Our House, In The Middle Of Our Street

Oh, hey, there you are!

Or here I am, in case you were looking.

It's been a frenzy of activity around Secret Agent Mom headquarters lately, with more going on than I can even begin to detail. Or fully care to, really. The biggest news, however, is that SAM HQ itself has relocated. I've packed up the crossover sedan, thrown out the club clothes, and headed east to the relative safety of the almost-suburbs.

I never expected to leave Midtown, and I certainly didn't foresee living in a 1971 ranch-style further east than Whole Foods and Target, but when I started haunting Craigslist six months ago, I couldn't help noticing the ad that detailed a huge house on a huge lot for a not-so-huge rent. Granted, it was more room than I needed, but it was just the right size for, say, my people plus a family of six. Especially a family of six currently living in a 1200 sq. ft. home that was poised to bust a joist as soon as the Puberty Fairy arrived.

With two thirds pessimism and one third blind faith, we kept an eye on the house listing as it reappeared week after week, all through the fall. As the year drew to a close and my move became more imminent, I got in touch with the owner and plead the case for renting her home to two good, decent families whose credit reports happened to be tainted by the red ink stain of small business ownership. And at nearly the very last minute, she decided we were worthy.

There's something to be said for expecting the worst, because the thrill of being proven wrong is just that much greater. I spent the days after our lease approval feeling positively floaty, even with all the arrangements that needed to be made and made fast. The landlord's sister let us come by with the kids and let them survey the empty house, and the joy in their faces as they ran through room after room (after room after room) mirrored my own excitement. After such a long period of stress and uncertainty, I finally knew I was home.

(This atrium is in the center of the house, accessible by doors on all four sides. It is one of my very favorite things about the house - it's already served as a perfect baby play yard, and I envision many cups of tea, stacks of books, and broadcasts of Prairie Home Companion being enjoyed within it.)