My town is small and quaint.
My house looks different than the other houses on the street. It has it's very own unique identity.
I want nothing to do with the #4 floor plan of the model homes (with the garage flipped to the other side) lost in a sea of cookie cutter homes stacked one on top of eachother. I see those stuccoed, spanish tile roofed homes that mimick every other house alternating in colors, and they remind of every home in every derestricted community in Florida. ACK. I can't stand the site of some beautiful piece of land that has been cleared out of all its natural vegetation for these types of neighborhoods. There are these eye sores in Atlanta as well. The stucco is replaced by brick and the spanish tiles for shingles.
My house has exposed beams and tiled floors (some rooms have wood) with radiant heat. We have a steam shower and great water pressure. My house is just big enough for my family and maybe for you if you come visit. It is a blend of vintage and old english farmhouse and spanish influences. Natural light fills every corner of my home. The colors are warm and inviting. The ceilings are high, archways separate rooms, and there is a flow from one room to another that moves like a gentle breeze. The outside is brought in. We have almost an acre of beautiful soft green grass for little toes and dog noses. There are canopied trees everywhere.
The neighbors have their own little slices of heaven down the road and my children can run wild with your children and I have the piece of mind that they are safe.
There is little noise. There is no traffic. But if I want to go buy a new pair of shoes I don't have to drive an hour to do so. I don't really mind a 20 or 30 minute commute to work (or to buy my groceries or get gas) as long as it's not sitting in traffic contemplating bodily injury to unsuspecting moron drivers who are undoubtedly holding a cell phone to their ears.
There are good schools for my children and the neighbors don't come by to witness us with their pictures of children and panda bears. Diversity is nice. High home appreciation is nice. Low cost of living is nice. But they aren't the most important. What is important is that there are parks (preferably not themed ones) nearby and the neighbors and the community pull together in times of crisis or need. I know the woman at the post office has 2 kids and she smiles. A lot. There is little pollution and low crime. There are boulders and mountains around for the boy to climb. If there happens to be a Starbucks in town, that's great too, but my hunch is that a Starbucks wouldn't thrive in 'small and quaint'.
There are four seasons. This is very important: The winters are cold and dry but not harsh. (Which basically rules out beautiful and romantic New England.) I will never leave the house if driving means 'on ice'. The summers are mild. The humidity is low. There are more sunny days then there are rainy.
If you know or have seen My Slice Of Heaven, please tell me where. Because while we can build our dream home anywhere...I just can't seem to find this place. It sure as hell isn't in Atlanta. Where the players play. And we ride on them things like every day. Big beats, hit streets, see gangsta's roamin and parties don't stop till 8 in the mornin!
