We found our home! Is it my dream home? YES! Because I have changed my definition of “dream home” and solidified what is most important to our family. Does it have a big new kitchen with an island and gorgeous range? Nope, but it has a beautiful view from the kitchen window of the ocean and enough space to host friends and all our family! Does it have lots of land like you wanted? For chickens, goats, and a garden? No, but it does have a small yard for the kids to play with their cousins, and I miiiight be able to fit a garden box somewhere! Does it have beautiful finishes and historic charm? Wellll, not quite, but it is beautiful, quirky and charming in its own way... we will make it ours and l’m excited to get started! Did you buy it? Again, no. We are renting for the long term but I’m so excited to be able to settle in with a very long term lease and to be able to stay as long as we want... until we can find something we are excited to buy in San Clemente! Feels so good to have a plan and be settled! Couldn’t you move inland and get more land, more space and a “nicer” home? Yep! But we came to the conclusion that the biggest part of our dream + moving here was raising our kids with their cousins... and that became the non-negotiable. (Even as beautiful and spacious as those homes we toured were.) We decided after many hard conversations, that having the kids move schools twice in one year wasn’t fair. They are just getting settled and loving their life here. Beach days, surfing, skating, their soccer teams... family in my kids’ daily lives comes first, my “dream home” comes second. Or third or fourth. 😆 Sometimes you need to find a way to pivot and fit what makes the most sense for your kids and family into your “dream” scenario. And for now, living minutes from family and the ocean... this is the dream. ❤️