B Sides: An oldie but goodie

It was an exciting time in our life when we purchased our duplex -- lovingly renamed the "rockplex" -- in 2008. It was one of the biggest decisions of our lives and perhaps the most adult thing I had ever done. When we purchased the duplex, we knew it needed a lot of love and care and we spent the next 5 years doing our best to bring out it's hidden potential. We cleared out yards of overgrown plants, trees, and bushes; installed a sprinkler system; replanted grass, trees, bushes, and flowers; installed new windows; refaced and repainted the outside trim and doors; gutted and remodeled 2 bathrooms; dry-walled ceilings and walls; replaced carpet; tiled the kitchen floor; repainted cabinets and built-ins; painted every single surface in the house (including the garage, twice); installed laminate flooring; rebuilt and reconfigured the laundry "closet"; and did lots and lots of clean up. It was a labor of love.

Stuart and I sort of "grew up" in that duplex. It was where we learned that we couldn't be any more different (as evidenced by our polar approaches to remodeling) and where we learned we had more in common than we could even realize. It's where we learned to love hosting so many family and friends and lots and lots of parties and dinners. It's where Fictionist formed and grew to the point of getting national attention and record deals. It's where we struggled through infertility for many years and was also the home where we brought home our new baby. It was a wonderful, happy home filled with lots of blood, sweat, tears, and great memories.

However, after Grayson was born, we quickly felt like the walls were closing in. When you factor in all the gear that accompanies a baby, compounded with all the gear that accompanies a musician, you just don't have a lot of room left over. We knew it was time to take our next step.

We started looking for homes in late Winter of 2012 and knew right away that we wanted to find something built in the 60s. It was actually the duplex that ignited my love for mid-century architecture. I loved the clean, modern lines, and generally large living spaces. However, our search was long and stressful. Anything we seemed to find from that era was either well used and abused or snatched up by investors with all-cash offers. We started to grow a bit discouraged, thinking that we would never find the perfect home...maybe it just didn't exist. And that's just when things seem to turn around.

Megan, my Realtor and cousin, sent me a listing for a mid-century home in Springville that was quite large and also in our price range. We saw it the first day it went on the market and as soon as we walked in the door we had that "special" feeling that we had just found something remarkable. The home was in immaculate condition and literally felt like stepping into a time warp - in all the right ways. Every feature was original to the home and in working perfect order. We put in an offer within hours for a bit above asking price to ensure we wouldn't lose it, and it was accepted!

I love this home. I feel really inspired by this house and feel like potential is oozing out of every corner. While I love so much of what is already here, I know that with some money, work, and patience we can make this house the home of our dreams. (I just need $100K, which isn't too much to ask, right? :) ). Some of my favorite features include the entry way, the atrium, the back porch, and the stone work. There is a lot to love.

We moved into our new home at the beginning of August 2013. We live on a very quite and quaint street in the heart of Springville, a small town just south of Provo and about a 10-minute drive from our duplex. Most of our closest neighbors are in their 80s and are so sweet an excited to have us here. We've also met a great group of friends who have a mutual love for classic architecture and are also making the homes in our neighborhood their own. We feel fortunate to have found such a wonderful home in a great community. I now know it didn't work out with all those other homes because this is where we were supposed to be all along.