It’s Friday, April 14, all go and very exciting. We are just about to settle the purchase of our new house and are in the final stages of securing the mortgage, putting insurances in place and packing, madly packing. I am very tired, very stressed, but also extremely excited. Our own home! Finally we will stop being renters, throwing our money into other people’s mortgages. 

It was Mum’s idea that we find a house together.  Mum would sell her house and put down the bulk of the money and Susannah and I would get a mortgage to top up the funding. Finding the right house was tricky as we all wanted separation – to be close but also not in each other’s way. We found it though. The nearly perfect house. I knew it as soon as we walked in.

The house is an older one, built in the 70’s. It has tons of character and reminds Susannah and I of same-era Vancouver Island houses. It’s made of wood and there are these cool wooden beams and poles throughout. There are 2 levels, 2 kitchens, and 4 bathrooms. Mum will have the 3 bedroom main floor and Susannah and I will take the one bedroom plus sunroom downstairs. Downstairs is big enough for us to work from home and the bathrooms and kitchens have been recently renovated so are in great condition with high end fixtures. I can’t wait to move out of our mouldy-oldy rental. The new place will be a lot healthier as well. Our current rental passed the Healthy Homes criteria but I’ve no idea how as there was mould everywhere and both Susannah and I developed coughs living there.

And, did I mention the views? Tucked back off the road in a quiet street, the house has back decks overlooking the bush. Dotted with Kauri, and filled with birdlife, the bush is actually part of the property which means our view will never be built out. We can be caretakers of our own little piece of paradise.

There has been a lot involved to make it happen and I feel like I have been fighting fires all the way, but we are so close – in just under two weeks we will be house owners. The dream is becoming a reality!

I am in the shower when I find it. What the fuck? It feels weird. I press in and around the top of my left breast. Is that a lump? I am pretty sure it’s a lump. At least I imagine it is what a lump would feel like. I get out of the shower and ask Susannah to feel it. Then I immediately call the doctor’s office and book the first available appointment – next Tuesday.

My stressful but exciting day becomes a long drawn out weekend of worry.