An Unexpected Journey: Homeownership Edition

Welcome to the personal side of my blog here on Elf-boi.com! I honestly didn't know what I might write about here, but then the madness of this past week happened, so we have our first topic! A sudden adventure into homeownership!

For anyone who is new to the site and doesn't know me... My name is Kris, and I started making Tolkien-based content on TikTok in January of 2021. While it was a whim to begin, my experience with Tolkien's world stretches back 20 years, and I've been a content creator on YT/Twitch for a few years (mostly for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a game slated to end January 2022).

Tolkien's languages are how I met my partner, Saundra, who is now deceased. She taught me Elvish back in 2004, and that's ultimately what has led me to have a following on TikTok. I share the knowledge she shared with me. It sort of brings our relationship full circle in a way I think would make her very proud.

As a small bit of additional background, Saundra was chronically ill with Psoriatic Arthritis (among other various issues), an autoimmune disease effecting the joints with sometimes debilitating inflammation and pain. I helped care for her as her condition worsened over time, so there's a caregiving aspect of my personality that remains now that she is gone.

I've been living with my father since August 2020. The pandemic cost me my job as a massage therapist, and when I stopped working I realized just how much wear and tear it's put on my body the past 15 years. So cohabitating with my father has been an excellent way of providing him with company and the occasional bout of care (when he allows it, which is rare) while also allowing me to grieve the loss of my partner more fully and begin to build back my life on my own without having to worry about paying a formal rent.

I had expected I would live with my father for at least another year---perhaps two or three even---but fate had other plans.

My sister and her wife are both also chronically ill in different ways. A bit more functional than my partner was, to be honest, but still in need of occasional assistance when conditions flare and mental health takes a hit with extra stress. Earlier this  year, I spent time caring for my sister through mental health trials. It was an opportunity to get a bit closer, since we had lived across the country from each other for more than a decade. We talked about the possibility of eventually living closer to one another and even discussed what we thought would be the ideal situation: a house with a "mother-in-law" suite for me on the same property, or perhaps a duplex we could share.

It was fun to talk about, but we didn't take it seriously in an immediate sense, knowing I was likely to stay with my father for a few more years. But my sister contacted a realtor and casually began looking.

And then it happened. A duplex came on the market last week that ticked all our boxes and more we didn't even know we had. A 1 bedroom unit for me, a 3 bedroom unit for my sister and her wife... ample square footage, an amazing shared back yard, and all at a price the 2 of us together could afford!

To make an already long story shorter: We put in an offer, and it was accepted! So within 24 hours of this duplex hitting the market, we had an offer in, and we got it! We are currently in the inspection period. I drove several hours to see the space and be there for the main home inspections... and it looks like we're good to go. No major issues that the sellers can't easily fix before we close escrow.

I'm BEYOND EXCITED! This is NOT what I had planned for this holiday season, but I have to say I'm stoked to have my own space. This will be the first time I've lived on my own for over a decade, and the first time I'll be solely responsible for all the bills and budgeting, which is kind of bonkers for someone in their mid-30s.

And yet I won't be completely alone because my sister will be right next door. We get along really well, so it's a huge comfort. We have our own spaces, but we get to share the back yard, and if either of us needs help, we have support right beside us. It's awesome!

So watch this personal blog space for updates on my moving, especially when it comes to interior design. This is the first place I've had where I can decorate to my heart's content! No roomies, and it's not a rental unit! So there will be a TON of Tolkien-inspired artwork to show off in addition to showing me expanding my office and crafting spaces, which have all been squeezed into a single bedroom for years now.

At the very least, you'll get to enjoy my brainstorming for design, whether I'm able to buy things or not after I make the move. I have some really fun trinkets to display, though. Stuff I've never had the chance to put out! I hope you'll enjoy some of this unexpected journey with me. Keep your eyes on this space! <3

~Kris -- Resident Elf-Boi