Out of the Way.

*Image above not of our new house, but so gorgeous.

Last Friday morning, Mr. Magpie and I signed three thousand and forty nine legal documents, our signatures gradually degrading to the point of chicken scratch, and at one point, the attorney guiding us through the paperwork paused, a leaflet of papers in hand, and said:

“And now this document is magic. It’s called ‘delivery,’ and the minute you sign it, you become homeowners.”

It was driving rain outside, and we were in a nondescript office, and we’d been exchanging loose and distracted pleasantries with our real estate agent and the attorney, and suddenly the scribble of our pens on paper gave way to what I am considering a reward for the last ten years of hard work, adventure, heartache, multiple stressful and botched moves, missteps, homesickness, and wandering:

A home we plan to live in for, possibly, the rest of our lives.

I write those words and I feel my shoulders relax, and my breathing deepen and slow, and something inside me unfurls. Life will undoubtedly continue to throw us curve balls. There will be dips and curves and bumps and grievances and losses. But to feel as though I am ensconced in a place I love that is close to my parents and parents-in-law, to which my children can attach all of their memories of Christmases and birthdays and crab feasts on the back patio — to not feel the imminence of leases ending or renewing, to not have the persistent question of “but what if we moved…?” on the table, to not be peering a few years down the road wondering whether we need more space — is the most enormous and delicious relief. Mr. Magpie and I realized that we have moved every two years or so since the age of 18. That’s nearly half my life spent in impermanent perches. I am ready for the long haul. I want to dig in, paper the walls, commit to harvesting tomato plants, settle.

So, yes — the paper was magic in the sense of an immediate and unanticipated conjuring of a permanent difference in my life. On the other hand, not magic: signing that flimsy paper was the result of a grueling home-buying process, hundreds of hours of searching and planning and taking weekly Friday trips down to DC and back and all of the thousands of conversations that led us to want to leave New York in the first place, not to mention a pandemic that expedited the decision-making process on the heels of ten years of living in urban places that have gradually worn us down to the point of wanting to be, in the words of Mr. Magpie last Friday night, “out of the way.” I had mentioned to my parents that I had fleetingly wondered whether we would feel disconnected after the move, transitioning from living in right-in-the-heart-of-it NYC to “a tucked-away” neighborhood outside D.C. Mr. Magpie jumped in: “We’ve been in the way too long. I’m ready to be permanently out of the way.”

I’m ready, too. So that’s where we’ll be. In a magical home we earned not-by-magic, on a cul de sac in Bethesda, MD, fifteen minutes from my parents and twenty minutes from Mr. Magpie’s, permanently out of the way.

Post Scripts.

+Lessons in house hunting.

+Our decision to move to the DC area.

+I love DC, and I also love NY.

+I shared all my favorite restaurants in NYC here.

+I leaned heavily on the picks in this post for the nine hours we spent in the car the past few days.

Shopping Break.

+This dress is nearly sold out but such a great style for easy everyday wear — my Mom ordered it and specifically mentioned how much she loves this kind of dress for after playing golf, in the evenings.

+Also love this dress for similar reason — so easy to throw on!

+A GREAT summer wedding guest shoe. Speaking of — still some fantastic scores to be had in the Matches sale, including multiple appropriate-for-wedding dresses, like this polka dot maxi ($103?!), this cheerful red mini, and this fun orange Self Portrait.

+This candle in the Montauk or Tomato Vine scent are delightful for summer. Just gave this as a hostess gift, in fact!

+Swooning over these gift enclosure cards!!!

+Such a cute everyday dress for a little one ($24!).

+Love this to throw on over a swimsuit.

+My MIL had this enormous giraffe sprinkler set up in her front yard with a sign that read: “WELCOME EMORY AND HILL” when we pulled up. How amazing is she?! (More backyard/pool toys here.)

+Shared some chic athletic finds for summer here, but two other pairs of shorts I’m eyeing for myself: these from P.E. Nation and these from On (on sale!)

+Just ordered these adorable bandaids to carry with me — my children are so rough and tumbly at the moment! Hill is literally never without scraped knees.

+A simple and attractive mirror for above-vanity in a bathroom — currently on sale.

+Have been wearing this dress a ton — love a good shirtdress.

+These $30 woven/raffia espadrilles have been tres popular since I first posted last week.

+These espadrille sandals for a little lady!!!

+Great Amazon finds.

+Designer looks for less.

+So many chic throw pillows.

+Some of the items I’m eyeing for our new home. (Even more here.)