Full disclosure--I am not grammatically correct. I am not an author. I am going to have many, many errors in the way that I write. But this blog isn't about that.
This blog is about the story of one couple that took a leap of faith and fell face first into the cold, hard concrete. However, this blog is also about how that couple persevered. How they took something horrific and made it beautiful. How they grew.
There will be tears (from me).
There will be laughs (about me).
There will be lessons (for you).
It all started six years ago. My husband (Joe) was working in a steel mill. He was destroying his body in order to support our family. He came home filthy and exhausted every day. Most days, he worked 16 hours or more. He was running on an empty tank, and he could not take it any more. So he called me while I was at work and told me he quit. He quit mediocrity. He quit 8-5. He quit exhaustion, being overworked, and being just a number. He came home and I immediately saw a difference in his eyes. He was lighter--happier--and instantly healthier.
Joe has always had a side business of home remodeling. He says that he learned how to do so much in a house because he was poor when he was younger and had to learn how to fix things. He could not afford to hire someone to fix things for him. When he quit his job at the steel mill, he decided to turn the side business into his full business. From there, Complete Home Repair and Remodeling, LLC (CHRR thanks to my brother) was born. Licensed, insured, LLC with an EIN and everything! He was the real deal. It took about two years to really get his business and his name out there, but once it was out there he was booked for months in advance! Bathroom remodels, kitchen remodels, flooring, tile--you name it, he did it. He turned houses into homes, one family at a time (CHRR motto!).
Fast forward a few years, because who has time to read all of this anyway. Joe and I are doing well. His business is great, my career is thriving, and we have aspirations to move to Florida sometime in the future. We talked about it all the time. Especially in the winter--did I mention we lived in Ohio?--so when the winters hit we longed for the warmth of the sunshine state. It was always a dream. Maybe a 5 year plan. Maybe 10. We never really set parameters on it.
Then the pandemic hit.
When people all around begin dying due to an invisible illness that is seemingly uncontrollable, you begin to look at life a little differently. Things that were "maybe one days" suddenly feel urgent. So I began looking for a job in Florida. My search did not take long before I landed in Jacksonville at a company that made me feel comfortable and right at home. Within a month we were flying down to look at homes.
For some strange reason, in the middle of this pandemic the housing market was at an all time high. We would look at houses virtually and before we even contacted our agent they were already under contract. The sense of urgency grew stronger when we physically travelled down to look at homes. After a week long search, we found a home that fit all of our needs, and from the surface looked beautiful. The neighborhood was great, the layout of the house was excellent, and the yard was perfect for what we were looking for. So we made an offer. And it was accepted.
And that is how we found the house from hell.
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