Here’s some overdue big news: we bought a house! After a way-too-frigging-long but in-the-end-worthwhile sojourn in Plymouth, we’re back in Saint Paul, are homeowners for the first time, and are thrilled to death about it.

The house is a two-bedroom 1954 rambler, in a wonderful, kid-filled neighborhood not far from where I work. The kids are such a delight. Where we lived in Plymouth (a suburb of Minneapolis, where both Kiara and I grew up), there are rumors of children, but rare evidence that they actually exist. It’s eerie, walking around and scarcely seeing a soul. If there are kids, they’re most likely off living their overprogrammed lives. Not so where we live now: they’re all at home and outside, living their overprogrammed lives. :-) I asked a neighbor what to expect for Halloween, how much candy to buy. She showed me what she’d bought, enough to fill a tall kitchen garbage bag, and seemed nervous that it wouldn’t be enough.

That’s a lot of kids. I’m glad that Owen gets to grow up here.

I now enjoy a 15-minute walk to work instead of a 90-minute bus ride. At first I was afraid to lose out on 3+ hours reading time every day. It became clear how important that time is to me during a bus strike last year, where I drove to work nearly every day for a month and hardly read at all. I nearly went mad. However, the lack of in-commute reading has been more than made up for by the fact that I can come home for lunch and see my family — and since I’m not getting up at insane hours of the morning, I can stay up long enough after Owen’s bedtime that I can still read.

We’re very happy to be back in Saint Paul. This is where our hearts are.