Dreaming of that Final Home

Since moving out of my parents’ house, I’ve lived in seven homes in three states and two countries. I’ve had a lot of time to dream about our final home.

Most of the time when I mention the phrase “final home” to anyone outside the military, they laugh. To anyone who doesn’t move around that much, a final home seems a silly phrase. But to those who move every two or three years, this is a dream.

Just today as the weather is getting nicer, I mentioned to my husband that our final home would need to have more storage—I want somewhere to store winter blankets. The more I move, the longer my list of wants for our final home becomes.

We’ve been fortunate in the places we live—my favorite house has been our house in Germany. It had a wood-burning fireplace, which is something Chris and I have always wanted and now we sorely miss (especially in the cold temps of the North Country).

Similar to most military families, our future plans are up in the air. Plus, Chris is close to retirement (he hit 21 years in January). I’m assuming we have at least one more move in his military career. We’ve got some dreams as to where Chris’s next duty station will be, which we whisper in the dark and then immediately “go outside turn around three times and spit” (to avoid tempting “the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing,” for all my West Wing fans).

I know that when the time comes I’ll need to make concessions to my list. But for now, I’ll keep dreaming of this home with a wood-burning fireplace, wrap-around porch, a big pantry, massive storage, a finished basement, an open-floor concept, and so much more.