soultravelers3.com/2006/08/our-new-camper.html
But there are others that do similar and can be found on the internet. OR you can send one over by ship that is American.
The key for Europe is a small camper and I wouldn’t get too fancy ( best not to stand out).
Happy Travels! It will be easier and more fun than you can imagine now. 😉
Thanks De’Jav ( cool name!),
It was a BIG move for us, but feels right for this year as a base and likely we will find another one next year.