Hello, Phoenix!

Whew - what a weekend! We made it to Arizona, exhausted and so happy. The brownstone was packed and our boxes were loaded with about five minutes left to say our goodbyes to the house and take a breath before we had to leave for the airport. We're about 48 hours in and so far, I'm feeling great. Maybe it's easier to close big life chapters without those lingering goodbyes?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4592copy.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%205/Album%207/IMG_4592copy.jpg" /></div><br />We officially closed on <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/search/label/Valley%20House" target="_blank">the Valley house</a> about 15 minutes ago (HOORAY), so the renovating adventures begin bright and early tomorrow morning! Can't wait.

Hello, Phoenix!

Whew - what a weekend! We made it to Arizona, exhausted and so happy. The brownstone was packed and our boxes were loaded with about five mi...

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Goodbye, New York

Greetings from a cave of moving boxes! We are slowly but surely packing up the brownstone. The truck arrives bright and early tomorrow morning and our flight leaves in the evening. The count down has begun. I'm feeling good.<br /><br />A couple weeks ago though I was having major, major second thoughts about our move. I thought about all the growing I have done over the past almost decade while we've lived away from all our family. These years have been so good, hard and important to me. Michael, who has always been my rock, reminded me that there are lots of good, hard and important times ahead too. The next day he sent me this quote by Richard Wright. It's one of those good pieces of writing that can be about something very different, but can also speak straight to my heart and feel so very personal. I felt like this when we left Arizona, and I feel like this again as we prepare to return home:<br /><br /><i>I was leaving the South</i><br /><i>To fling myself into the unknown...</i><br /><i>I was taking a part of the South</i><br /><i>To transplant in alien soil,</i><br /><i>To see if it could grow differently,</i><br /><i>If it could drink of new and cool rains,</i><br /><i>Bend in strange winds,</i><br /><i>Respond to the warmth of other suns</i><br /><i>And, perhaps, to bloom.</i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><img alt=" photo ScreenShot2013-06-28at123049PM.png" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%205/Album%207/ScreenShot2013-06-28at123049PM.png" /></i></div><i><br /></i>Here's to another season for Jenny Komenda. Thanks, as always, for coming along for the ride. xo

Goodbye, New York

Greetings from a cave of moving boxes! We are slowly but surely packing up the brownstone. The truck arrives bright and early tomorrow morni...

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Big News

There's been some craziness in the Komenda household the past couple of weeks. It feels SO good to finally get to share some news with you all. We're leaving New York this month and moving back to Arizona.<br /><br />I'm sure you can imagine our mix of feelings about the move. I keep telling people that we're 50% devastated and 50% ecstatic. Part of me thought we would make New York our forever home. We've loved it SO much, despite it being expensive and a somewhat tricky place to raise kids. But Arizona is home for both me and Michael, so when he was offered a complete dream job a few weeks ago, we felt like we couldn't walk away. I wish we could have waited a year or two longer, but after lots of long talks, lists and contemplating, we know this is the right time for us to move and put down roots.<br /><br />This is actually a great time for me to move my business too. I've recently wrapped up a few long term projects and I think I'll probably take some time off client work for the rest of the summer while we get settled. (If you're looking for an interiors job in the Phoenix area though, I'm hiring - email me). <br /><br />And in the VERY exciting news category: We bought a house! I've been waiting eight years to say that again, and it feels so, so good. Being both a DIY blogger and a renter has been a little tricky to say the least. And now, no more landlords! Hallelujah.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4585.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%205/IMG_4585.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />We found a perfect-for-us house with lots of potential. It has just the right layout and is in a great neighborhood with really great schools and a short commute for Michael. The exterior of the house is pretty strange (especially for Arizona) with its shake roof and gingerbread mouldings. It's an understatement to say this house needs work, but that just happens to be my speciality. She'll be pretty inside and out when we're done with her. And there's at least a decent chance I'll be bringing my Dremel saw with me to the closing so there won't be any time wasted with those gingerbread details. Yuck.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4580.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%205/IMG_4580.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />Anyway, crazy right!? There are lots of high emotions about buying (and renovating) a big house, leaving New York and all our friends here, starting all over again with new jobs and new schools... but at my core, I feel peaceful about it all, which helps me feel like this is right for us. Thanks for continuing to follow along on this next chapter. Pretty weird to think this will be the fifth house I'll decorate and share with you on LGN. Hopefully there won't be another one for a good long while. :) <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4572.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%205/IMG_4572.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div>

Big News

There's been some craziness in the Komenda household the past couple of weeks. It feels SO good to finally get to share some news with y...

Read more »