A breath of fresh air

View from the park at the Art Museum

We've been really lucky to have pretty awesome weather so far since becoming "a city slicker" as my co-workers now affectionately refer to me.  And with that, has come ample opportunities to sample the 75+ parks that Philly has to offer (okay we have not been to all 75+ yet but we're up to about 7 which I think is pretty great).  Here's a view from our dinner picnic Friday night: 








A frequent comment we've gotten since telling people about our move and our quest to downsize has been the loss of our (albeit meager) back yard.  And while we have what I think is the most killer patio, it has not an ounce of grass to its name.  Our reply?  PARKS!  Don't get me wrong, I will miss playing games of horseshoes and having a huge outdoor party without having to rent space from the Parks & Rec team but in a lot of ways, we're really looking forward to living more out in the open.  


During our picnics and various outings this weekend, H encountered approximately 8 dogs that she "pet pet"-ed including one who was catching a plate (read: frisbee).  We caught up with old friends, met 2 new ones, and watched H conquer THE BIG KID SLIDE at the playground.  It was great for Adam and I too because it gave us a chance to passively observe how other parents deal with a sometimes defiant toddler, to observe the cultural differences between our new home and our own frames of mind, and to get some plain on fresh air.  In some strange way, it was like our first communion with Philadelphia.  It's like we were soaking it into our bones, wrapping ourselves in the newness.


While privacy in the way that everyone on House Hunters defines it (Chris - I can SEE another HOUSE!  This definitely does not have enough privacy!) has never been high on our list, having our own space definitely is.  We didn't have much privacy in the traditional home sense in Phoenixville (although we had the best neighbors in the WORLD!  Love you Greens and Halls!) and now we have even less buffer space.  But moving here has started redefining privacy for me.  Having less square footage and a toddler with a strong desire to walkrunjump all day long, we're called out into our fair city.  It beckons us to step out and learn more about our surroundings and experience life.  But the grandeur, at least I find, often makes me feel very small.  I'm able to gain a different type of privacy by being in SUCH a public space so much that it's as if no one is watching.  It's soothing.  And it's had a cool effect on how I feel about our house too.  I used to feel like homes could really be suffocating.  But now, once I've had enough of my private exposure, I come home, and cuddle up in my house, my space.  


I'm finding that living more on the outside of life, out in the open, and connecting with my world is feeding my soul in a totally new way.  I hope you can get outside sometime soon, look around, and connect with something or someone - even if that someone is yourself.  

Small on space, big on joy.

Feeling like we had completely lost our TOV, Adam (the hubs) and I took a look at our life and most importantly the way it was making us feel.  The bottom line?  Generally fairly blah.  Don't get me wrong, we had lots and lots of good things in our life, like good jobs, a super happy kiddo, and good health, neither of us really felt fulfilled.  As former residents of the fair city of Seattle, we thought back to those times and asked ourselves why we felt "so much happier" there.  Aside from the fact that we were DINKs at the time (I'm glad we have H but let's be honest, wee ones are HARD WORK!), we both had activities that we were really interested in like dodge ball and book club, we rented a tiny apartment that was sparsely furnished so there wasn't much housekeeping to be done, and living in such a bus-friendly city, we were able to get around very easily, spending minimal time getting to the things that interested us. On top of that, we had a fulfilling church community, we volunteered, and we could easily take advantage of nature.  

Our happy little rowhome :)

Our paralyzing commute here in Philly (1.5 hours each way) has now made much of these activities very tough (although I have no doubt that just our own inertia keeps us from a lot of things at times).  We miss the amenities of a city, and we also had a house that was 3 times the size of our Seattle apartment.  The obvious choice to begin restoring balance in our lives was to get ourselves back into the city.  For over a year, we carefully selected the neighborhood that best matched our personalities and needs.  Fairmount it is!  And so at the end of this week, we'll move into this beauty of a house: 

Here's the idealistic view of what we think we're getting ourselves into:

• Half the square footage (this is a fact, it's just that we're going into this thinking it will be a very good thing)
• WAY shorter commute
• More time to do activities that mean something to us
• More time with H
• Better access to amenitites
• No increase (or perhaps savings) in our spending
• A community that feels passionate about its well being
• More "people like us"
• Better Thai food
• A more complex process when trying to buy food groceries as well as dry goods (WHERE DO YOU BUY TOILET PAPER??)
• Higher wage taxes (again, this is a fact, although we'd love to figure out a solution)
• A more multicultural upbringing for H
• A more violent school system to contend with
• Street hockey (please, oh please, I hope kids play this!)

If you were moving from the 'burbs to the city, what would you expect?  

Check back next week for an update on how the move went and any early findings.