Oh my goodness, my basement IS showing…

Utah homes are known for being large because of the basements; lots of space for children and gathering. We are fortunate with our new home because we have a daylight (or walkout) basement. Unfortunately we are on a small incline and most of the town can see that side of the house which makes it look quite large. This was Mark’s favorite side but I preferred the other side with the modestly covered basement. The front is my favorite.

All of that aside, I thought it would be fun to change the subject and give some home remodel updates. Recall this project is a “remodel” because we kept a portion of a basement wall and built from there. We have kept our design to the original footprint with a few spots that “jut out” to give it character. We did not change the width of the home at all but did fill in a patio with a new front porch. Our framing, electrical and plumbing are essentially done. Hoping to move in by February. Our builders? If you are building in Utah and care about quality and integrity let me know – I am happy to recommend them.

Back to mourning – sometimes I say, “My house.” Sometimes I say, “Our house.” Sometimes I absolutely love it but sometimes it is hard to walk inside. (This is getting easier.) My favorite times are when I feel gratitude for Mark who provided this home for me. If I had died he would be grateful that I had designed the home for him. We were a good team.

With that in mind I would love to share some thought from Mark that he wrote to me in a love note:

Corinne – You are doing a fantastic job with the house design. I have total confidence in what we will achieve together.

This process has really brought us even closer together. I can see that my initial thoughts and your initial thoughts have merged and changed and melted together into “our” design.

The house will stand as a symbol of our marriage and life together. We both have changed and grown and come together into better versions of ourselves and into a united couple with the same desires and direction in life.

You may be surprised that I would send the contents of a “love note” out into cyberspace. Haha, you are not more surprised than I am… Well, that is not exactly accurate. Mark and I loved our marriage and worked on it and wanted to share what we had learned with others. Before he died Mark had begun working on a book to help men become better husbands. Unfortunately he had created only a few pages of notes – but he felt strongly about the subject and I will share them eventually. I’ll probably find that I have a lot to write…

Mark and I worked together on our house design, but the walls, windows, rooms and roof were not what was important to us. We wanted to create a comfortable place to which our children could return. We planned to open our door to friends and make oh-so-many memories. We prayed that all who entered would feel a spirit of love.

Family, friends and love – that about sums up our intentions. (A new kitchen is just a bonus.) Mark has passed but our plans remain intact. I need family, friend and love more than ever and I hope you can overlook our exposed basement and just enjoy being there!