This was a long time coming. We were within five or six years of paying it off when we were divorced. Since the house came to me, I had to refinance. Thus began another long series of years of house payments.
When we first came to Fairbanks we lived on the Army post. At some point, about two years in, we decided to look for a house. We chose a realtor, a very nice woman named, I believe, Jan. That was the early summer of 1980.
We looked at several houses, but none really struck a chord for us. One Saturday we saw a house on the west side of town and were on our way to Badger Road to see another. As we drove down the highway, I mentioned that I liked the yellow house we were passing. The realtor told me that was the third house we were to see that day.
The Badger Road house was a trailer that had been framed in by wood. It was very dark and reminded me of my grandmother's parlor - a room we were only allowed in on Christmas. It was dark with African violets and old-fashioned furnishings.
So it was on to the little yellow house. I was captivated from the minute I walked in. The living/dining area was a large open area. The living room portion had bookshelves that lined one wall. Under the shelves was a wall-long counter (all the same wood) with cabinets underneath. Lots of storage for our books and other items.
The second bedroom had a built-in bed for our daughter with an enclosed area above that could also be used as a bunk if we removed the sliding doors. Since we had just one child, it was more storage.
Although small, the kitchen was efficient and had a nice little breakfast bar.
We closed on the house and I have been comfortable here ever since. There are so many memories, of birthdays, Christmases, great times and friends.
Two summers we filled the bed of the pickup truck with water and made a "redneck swimming pool" of it, inviting friends over for a barbecue. The kids loved it.
We've hosted friends for Thanksgiving dinners and for a couple of years, my niece and her family when they were assigned to Eielson AFB. We've had pets - Ralph the lab-shepherd mix, Peto the beagle, Ginger the cockapoo, Butch and Spike the cats, a turtle, and finally Paco the poodle mix and now Buddy the terrier mix.
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It has a large back yard and a shady front yard with a white picket fence (is THAT a cliché?). There was a huge spruce and one birch tree in the front, and we added another birch to it. In the past few years I've added a ramp to aid my mobility and the year after that a porch.
It's a great feeling to get those payments over and done. I love the house as much today as I did when we bought it.
Paying off the mortgage was a major goal toward my retirement. Now that's done I have just a couple more goals to meet and I will be able to enjoy this place all day, every day.
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