So the sale of our home fell through last week. When the offer came in on March 13, four days after we listed it on ksl.com, it seemed like an answer to our prayers. We planned how we'd get out of debt with the equity from the sale, get Zack started in college in the Fall and maybe even take a trip to California this summer.
But the cute couple who put in the offer got tired of the fight with the Rural Development people after two months, and we decided not to re-list the house.
As I watched Tyler hang his pictures back up on his bedroom walls, I realized that this is the only home he's ever known. He has barbecues in the backyard with his friends, sits at the bar in the kitchen while I cook and tells me about his days at school.
We had Ashli's wedding reception in the backyard last summer and when I look at the deck, I remember our good friend Phil playing music while our friends and loved ones danced and celebrated the beginning of Ashli and Mack's life together.
There's the tree house my Dad, husband, brother-in-law, sons and nephews built.
Sophie, Durt and Chester have a permanent home here in the pine trees and tulip bed.
So, while it would have been nice to get that equity, this is home.