Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes...

I have always been sure that change in life is what keeps us going, gives us something to look forward to and something to dread.  By the time you are in your 40's, so many changes have likely taken place in your life that you wake up some days and literally ask yourself, "How did I get here?"  You know that where you are is a result of many intertwined good and bad decisions that you've made, yet you still wonder if it really was YOUR freewill that got you here.


This last weekend we had a "room" (for lack of a better word) removed from our house.  When we moved in 12 years ago, there was a greenhouse attached to the back.  We thought it would be a great "sunroom," "workout room" or "playroom" for our eventual kids.  After all, the owner trying to sell the house had kids' toys out there and a nice ceiling fan twirling above our heads. 


We bought the house in March and closed escrow in June.  We were in!  Moving in in Southern California in June, meant balmy, somewhat overcast weather in the mornings and cool afternoons.  Summer doesn't really hit us until the end of July and then it hangs around until Halloween, making an appearance or two again in January.  So, here we were in blissful June, oblivious to the fact that our "sunroom" would soon become an oven.  As summer hit and the sun blasted through the glass roof, we realized that we had to make some changes.  

We painted the glass ceiling a light color to reflect the sunlight back up.  I made white curtains and hung them around the room to quell the blast furnace effect.  We even replaced the living room windows that opened onto the "sunroom" with double-paned thermal glass - but none of it worked.  Our little bonus room soon became the "too hot" or "too cold" room and started accumulating junk.  We tried to use it as an office, but the computer kept overheating in the summer and condensation dripped from the ceiling.  Then, when the girls came along, it was a great playroom when the weather cooperated.  As the years went on, though, it just became "the playroom" whether anyone used it or not.  

The final change came last week, when we finally had the room removed.  We now have the beginnings of our Hawaiian-style lanai.  And, though it may take another twelve years to get it where we want it to be, it is a nice change and a decision I think we'll be happy with.  We got here by choice, by choosing to try to improve our home and trying to make it a better place for our kids and their kids.