hello friends! it’s been a quiet few months on the blog and before I introduce a few more new lovely married faces, i thought i’d stop in and say hi and catch you all up on my summer. i’ve been working hard behind the scenes on weddings and portraits, but my big news is that a few months ago I bought a house! some people plan their wedding from the time they’re six years old, well I have always wanted to buy and gut an older house. given the housing prices in DC, that was going to be my only option anyway! but I finally did it and I couldn’t be happier. but if things have seemed overly quiet, this is why.
i moved in a little over a month ago. the walls and ceilings are back. i have a kitchen (mostly). i have a brand spankin’ new bathroom. i finally have electricity to the entire house (this was not the case for quite a few weeks..) and have lights in the basement so that i’m no longer completely terrified by it. the whole process took a few months, and while I knew it was going to be some work, i had no idea what a time-sucker it was going to be. i never actually lifted a hammer, but when you start nearly all over, someone has to pick out everything from floor tiles to the trim moulding to the vent grilles. that person would be little ol’ me. there were days when i found myself at Home Depot four times in the span of 8 hours.
so where are the after pictures? well.. it’s still a work in progress. while everything structurally is basically done, i neglected to plan beyond the bones. it didn’t occur to me until i moved in that I didn’t even own a spoon. it’s going to take some time to get the interior decor ready to be shown off and i have an office space and a potential shooting/studio space that need some more thought and planning. and there is still plenty that needs to be worked on and learned- every day i like to perform what’s called stupid new-homeowner tricks where I display my shocking lack of common sense around the house and nearly kill myself via electrocution or mixing household chemicals that should not be mixed. most recently i discovered what a double-hung window is. i’ve never had one before.. but i couldn’t get my front window closed all the way so I’ve had a 2×4 stuck in there for the past week until yesterday someone finally told me check and see if the top window had slid down a little bit. it had.
every day i wake up in my new surroundings thrilled to be here. i’m so happy to be back in DC. I moved to a “transitional” area in Northeast and i love it. I think it’s the best kept secret and I kinda want it to stay that way. my neighbors have been here for generations dating back to the ’10′s when the houses were first built. many of my neighbors are elderly. two of my new besties live across the street and sit on the porch all day. i try to get by once a day, get my hug, and watch the world go by for at least a few minutes. the community here is really strong and i think it’s something i’ve been craving for a long time and didn’t know it. everyone knows everyone. if you want to walk around the block, be sure to set aside an hour because you’re going to stop and chat with someone you haven’t met yet. and for those who have met, there are bonfires, cookouts and game nights. i love it.
so, that’s what’s up with me. i hope you all are enjoying a fabulous summer! more to come on the blog soon. after i make just *one more* trip to home depot.. i need to buy a weed whacker to cut my grass. no one told me i’d have to cut grass.
by kim seidl
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