When Eric and I first started dating, he had purchased a condo that overlooked the Neuse River. It really was a neat place to live. It being a 'bachelor-pad' and all was decorated .... ummm .... well, a little different. I cannot tell you how hard it was to get married, move in and slowly recycle all the decor and make it ours.
Oh, who am I kidding? His taste was seriously lacking then and I did everything I could to get rid of his decor. I'm sure I'm not the only woman who has moved into an already furnished/decorated home and not tried to change it up a bit. If I am, don't tell Eric.
Anyway, that is not at all why I am posting this.
When you are newlyweds, you really don't care about much except being together and you're willing to let a few things slide, right? But, one thing drove me absolutely crazy about that condo.
The heat. Or, lack thereof.
Don't get me wrong, it had heat. But, being a contemporary condo 'on stilts' as we say, that reached over the Neuse River and had an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings made it seem as if there was no.heat.at.all.
You think I'm kidding. I would give anything today for a picture of the two of us sitting in the living room on a Saturday afternoon watching television with our winter coats on and our 'foggy breath' as we spoke.
It was that cold inside.
And, most days I was miserable there. Well, in the winter I was.
Eric's job at the time took him out of town from Sunday thru Friday. When he was gone, I would stay in the upstairs bedroom with the door shut. It was there I would eat, sleep and watch television.
The.coldest.place.on.earth.
Because of that condo, I was very turned off to any home with a living room open to the second floor. I wouldn't consider such a house when we moved to the town we live in now. Nope, the beautiful open floor plans with their gorgeous vaulted ceilings were dead to me. Having no part of it.
Now, enter 2008.
When God started to speak to us about selling our home and we knew pretty quickly we were going to trade houses with our prospective buyers, I had one concern.
You guessed it ....
Open floor plan with vaulted ceilings. (By the way, this picture was taken the day we looked at the house and isn't my decor at all. I know I need to take an 'after' picture to show you the difference).
I recall hearing these words from Eric AND our friends ....
"Don't worry about the heat, Deidre."
"This house is nothing like that condo."
"The condo was on stilts and only had one heating unit."
"This house has two units and is a better built home."
Okay, Okay.
Now, enter January 14, 2009 when the temperatures were an all-time low since September (when we moved in). I walked in my house at 3:00 pm and it was 64 degrees. My thermostat was set on 74. And, no there is nothing wrong with my heating unit.
Here I am sitting on the sofa waiting for Eric to get home.
That's right, my friends. I have regressed. I am back to the winter coat. Inside. I am back to feeling paralyzed with icy feet and hands. Inside.
We made a lot of compromises when we bought this home. Please do not get me wrong. It's a beautiful home, but I have had to watch myself a few times wishing I was in my old kitchen ... wishing I had my beautiful finished basement ... wishing my bedroom was near the girl's, etc. I'm a creature of habit and honestly, some things have been hard to adjust to.
I am having THE HARDEST TIME watching my tongue and saying 'curse this house and it's vaulted ceilings and it's beautiful balcony!!!!' What I want to say is, "I told you so!"
But, I'm too cold to speak.
8 comments:
Ha! Deidre, that picture of you sitting on the sofa made me laugh out loud.
Feel free to complain, my friend. We all do and having no heat (or poor heat) is cause to do so.
Stay warm - hee hee.
That is funny you are back in your coat - just like fashion - everything comes back around!!!
But I can relate... we turn our heat down while we're at work since its just the dogs in the house - the house was 55 degrees when I got home.... it is having the hardest time warming up.. (I say that as I'm sitting next to a space heater)
Stay warm!!!
Oh my gosh, that picture is so stinkin' funny!
I have to say, now that you mention it, as much as I complain about our current houses ceiling height (we left behind a vaulted one for 8 footers!), that probably explains why it is toasty warm. See, your venting helped me to appreciate the one feature of this house I can't seem to get over:-)
(Your new home does look beautiful though, and sometimes, like in shoes, looks matter more than comfort, right?)
Our first home had vaulted ceilings, but no 2nd floor. Wish I had some words of wisdom for you, but I got nothing.
Feel free to vent...I'll be complaining come summer time!
Ha! This is so funny, but I am sorry that you are freezing inside your own home. Do you at least have a fireplace???
Well - I am right there with ya! All the heat goes to the ceiling. Our heat upstairs was out from Sunday until yesterday(when we had to purchase a brand NEW unit for upstairs!) Yes, this has been the coldest week so far this winter - anyway - the good thing is heat RISES, so we were able to stay a little warm. So that is one thing to look forward too if your upstairs unit goes out.
My husband and I have just talked this week about closing off our open floor plan and adding a room over our living room.
I've never thought about that before...but makes sense.
Sorry you're cold. You need a slanket!!!!!!!!!!
I feel your pain! I love, love, love our floor plan, and our high ceilings are beautiful. HOWEVER, from November to March, I am cold all the time. By the end of the every winter, I am about ready to have a nervous breakdown from being cold. (My husband is warmer natured than I am, so he's always fine.) If we ever move, I will not buy a home with vaulted ceilings. Right now, I am considering a move to Florida just to get warm. Perhaps we could buy homes next to each other, in Florida, without vaulted ceilings!
Or, if that's too much trouble, you could buy a heated throw. I got one for Christmas, and it is helping to save my sanity!
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