Hey guys! Do you feel like you have been in transition for this last season? Well you are not alone! A lot has been happening in the Daddio household and transitioning into our next phase of life is one of them. Transition is good, it breaks us out of our comfort zone to embrace a next phase of life sort of like a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. How we handle that transition is up to us! A family friend told us years ago learn to be thankful and content in every area of your life because you will find joy and peace once you learn to rest.

Enough about that and on to being first time home owners. We are so excited to grow our family and found the most charming house in one of our ideal locations! For those that know us we lived in an apartment, which we absolutely loved , for about about 2 ½ years. We started in a one bedroom when we were first married (625 square ft) and then moved to a 2 bedroom loft after a year because we had our baby boy T and quickly outgrew that space. We loved our apartment location because it was so close to all of our favorite places in the city for example the best grocery/market stores (WE LOVE FOOD)… Whole Foods Market, Ellwood Thompson’s, Yellow Umbrella Seafood and of course the Farmer’s Market. But as T was getting more active and starting to get into things, the need for a slightly bigger, more baby proof home was necessary. We were fortunate enough to be in a position where we were ready to buy a home, so the hunt began.

We had an idea of where we wanted to live but just needed to make sure it was in our budget. Prayer definitely directed us to where we should be positioned and what our location should be. We believe it is important not only for our family but those around us, even we don’t always see it. We narrowed our location down to Richmond as we knew it was where we were called. You can definitely get a bigger house/ property for your money outside of the city, but we stuck to our instinct and felt good about it.

We happened to be looking for house in the spring during a very HOT market, multiple offers and multiple cash offers, and everyone told us it was going to be difficult. We just don’t do negativity around here and had faith and hope for the best. In the span of about 2 months we found 2 houses we really liked, the latter being the ONE. The first was a charmer and perfect size for our family with 4 beds and 2 baths. We were able to schedule the very first walk through and were super excited, because we were most likely going to put an offer down. With several days to the showing our realtor called us saying the house had been sold! A cash offer was made on the house without ever setting foot in it. This discouraged us a little bit and felt like everyone’s negativity was creeping in. But, we kept praying.

Several weeks went by and I was on a walk with a friend in one of our favorite neighborhoods and saw a beautiful brick house for sale. We loved this charming neighborhood but just weren’t sure we would be able to afford/find a house here. We called up our realtor and scheduled a showing the next day. Once walking through the house we knew it was the one and made an offer that day for their asking price. To our surprise the house had been on the market for 11 days with two low ball offers. We received the call next day that the seller had accepted offer! We were thrilled but the closing date was going to be 2 months out. Thankfully we were able to sublease our apartment and move in with my mom.

The house was built in 1948 and was well kept so it has very good bones. The seller had to handle very minimal fixes from inspection so no big surprises $$$ for us. When we bought out house, it was definitely move in ready. However, we made the decision to redo the kitchen, add a half bath and redo the utility room (aka laundry room). Now that we know our family is growing (if you haven’t seen, I’m pregnant with baby #2 and due in April!) The kitchen is very important to us because it is where we spend 95% of our time. Some people like new cars and we like kitchens and feel like it is investment not only for the home but for us as well. We have hopes to grow our YouTube channel (The Daddio’s aka Daddio’s Kitchen) from this kitchen and share all of our favorite recipes!

The process to renovate begins with developing a plan, securing permits and hiring a contractor. All of this couldn’t be started until the closing day. Once we closed on the home Thomas increased the project list while we were waiting. The list now includes sanding, painting (everything), flooring, lighting and landscaping and who else knows what. He’s been working so hard, and I’m so impressed. He’s figured out how to do so many things on his own and as always, does it with great precision. Our hope is that we’re able to move in before the holidays and share our kitchen/food with friends and family! However, we know that schedules are not always met and wait patiently. So we are continuing to pray for a smooth and easy process.

Thomas and I will be sharing our progress and update on paint colors, furnishing, decorations, landscape and DIY’s! We are so excited to share this fun project with you all! Thank you so much for reading!

With love,

The Daddio’s