New Chapter | Jesse Ann Kirby

Six years ago, Craig and I bought our first home This is a milestone we are not sure we will achieve. We lived in nine different rentals together. We lived in various apartments and houses in New York, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Rhode Island. We really wanted a place of our own and in 2017 we finally got it.

We are very excited. A space for ourselves and a yard for our dogs. We started building that house the day we moved in and almost never stopped. It took us over 4 years to transform into a space that we love.We renovated kitchenwe added decks and pergolaus An additional facility was builtwe planted a garden, We renovated the bathroom, refinish the floor,The list goes on.

To us, this feels like our forever home. This is where we raised our daughter. This is where we spent the first few months of the pandemic, when the world was in lockdown. Rhode Island is where we grew up and we think our daughter will grow up there too.

Until spring 2020. We made an offer on a house in Vermont. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we weren’t able to go see it. We had been randomly looking at houses in Vermont for a few years. We feel, if not now, then when?

Before we knew it, we bought a house in Vermont.

Are we crazy? Is this a bug? We don’t know anyone. As tourists we loved the town but didn’t know much about it (or the houses). We spent many sleepless nights wondering if we had done something we would regret.

We were very isolated that first year. Due to COVID, no one was socializing, we were newborns and we didn’t know anyone in Vermont. We worked on houses and commuted to Rhode Island. As things started to open up again, we started looking for daycare. There was an opening in Vermont and we went for it.

We spent the fall, winter, and spring in Vermont before returning to Rhode Island for the summer. We met a lot of families and made new friends. Another year has passed and as summer approaches we are not ready to leave just yet. We wanted to see family and spend some time at the beach, but Vermont is home now.

We always said we would never sell our house in Rhode Island. We love it. We put everything into making it a home we love. We also knew that if we sold, we might not be able to buy there again. I think there’s a part of us that clings to the idea of ​​“What if we change our minds?” Then in June, back in Rhode Island, things changed.

I told Craig I thought we should sell the house. He said he was thinking the same thing. I thought I would feel more emotional about it, admittedly it was a big decision but we both felt at peace.

The process went quickly and we closed before the end of the summer. As we drove away from home to return to Vermont, I was waiting to feel sad or regretful, but I just felt relieved.

It’s hard to describe what it’s like to be a Vermonter.

I share the magic of this place with anyone who will listen, but also feel protective of our little secret. I know words can never truly express how true it is. Everyone here is part of this special club in some way, and we all know how lucky we are to live in this state.

We often talk about what makes Vermont unique, most importantly the community and the people. It may not be for everyone, but for us, it’s hard to imagine being anywhere else (except during mud season, and then we all collectively commiserate).

As Vermonters we move into this next chapter, we are grateful that we took this opportunity when we thought what we had was pretty much perfect. Of course, nothing is perfect, but Vermont is pretty close.

Sharing the transformation of a Rhode Island home is a life-changing, extremely special experience. Now we are excited to do it again in Vermont!

This is a trip down memory lane of some of my favorite projects in our house in Rhode Island.