Tight Family and Rethinking the 'Burbs

 After leaving town so suddenly for a family funeral, then a week vacation in Mexico we landed back in Austin with nowhere to go.  Brother Erik kindly took us in.  

Erik lives on the east side of Austin in a new house purchased several years back.  I've never been fond of new builds as developers scrape the land of all character and mix up 4-5 layouts in a row.  They have a sterile feel and all too often they are built quickly and cheaply.  The irony that every house I've lived in originated this way is not lost on me, but after 20-30 years the trees grow and a neighborhood develops a vibe.

The Paseo house is 4 bedrooms and probably pushing 2,000 sq. ft.  We are coming from 1,500 sq. ft. and I can't believe how nice the extra room is.  The Olden family also chose wisely on the location of the neighborhood (hemmed in by Onion Creek and a State Park), and the location of the house (back of the neighborhood next to a major green space.  

The convenience of modern layout and amenities is also something I was not used to.  No oddly placed breakfast nook and undersized bathrooms.  A modern space for a modern family.  

As we think of our own house we want to buy this concept of buying new entered the conversation.  I don't know if I want to invest a lot of time developing the character of a neighborhood (or betting that it's quality will last), as opposed to buying into the vibe we want.  But the convenience is undeniable if certain criteria are met.  If the builds are quality, there is proximity to natural features (parks, creeks, etc.) and they neighbors show the same values (i.e. if grass is mowed and there are no broken down cars in the street) it's worth a shot.  

But rethinking the 'burbs wasn't the biggest learning from our two week stay at Paseo...spending time with Erik was the best part. 

Our families are so spread and even though Liz, Mark and Erik live close enough for a day trip, we usually only visit on special events.  We live day in and day out with our siblings until we leave the house, then spend the rest of our lives "catching up" on what we've been doing in 2hr sprints, competing for time.  

We all lived our normal lives while staying with Erik.  Erik worked from home during the day, then spent evenings playing disc or skating.  I have a hybrid work situation so I would come in and out throughout the week.  Kim and the kids continued to homeschool and attend classes periodically through the week.  The house was busy, but at the end of each day we would play a game together or watch disc golf without saying much.  No pressure to have "intentional conversations" to stay close...we were just close. 

I'm very grateful for Erik to take us in, and even more grateful to hang out and not just know about who he is and what he does, but be involved in it.  But a single guy can only take so much of our chaotic family, so before wearing out our welcome we moved on to San Marcos!