MidReal Story
Dream Home: A Family's Journey
Scenario: michael and denise find the home of their dreams and move in together, they start a family and go to the kennel to adopt a dog
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The realtor couldn’t be there to let me in because she was busy showing the house I’d bought to another couple, but I had the key and permission to look around, so that was what I was doing.
With my heart pounding in my chest, I unlocked the door and stepped inside, my eyes wide as I took in the scene before me.
The first time I saw our house, I knew it was the one.
It was a little older than some of the others we’d looked at, but it was in great shape and had been well taken care of.
I’d only seen the house once before, and that had been several weeks ago, so I was worried that maybe I was imagining things.
The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful, with lots of trees and a park nearby.
Maybe it wasn’t as nice as I remembered.
I could picture myself living there, mowing the lawn on Saturday mornings and grilling out on the back deck in the evenings.
Or maybe I’d missed something important the first time around.
But as soon as I walked inside, all my fears were put to rest.
I could see myself raising a family there.
I knew Denise would love it too.
The house was even more beautiful than I remembered.
The hardwood floors shone under the bright sunlight streaming through the windows and the open floor plan of the living room and kitchen was warm and inviting.
She’d been so patient with me as we looked at house after house, waiting for me to get that feeling that this was the one.
I’d almost given up hope that I ever would, but then we found this place and I knew right away that it was meant to be our home.
I knew immediately that this was going to be the perfect place for us to start our new life together.
I took a deep breath and let myself relax slightly as I stepped farther into the room and looked around.
We put in an offer that same day and it was accepted.
The realtor had told me the house would be empty, but she’d left some furniture behind so potential buyers could get an idea of what it would look like when it was fully furnished.
Now here we were, moving in together for the first time as husband and wife.
It felt like a dream come true.
I didn’t mind though.
I was planning to buy new furniture anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.
I wiped my hands on the legs of my jeans and met her at the front door where she stood, surveying the scene.
A big grin broke out across her face as she looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
I just wanted to make sure everything was in good condition and that nothing had been damaged since I’d last seen it.
The last thing I wanted was to show up on moving day and find out that half of the windows had been broken or the pipes were leaking or any of a hundred other things that could go wrong.
"Hi," I said, leaning in to kiss her.
She wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her soft body against mine, and I breathed a sigh of contentment.
So I went slowly from room to room, examining every detail and making a list of things that needed to be fixed or updated before we moved in.
I felt like I’d been waiting for this moment forever and now that it was here, it was even better than I could have imagined.
It was all perfectly manageable, but I wanted to make sure everything was in perfect shape before we started this exciting new chapter of our lives together.
"Ready to move in to our new house?"I asked, pulling away slightly so I could see her face.
When I was satisfied that everything was in order, I headed upstairs to check out the bedrooms.
"Definitely," she said with a nod.
There were three of them, which I thought would be perfect.
"Let’s go see it."
One for us and one for each of our kids.
Denise had always wanted a big family, and even though we weren’t expecting any kids right now, I hoped we’d have lots of them eventually.
I took her hand and led her into the house that would be our home.
The first time I saw this house, I knew it was going to be mine.
And if we did, we’d need plenty of room.
I’d been searching for months, looking at property after property, but none of them had felt right.
All three bedrooms were spacious and had lots of natural light, which I knew Denise would love.
The master bedroom even had its own en suite bathroom with a huge jetted tub and a separate shower.
I saw potential in some of them, but they were either too small or too far away from town or too expensive for my budget.
But when I turned onto this street and saw this house at the end of the block, I just knew that it was going to be mine.
I smiled as I imagined soaking in the tub after a long day at work, letting the hot water relax my sore muscles.
This house was going to be perfect for us and our future family.
The outside of the house was what had first caught my eye.
It was a unique design, with a big front porch, lots of windows, and a beautiful stone exterior.
When I was finished checking out the bedrooms, I headed back downstairs to finish my tour of the house.
It was set back from the road on a large corner lot with lots of trees and a park across the street.
I stopped in the living room on my way out and looked around one last time.
It was such a cozy room, with a fireplace in one corner and a big window overlooking the backyard.
I got out of my car and walked up the sidewalk to get a closer look.
The yard was well maintained, with a lush green lawn and colorful flowers blooming in the flower beds around the porch.
The large trees that lined the street provided plenty of shade from the hot summer sun and there was a gentle breeze blowing through the leaves.
I could see the layout in my head—the couch and chairs arranged around the fireplace, the TV mounted on the wall opposite the windows.
It just felt like home to me.
I could even picture myself and Denise sitting on the couch, curled up together under a blanket and watching our favorite show.
So I went inside and made an offer that same day and now here I was, ready to move in and make this place my own.
The kitchen was right off the living room and had a big island in the center where we could eat breakfast in the mornings.
As I stood on the front porch looking out at the park across the street, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement about what the future held in store for me here.
I liked the open layout of the house and the way each room flowed easily into the next.
It was going to be a lot of work to get everything set up just right, but I didn’t mind.
It would be perfect for entertaining when we had friends over.
In fact, I was looking forward to it—at least most of it.
And there were so many cozy corners where we could curl up with a good book and a cup of tea.
This house was going to be more than just a place to live for me and Denise.
Denise would love that.
I made a mental note to buy some bookshelves for all of her books and put them in the living room.
I was sure she’d appreciate the gesture.
I was surprised when I checked my watch and saw that nearly an hour had passed since I’d arrived at the house.
I’d been so caught up in exploring that I hadn’t even realized how much time had gone by.
But now that I was finished, I was eager to get back to Denise and tell her everything.
And to see what our friends thought of the place too.
I was pretty sure they were going to love it just as much as I did.
I slipped back out of the house and locked the front door behind me before heading down the sidewalk toward my car.
As I walked, I took another look around at the neighborhood.
I loved the quiet, suburban feel of it and how it was surrounded by so much natural beauty.
It was so serene compared to our old neighborhood in downtown Phoenix, and it would be perfect for us as we prepared for this next chapter in our lives together.
The park was only a few blocks away, and I could easily see us walking there with our dog every morning before work or on weekends when we wanted to get out of the house.
It would be so nice to have somewhere like that right in our backyard where we could relax and let the kids play.
I couldn’t wait for Denise and I to start making memories there together.
The house really did seem perfect for us, and I was more convinced than ever that this was where we were meant to be.
We’d been looking for so long that I’d almost given up hope of finding something that would work for us.
But now that I’d been inside the house and seen how beautiful it was, I knew in my heart that this was where we were meant to be.
And I couldn’t wait for Denise to see it too.
I gave her a tour of the house later that afternoon when she got home from work.
I walked her through each room and described my vision for what we could do with it—where we’d put the furniture, what color we’d paint the walls, how we’d make it feel like home.
She listened intently as I pointed out all of the small details that made this place perfect for us and shared in my excitement.
It was so nice to have her there with me as I explored the house; it made it feel even more like home.
And even though she wasn’t there when I first walked inside, as soon as she stepped through the door, I knew this was where we were meant to be.
She stepped out of the car and her eyes caught on mine.
There was so much emotion behind them—hope and fear and uncertainty—but most of all there was excitement.
She was excited to be there.
To see the house that I’d been so eager to show her.
The house that I knew would be our future.
And I couldn’t help but feel like her arrival at this place—this house that had spoken to me so deeply—was significant.
It felt like a turning point.
A moment of change.
A moment of recognition that we were meant to be together.
That we were meant to live here.
I watched as Denise’s eyes moved past me to the house behind me, taking in the details of the exterior as she approached.
Her lips parted in awe as she took in the view of the front porch before finally turning her eyes back to meet mine.
And as soon as I saw her expression, I knew that she felt it too.
This house wasn’t just a house.
This house was our home.
It felt like I’d been waiting forever for Denise to arrive at the house.
But now that she was here—now that we stood side by side on the sidewalk outside our front door—I realized that nothing had changed at all.
That we were exactly where we were always meant to be.
Because as I looked into her eyes and saw the same emotion mirroring mine there, I knew that we both felt it.
We both believed this was our future.
This place held so much potential for us—so much opportunity for the life we were about to start together—and from the moment Denise saw it she believed in it just as much as I did.
And that certainty only made me more sure that we belonged here—in this house, in this neighborhood, writing this next chapter of our lives together.
We stood there on the sidewalk together for a long time looking at the house in front of us.
It was a beautiful day outside.
The sun was shining and the birds were chirping.
Everything was peaceful and calm.
And even though we were only a few miles from work and the hustle and bustle of the city, it felt like we were a world away from that.
It felt like we were somewhere else entirely—a new adventure on the horizon.
And maybe we were.
Everything was so perfect that it felt almost surreal.
But as I stood there with Denise by my side looking at our future together, I knew it was real.
And I was so grateful to have her there with me as I stepped into this new chapter of my life.
Because I knew that if she was by my side, we could handle anything together.
We’d been through so much over the last few years.
So many ups and downs.
And I was so grateful that we were finally at this point again where things were looking up.
Where it felt like everything was finally coming together for us.
