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Last summer, Jack's grandpa was injured in an accident and is now living in a full-time rehabilitation center.  It has been very sad to see Grandpa Jack go through all of this, but we are happy to see that he is making progress and hope that he continues to recover well.

While he's been away, Jack's cousin has been living in his home taking care of it, but she recently moved back home to Arizona so we moved in to take over the responsibilities of the house.  We are grateful to be here, to have more space and to save some money...especially since we'll be spending most of Jack's loan money this summer on residency applications! 

That being said, his grandpa's home is quite dated and there are a few things we laugh about.  A tour:

The carpet come in many colors and textures, most notably the red and purple shag:

 

The wallpaper is also varied:

This geometric print wallpaper is found on the ceiling.

Even these closet doors are wallpapered.

This one reminds me of bacon.

The most frustrating part of the house is the lighting situation.  The light switches are more like buttons.  Some of them don't work at all.  Some of them have to be given just the right amount of pressure or they won't work.  Most of them are found deep inside the room, which is inconvenient when you have to stumble through the darkness to find it.

This is where we get high have fondue parties.  Or will, once we fix that little table:

Can you see the paisley wallpaper and orange bench?

There are two steps down into every room:

There is a mini green house in the kitchen.  I always thought the plants in there were fake because they always look so good.  Turns out they are not fake and some of them have been alive for nearly forty years! One of my jobs is to keep them alive, a daunting task since I've never kept a plant alive for more than a week. 

Some of the decor looks like it came straight from Ikea:

Some of the decor is very fancy:

Hannah says, "This room is way fancy like fancy Nancy."  She reminds Jackson not to play in there because it is "Papa Jack's special room."

There is a built-in desk in every room:

Hannah's favorite part of the house is that there are shoe racks in every closet. Now she can organize to her heart's delight:

Despite the things we laugh at, I think it is really neat that Jack's grandparents built the home of their dreams and enjoyed it for so many years. They constantly entertained friends and family here and made many incredible memories in this home.

Living among his grandparents' things, it is cool to learn more about them.  I can see that Jack's grandma was so passionate about many things, such as cooking, entertaining, flower arranging, gardening, and playing the violin. Not only was she passionate about these things, she was known for doing them very well.

It is also apparent that Jack's grandpa was an excellent and well-known physician, not only for his skill, innovation and knowledge but for his friendly personality. He was and is a devoted husband and father and was generous and offered service to all around him.

I wonder what things I will put in my dream home one day that my grandchildren will laugh about in 50 years?