This is it! Here are some of the photos we took this morning of our new home in Wasilla, about 45 minutes north of Anchorage. The property is 1.2 acres, and the house sits in the northwest corner of it, facing south. The lot is surrounded by land undeveloped since at least 1982, when the home was built, so we've got forest and wetlands all around us, with our own cul-de-sac at the western terminus of East Escondido Avenue (the "avenue" is actually a sleepy residential road). The other homes in the area are all 80s-era suburban types - definitely the swankiest neighborhood we've lived in so far. We're paying 168k, but it was just assessed at 172k, so we've already made some equity. :-)
The first thing to go will be the Smurf-blue paint. We've opted for a more tasteful light mocha color, but will keep the white trim. The interior will get a host of new colors: light and medium orange for Malcolm's room, light and medium teal for Chloe's, and an offwhite with light mocha trim for the rest. We'll replace the carpet too, as well as add a new fridge, washer/dryer, range and water heater. After that, we'll invest in Top Ramen for a while.
There's no garage, so Brandon will be busy building a carport, as well as a backyard fence. There's a large entry mudroom (a must in Alaska), and the kitchen, dining room and living room are also big. The kids will have their own rooms for the first time, complete with Cape Cod-style windows recessed into the walls, with slanting ceilings. One bathroom with shower upstairs, one with bathtub downstairs.
The front deck is huge and faces the beautiful front yard. There's a dilapidated treehouse in the front, which will be replaced with something of Brandon's cunning, but the awesome steel cable ripcord running at least 60 feet from the treehouse, across the front of the yard and into a stand of woods will certainly stay. Brandon tried it this morning, and can't wait to coax Malcolm into riding it. And for all you coming to Tuckerfest, you can rest assured we'll make good use of it at the party.
We'll both be getting new jobs in the area. Stephanie has already begun applying. Brandon is staying with the state, and will commute to Anchorage until he finds a new position. We found the preschool we'll enroll the kids in this morning, too.
Thank you everyone for all your recent warm wishes. We look forward to welcoming any and all guests (though there's no official guest room), especially as Alaska shows off it stuff with the coming of Summer.
Love,
Chloe, Malcolm, Stephanie and Brandon
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