If you know the story of our crazy house adventure, then you probably know that this yard was what hooked us in the first place. You see, we almost didn’t even give our house a chance. But it all came down to a tree.
We found out we may lose this tree, last week. We’re kind of devastated.
Beyond the simple notion of loving a tree, let us tell you why it means so much to us.
We had our house for sale {in a terrible market} for almost a year. If you’ve ever tried to sell your house then you know that one year of loading up our young children and two pups any time someone wanted a to see said house, is enough to drive one absolutely bonkers. Only to hear back from the latest showing that they garnered some “great paint color ideas” from our house. Someone even came back with a second showing and brought their friends, asking for sources.
People are clueless, and I wanted to punch them in the throat. It goes to show that it really is all about the market, and your house can be featured on national television and magazines but if the school and location kinda stinky… #nobodycares. True story.
We were in the middle of our self-pity, when Jamin sent me a text and said, “Let’s go to Disney.” And so we did. Four days later. Looking back, this was a classic enneagram 4 + 7 move. We were fed up and exhausted and knew we wanted to make this leap to build our business and change things for our family, but we weren’t given the chance. Fast forward a few days later, and we were exiting Rockin’ Roller Coaster when we got the call… our house was under contract. A little pixie dust, much?
It was the next day {our last one on vacay} when we were sitting on Pirates of the Caribbean when we realized we were now homeless. So we packed up, left, unpacked, and then repacked to head to Nashville and look at homes.
On the car trip up, a mere 24 hours later, all the houses we’d selected to see were off the market. Such a contrast to the market we were moving from… everything going like hotcakes. We were on vacay hangover, hangry and exhausted. And after a few duds in an afternoon of looking, were so over the stress of it all. I know. First world probs. But when you’re relocating your entire family and livelihood, and making a big leap… it’s kind of a big deal.
We were pouring over listings at lunch {after I proclaimed that Nashville sucked}, when something made me want to give this house a try. It was a simple picture in the listing of the tree with the swing out front. I’d almost dismissed it entirely because of the square footage on paper. But something about it felt nostalgic and reassuring. Something about the simple image of a little house to raise our children in was so appealing. I shared a little about it in our first post: Geronimo.
When we pulled into the drive, we fell in love.
And really, it was all because of a tree.
My dad even climbed in the tree the day we showed my parents the house once we closed, proclaiming it an excellent climbing tree. And when Papa proclaims something an excellent climbing tree, you listen.
We’ve taken so many photos around it over the last few years, it’s become kind of an icon for us.
But lately, the tree hasn’t been doing so well. It slowly dropped half it’s leaves off of half its branches this past spring, and we didn’t know why. At first we thought it was a moisture issue, and every time we asked someone who was an “expert”, they gave us a different answer.
It took us a while to find the right person but an arborist was finally able to shed some light on our situation.
The news wasn’t fantastic. We’ll be in a little bit of a wait and see, by next spring. We have our fingers crossed for a harsh winter, and then we can try a few things. But unfortunately, it’s a beetle infestation.
The problem has been there for as long as we’ve owned the house, it just didn’t show real signs of distress until this past season. So this spring we will know when we see if the seemingly dead branches, give us a few sprigs of life again.
I’ve never cared so much about a tree in my life. Tears have been shed, and the kiddos are really upset. I only thought I was distraught when Auburn’s were poisoned. #treelover #wareagleforlifeauburngrads
We really REALLY don’t want to lose this tree. You can even see it as a baby in this aerial photo of our house circa 1983. It’s the second one from the left. Interestingly enough, the other trees didn’t make it, except for the magnolia to the right, which is huge now, also. We’ll just miss it when we build the addition on the right side, and the arborist gave us tips on protecting it.
In the meantime, we’ve been planting new ones in our yard because we care about investing in our future. We even keep transplanting new trees, because our yard keeps sprouting them.
But back to the arborist, because he was so enlightening. He walked the property with us and discussed how to preserve what we have, encourage others to grow, and why said trees keep sprouting. Did you know it’s because of the birds? They eat the seeds and well, fertilize the new ones after the seeds have been eaten. A little fourth grade trivia for ya. Our kids were all, “Duh mommy. We learned that in school.”
So it’s a new tradition with our kids to help these new guys grow, along with planting new trees in our yard.
Side note: We even took a trip to San Fran this past spring, and visited a redwood forest. We brought one back with us… right now he looks like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. So we named him Charlie. We’ll be planting him outside next spring, {the arborist told us not to baby him for too long} but joke’s on the new owners fifty years from now and there’s a redwood in their yard. They’ll wonder which idiots planted one. ;} Maybe the kids will inherit the house and decorate it for Christmas. #Christmasvacationstyle
Our passion for the future and raising little citizens of the earth, is why we’re so excited to announce that Greenworks Tools is an official partner of Earth Day!
This upcoming Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22 will be the 50th anniversary.
The irony isn’t lost on us, that this will be our five year anniversary of our move to Nashville.
Every day is Earth Day at Greenworks, but they’re celebrating in big ways this year. And want to help you celebrate as well!
Over the next year, we’re asking you to join us in a challenge of “50 Acts of Greenworks”.
The goal is to complete 50 acts of green before Earth day next year. This includes simple things like: plant a tree, recycle those wine bottles, gift your father in law a battery-powered string trimmer, ride a bike to work, stop using those plastic grocery bags or at least recycle them.
You get the idea.
And if you take the challenge to participate, there will be fun little surprises along the way, as if creating a better world for our kids isn’t enough.
So please, please join us in helping spread the challenge and get your friends and neighbors involved.
Our personal goal is to rid our home of all gas lawn tools… even that riding lawn mower.
We’ve been sharing a lot about that transition already, and we truly love what we’ve found in Greenworks tools because they are truly built for the family. Lightweight and easy to operate, they allow everyone to get involved. We love using them to care for our yard, and letting our little ones pitch in.
All of their designs are corded or battery operated. That means there is no issue for people mixing gas correctly, spillages, or any of the other hassles that come with potentially overwhelming gas-powered tools. {You can read about why we think they are better here.}
Again we’re thrilled to announce their partnership with Earth Day, because it’s such a great cause!
From recycling to using less gas, caring for trees and the earth around us… we feel like this is a cause that’s important to us and we hope it is to you as well. Investing in our future generations by caring for what we have, and planning for a greener future is what we love.
Here’s to hoping our tree pulls through, caring for it in the meantime, and here’s to investing in the future ones, too.
You’ll find us this fall with our Greenworks blower make piles of leaves to enjoy as a family!
Cheers to Greenworks, and all that they do, along with the little steps we can take.
Have an inspired day!
Erica M says
I’ve been worried about this tree to!! ❤ I will cross my fingers hard!! And as for the redwood 🎄 I actually did Lol 😂 at the picture! But that’s great! Like you said something someone else can deal with in 50 yrs!! And maybe you’ve brought the redwoods to spread in TN!! 🙌
Anna says
Awe man! I’ve been watching your stories today and I know it was hard to cut the Bradford Pear but it needed to go so take heart. I hope your other tree makes it! I am the same way. Can’t wait to see more about Greenworks