The Perfect Match
The house that enticed us to our next chapter.
...... maybe a little behind the scenes information.
Selling the Pebble House was always the plan. Even before Brandon died. Once our kids had moved into adulthood, we hoped to sell, make enough $ to buy a condo somewhere by the ocean, maybe Kona, and enjoy the next phase of life.
Brandon's death brought uncertainty about this phase of life for me. So many changes. So much pairing down, just to live in peace.
Damon is a Saint for moving into my home. He gracefully navigated that tender environment and helped to keep our life stable and afloat while my children reached adulthood and left the nest.
We had lots of ideas about what we thought we would do if we both lived long enough to see the Pebble House sold. Motorhome living? Renting? Throwing Down Roots Again? The first two options seemed the most safe in terms of potential future pain. Oh the emotional and physical pain that comes from cleaning out and selling a sacred home is tough business.
But we also knew we would probably find joy in establishing a permanent address together. So..... tentatively we kept our eyes open and made a list of preferred wishes and things to avoid.
Wishes: Humidity, Water, Green, Quiet, Nature, Garage, No Outside Maintenance, Inside Beauty, Views, Easy Airline Access, Conservative, less $ than Pebble.
Avoid: Utah, Texas, Dry, Brown, Liberal, Busy, Noisy, Confined.
For months I've been getting Zillow lists sent to me. We've been open to many places in the South Eastern US......but Florida has always been the stand out. I tease Damon and tell him that he mentions Florida so much, I have been properly programmed :)
The truth is..... I have LOVED it each time we have gone!
So up popped a new search in my email on Thursday December 17th for Panama City Beach area. Wow! Two great options! One right on the beach and the other on a lake. Neither fit all of our Dream list criteria, but they were both good options. So good, I requested an agent in Florida contact me so I could ask some questions.
Rodney was the agent. He was super friendly and very helpful. He asked all kinds of questions about what we were looking for and sent me a list of potentials. In that list was 1512 Match Point Lane.
It was Amazing in the pictures! Near a lake! Near the ocean! A condo that looked like an elegant house! A garage! A view! A quiet gated community! A pool! A work out area! A place to ride our bikes! A screened in porch! An office space! A sewing loft! An extra space to host a guest! Beautiful bathrooms! Open family room and kitchen! Windows Galore!
We studied the listing and dug into researching the area. By Friday morning we were requesting a virtual tour. By Saturday we had booked tickets to see it in person.
We were both giddy with excitement and nervous with the fact that we could be sorely disappointed.
When we were getting on the plane Rodney sent me a text asking if we were really on our way to Florida. I can only imagine what he was thinking. I said yes we were and took a selfie of us on the plane. He replied back with a picture of himself and Megan and his dog :)
We flew into Northwest Florida Lakes Airport (ECP). It looked like it was in the middle of a dark forest. We drove the 20 minutes to town and had the brilliant idea to enjoy a What-A-Burger! Oh baby! Limited edition..... Double Green Chili Bacon Cheese Burger! Totally hit the spot! Our hotel was right on the ocean. Damon used his night camera to take a picture :)
Our appt with Rodney was at 1pm, so the next morning we took a long walk along the emerald coast. We ended up at the Russell-Fields Pier. Damon bought me a new pair of shoes..... as I had left mine back at the hotel. He's always so kind to me. We found a Star Bucks for our morning oatmeal fix and enjoyed a walk back to the hotel.
The 15 minute drive out to Wild Heron was peaceful and beautiful on a tree lined road. We pulled off near the entrance gate to wait for Rodney. First impressions were good!
We pulled up to the House and it looked even better in person! I loved the steps leading up to the front door!
The inside of the house was incredible! Immaculately kept and maintained. We took mostly videos, but here's a few pictures.
Our tour of the grounds and facilities left us in awe! So beautiful and well kept.
We spent 3 hours looking at the house and the grounds. When we realized it was 4pm we decided to head back to the pier and take some pictures. When we pulled up, the conditions looked so great ....DJ set off on a double time trot to reach the sand :)
It was the most amazing sunset. It was cold, but it was so worth it! I don't think Damon even realized it was in the 50's he was having so much fun :). After we were satisfied with the photo shoot, we walked over to the Pier Park and ordered some hot chocolate and enjoyed a nice dinner.
While we were at dinner Damon offered to take the lead on all the paper work for the property. That was so nice. It feels good to be so well taken care of.
When we got back to the hotel I laid in bed and reminisced about our wonderful day. It was a day I truly felt excited for my future! A future with Damon in a new town, in a new home. It was a day I could be so thankful for all sacrifices we'd made to work and save and plan for a future. It was my best day since the accident.
When it was my turn to sign the offer, I signed it from the comfort of the bed :) I'm really looking forward to our chapter on Match Point Lane.
The airport in the light did not disappoint! Small, new, and easy to maneuver.
Sometime on the flight I looked down and noticed some white sand in the cuff of my pants. It made me smile. Yep, this is going to be a good thing :)
