TURNING MY HEART TOWARDS HOME

DOWNTOWN EDMOND, OKLAHOMA

You know...every once in a while my thinking goes askew. It does. Just can't help it. I mean, I AM human! On the way to church this morning my guy and I drove past an extravagant neighborhood that was soooo divine that I could only DREAM of living in such a place. With bated breath I could only whisper...well..."What if?"... Ever been there?

ASKING PRICE $1.4 MILLION

I live in a town that is growing faster than the weeds in my backyard. When my Mr. AGPMan and I first considered moving from our modest home to a neighboring suburb just to the north of Oklahoma City...well... our friends thought we'd lost our minds. The town was challenging at the time to navigate as so many streets and highways were still being mapped out. Edmond is just outside of OKCity and the once sleepy "college town" is growing by leaps and bounds. Today it's population is quickly nearing 79,000. In 1992 when we purchased our pretty two-story house the town was home to about 54,000. It has almost doubled in size in less than twenty years...

ASKING PRICE $775,000

With the influx of so many people, new schools seemed to spring up over night as well as beautifully landscaped shopping centers and restaurants. And, it goes without saying the building of unbelievably gorgeous high-end homes was inevitable! I mean truly beautiful, mansion-type houses that were designed to steal your very breath away. Truthfully, it was mind-boggling to see that much wealth and prosperity settle in just a few neighborhoods away...

ASKING PRICE $550,000

My hubby and I raised our little family in the house we still call home. In July we will celebrate living in our beloved Briarwood Cottage (that is what I call her) seventeen years and if the truth be known, I never plan on leaving. Although it is somewhat mesmerizing to see the lavish, well-planned homes rise up around us, I covet not the brick and mortar owned by others.

ASKING PRICE $227,000

In the years since we bought our home it has almost tripled in value. It is a comfortable 2,300SF and has four pretty bedrooms, two living, two dining, and three baths. We've done more work on our abode than I can even tell you... The house is a work in progress and we've changed as much on the outside as we have in the interior. It's been a ride...tiresome at times...but still a ride.

(click photo to enlarge this picture)
BUYING PRICE $87,500

I promised to show you a picture of the place I lovingly call home. I snapped the picture above on CLOSING DAY in 1992. A dream come true. A place to call my own. Since that hot summer day my hubby has transformed both the front and backyard landscape by adding two beautiful sidewalks, a precious porch-style railing (my favorite of all his handiwork!), the planting of lovely trees and the removal of overgrowth (especially the long branch above the door), taking out the large pine tree (it was ruining the foundation) and planting numerous shrubs and flowering plants. He also built and then added the three window box planters as an early birthday gift about 10 years ago. Our backyard is HUGE...big enough to enjoy a wonderful party and also house a fabulous studio and workshop.

(click photo to enlarge this picture)
TODAY'S VALUE for Us: PRICELESS

The picture above is how my dearly loved home looks today...I snapped this picture this afternoon. The exterior of the house has been repainted twice and is due for another color change next year. The lawn is lush and green and if you look closely you'll see exactly where I get my mail. The simple planter near the sidewalk is also my mailbox. It is full of concrete for weight and enough dirt to plant and grow the most amazing flowers year after year. The house has new windows and doors, plantation shutters and a hearty new roof! She still needs a new driveway poured as well as new garage doors...they will both come with time.

I'm blessed to live here on this street and thankful I'm not afraid to live within my means. Since the day we signed the papers and called this beautiful home our La Chamerie de Briarwood (The Cottage on Briarwood), I've never wavered in my belief that she was a gift from the Most High.

Blessings to you as you seek to find contentment wherever it is God leads...Rebecca