The Smiths in 2019

2019 was a year of trying new things, full circle journeys, and incremental growth. I’m sure Hillary and I show more than 1000 houses a year (each), and it’s difficult not to get “the itch” sometimes. Our friends have dependably poked fun at our house hopping. Earlier this year, though, we found a centrally-located house we really love where we want to stay parked for the long term. In the spirit of putting down roots, we invested in solar panels, got off gasoline, and made strides toward a cheaper and more sustainable life in the long run. We’ve also learned a lot about psychology this year. After getting some good advice and direction toward dealing with ADHD in our kids, we’re now taking strides toward improvement and more stability there as well.

This year we completed our experiment joining another company and feel we’ve come back full circle again to a good permanent place owning and running our own brokerage, HomeSmith Realty. I also picked up a paintbrush for the first time in almost 20 years, and to my surprise, it IS a little like riding a bike. I also jumped into a little carpentry for the first time, building lots of staircase and decking. Although we’ve helped flipper clients for years, this year we also personally got our hands dirty more and flipped a few homes ourselves. It’s exhausting, but it provided lots of good, unique learning experiences. We made more strides in our real estate business as well, closing more homes than ever before. 

We weren’t all work and no play though. Never a year goes by when we don’t take a trip or two to Enchanted Rock, but this year for the first time in over 30 years I was able to go back to Disney World with the family. There are lots of new things there of course, but it was also amazing how much was absolutely identical to when I was five years old! On the side, I was also able to finish my last continental US state, Nebraska! Now if someone wants to send me on an Alaskan and Hawaiian cruise, I can knock out the complete set. Another fun thing is the discovery that our new neighborhood makes a big deal about Halloween, with a big party, costume contest, and more! We joined in the fun, and ALMOST had a Star Wars-themed family. Logan just HAD to be Spiderman.