A Whole New World

Domesticity is not all throw pillows and fancy rugs and movie nights and home-baked cookies.

Vulnerable tree crotches. Missing chimney dampers. Buying towels to match the wallpaper and a soap dish to match the towels.

These were things I’d never even heard of – much less considered – on the day my man proposed. But we’ve been homeowners for three months now, and I’ve realized I’m as awestruck (dumbstruck) as the princess in Aladdin about the fact that our domestic life has begun, that we’re in charge of it, and that I’ve nearly mastered backing my Corolla into our carport. It’s a whole new world! Moving in together, living in this neighborhood where we don’t quite fit in yet, deciding who loads the dishwasher and who deals with the whacked-out German washing machine… every day we learn something new or figure out a new way to do something or maybe try to unpack a box (or just lug stuff from one room to another). And in between the “ordinary” days we’ve had a few extraordinary days that have become the heart of what I've come to think of as pledging a homeowner's fraternity. It’s true; we’ve endured our fair share of hazing so far, but dude, it’s like, totally worth it. We love our house, and everyone knows that being beaten down together creates an unbreakable bond between people. So it has to be a good way to start our life together. Right? Well, at least we've got some good stories to tell.

So that's my plan -- to chronicle some of our experiences as first-time homeowners, as newlyweds, and as the newbies on Woodward Way – be these experiences wayward or just plain Woodward. That is, if our Hummer-driving, Nantucket-vacationing neighbors and the squirrels agree to let us stay.