– Camille to the crew about Aaron

Hey there sweet souls, it’s Aaron here. 

I am at one of my new favorite spots in downtown Greensboro as I type this: The Borough Market, enjoying a delicious drink called The Sunset Spritz (photo included below – highly recommend). I decided to take myself on a day date today. I went to get my oil changed (how romantic, lol) and then took myself to the local book store and record store to peruse through the stacks of books and records (both of which almost all of my disposable income goes to). 

Now, I’m sitting, writing, reflecting, and sipping. A theme that comes to mind within my own journey lately is: Routines and Environments. 

Christian and I came home from the beach with family at the beginning of July and Brenda Sue Jean Jolene Louise III so graciously took Fletch, our Chiweenie, into her home while we were away. He is our “problem child” to say the least. In any case, they bonded and he did very well after the first day! We were around my niece and nephew (2 and 4 years old) and y’all know how I covet my summer vacations being away from children. These few days at the beach were different, though. We were cooking and playing games with the kids, playing video games and corn hole, eating breakfast with them, building sandcastles, and skipping stones and shells along the shore. 

When we came home, we both, for the first time in our ten year relationship, agreed that we DO want to adopt and raise a child of our own. I know, I know – hence this week’s title. I confessed this to the Woo Crew and everyone was shocked (myself included) and Camille said, “Y’all leave him alone; he’s nesting!” Lol.

In addition to that, Christian turned 30 back in May, the Gemini love of my life, and I will be 30 in December (y’all aren’t ready for Sagittarius season – I PEAK!) and so we’ve decided that we want to buy a house. We’re going into our fifth year of our careers and are currently in a rental house (that we honestly love). The location and neighborhood are PERFECT. It has a fenced in backyard for our three dogs, which they (and we) LOVE (aside from mowing in the dead-ass-middle-of-summer because, EW). However, it doesn’t have a third bedroom, which we would need when we have a child (down the road). Plus, we plan on adopting through the foster care system. We’re not bougie, rich gays who demand that one or both of our DNAs be part of the process or want to pay tens of thousands of dollars just to ensure that we can adopt a new born, etc. The child’s race, gender, and dis/ability do not matter to us. We would prefer if the child was the age of 12 or under just so we would have enough time with them growing up and in the house. However, that’s also something we’re open to negotiating on. However, we feel so AT HOME where we are right now, and have already lived there for two and a half years. We are sad at the thought of moving – especially out of Greensboro.

With the amount we got approved for, in this market, it doesn’t get you much at all. Remember, I married for love and not money, as we are BOTH public school teachers. If we wish to purchase a house within our budget and with three bedrooms, it basically needs to be COMPLETELY re-done and we would be taking on way more than we anticipated (there was literally one that we toured with our realtor that had a freaking COW… that STAYED with the house), or we would have to move waaaayyy out into the country (out of the city AND county we currently live in) and drive nearly an HOUR to work one way each day. I don’t know about y’all, but I am NOT a morning person, hunty. That just won’t do.

We found two VERY cute houses with no issues mentioned above and put in an offer on both… However, people (and in some cases, corporations which are purchasing houses to rent out at ridiculous prices to people like us who can’t seem to be able to purchase a house) out-bid us. We are offering, in one case almost $9,000 OVER the listing price, and are still being out-bid by anywhere from 10 – 20 THOUSAND over the asking price. It’s ridiculous and scary!

We didn’t get either of the houses we put in offers on, which, while we were both incredibly disappointed, we also both believe that it is Spirit letting us know that they weren’t “for us” and that we will wind up where we’re supposed to be.

The exact same afternoon we found out that we didn’t get the second house, our landlord for the house we currently rent and love, reached out to us about getting together sometime soon to discuss the possibility of us BUYING THE HOUSE! (Nothing is set in stone, but it seems to certainly be a positive sign). 

We don’t know many details yet but are open to whatever happens and feel (NOW, we didn’t in the beginning) very “in the flow.”

All of this is to say that we are ALL exactly where we’re supposed to be right now. We are performing (and hopefully enjoying) the routines and habits that we’re supposed to be in, and we’re in the environments that we’re supposed to be in for this specific moment. I am meant to be sitting here writing this right now and you’re meant to be here reading it, loved one. 

Thank you for staying through my processing and rambling.

Love to you all, care and comfort to you all, and above all – may you find peace within your routine and environment. You deserve it and are exactly where you’re supposed to be.  

Cheers,

-Aaron