After weeks of trying to decide whether to make another, higher, offer on the 12th Street house in Bend, we’ve decided to go for it. It is twice the size of anything we’ve lived in for decades and I’m just in love with the mountain view. Also, they are softening on the price some, what with the worsening economy and tanking real estate market here in Central Oregon. We’ll take on all the hassles, stress and financial pressure in order to buy this home. We realize we’ll have to give up the idea of any travel for then next few years and that we’ll need to commit to a solid 40+-hour work week. It is also quite likely that we’ll sell the ranch because we’ll need to furnish our new home, put in a hot tub, landscaping (I want a cool water fountain) and completely remodel it. With enough money it could be a really lavish home in a great location. Besides, two of our automobiles have more than 200,000 miles on them and with extra money from selling the ranch we could buy brand new cars too.
The main reason for this decision is that we just can’t pass up the investment. Sure, we give up some freedom and adventure and happiness now, but it 10 or 20 years we’ll be millionaires. We can quit work all together and have lots of time AND money. Bob is still a bit testy about it and not completely onboard, but he’ll come around. His argument is: so what if we’ll be rich in 20 years, we’ll also be too old to take 3-month surf trips to Africa or do much of anything truly physical, and although we will indeed have plenty of free time he fears we’ll have wasted the best years of our lives working to pay for a nice, big house in the city. He also points out that in 10 or 20 years the world may be changed so much with pollution, war, famine, and disease that we may not want to–or be able to–travel much anyway, and then what do we do with a million dollars. We don’t have children; we don’t have any obligations to leave wealth and material goods to anyone, and what if we die in 10 years, or 20. Then what was all the sacrifice for?
I responded that if we can’t travel, for whatever reasons, I was sure I could figure out how to spend a ton of money on any number of material items. I explained to him that I’m tired of being poor and seeing all my friends and family buy new clothes, fancy cars, and big houses with huge TV’s. I’m ready to give up our freedom and exciting, fulfilling “Outside The Box, lifestyle in order to keep up with the Joneses. I want some comfort and luxury for a change. I told Bob that I was going to write this journal entry on April 1, and see if I could get a rise out of anyone. April Fools!! (Did I fool you?)