For the past two years, my fiancé Will and I have dreamed of living in a more permanent space that truly felt like a home. We’d window shop at home goods stores, send one another photos on Instagram, and rip out magazine pages that featured rooms we loved.

When we first moved in together, we combined most of our individual furniture and belongings. It felt like a mishmash of our former lives, but it did the trick.

 

LETTING OURSELVES DREAM

In many ways, building a more "adult" home and shared space together felt like a far-off fantasy.

Still, we would dream. And dream some more. Eventually, as we got more into visualizing together, we started talking about our dream as if it already existed.

We explored what it would feel like as the breeze from the balcony floated into the bedroom on a Saturday morning.

How fun it was to have friends over and fire up the grill as we cooked for them.

How professional and successful we felt in our very own office space.

How energized we were in our bright and airy living room.

How lively and playful we felt cooking and listening to music in our kitchen.

How relaxing it was to sit and chat over coffee in our breakfast nook every morning.

We really let ourselves go there, which wasn’t always easy when we didn’t know details like “how” or “when” this would all happen.

At times it was challenging to dream. My mind came up with stories about how it’s too financially stressful to be in a bigger space when you run your own business and your income fluctuates month-to-month. I had to really work with and manage my own mindset around money and what’s possible in order to keep dreaming – which, by the way, was SO worth it! As I type this I am IN that bright, airy living room I mentioned above :)

 

DECLARING WHAT WE WANTED

Together we agreed that we would stick out our old setup as long as we could, and whenever one of us truly felt ready to take the leap and move to a bigger, more permanent space, we’d be all in, no questions asked.

And then, on a quiet Tuesday evening walk around our (now-former!) neighborhood, we started talking about the power of declaring what we want. And Will said, “I’m ready to move.”

What happened next felt nothing short of magical!

 

THE SEARCH BEGINS

For the remainder of our walk, we went back and forth, listing out all of the features we’d love in our new space and (again) how we wanted to feel in it. Features like: a white kitchen, a balcony you can access from the living room and the master bedroom, a killer view, a fireplace, 2 levels or an upper-level unit, amazing lighting, walk-in closets, etc. And then the feelings: peace, joy, vitality, calm, and somewhere that felt like a true sanctuary.

By this point, we’d spent so much time fantasizing that we pretty much had all of this ready to go!

So we go home, hop on Zillow, and begin our search at that sweet spot of knowing how we wanted to feel, clarity around what we were looking for, AND (this is key) truly open minds about what we might find.

 

KEEPING AN OPEN MIND

Staying open led us to looking in an area we hadn’t considered before, but one that seemed like a hidden gem and was very convenient for Will’s commute. Within an hour, we’d found a beautiful community with great reviews.

We arranged a tour the next morning, trusted our gut instincts of how right it immediately felt, and within 20 hours of our decision to move we’d found our new place!

I had never experienced anything remotely this easy and seamless when looking for housing before! It had always been a long, tiring, rollercoaster of a process.

The idea that something this traditionally stressful could unfold with this much grace opened my eyes even more to the truth that it is always possible to invite more ease into any process.

 

LETTING LIFE SURPRISE US

Throughout the weeks leading up to our move, a series of serendipitous events continued to unfold. We’d hoped Will’s Dad could stop by the space to assess the layout and help us decide on which furniture we’d need. He just so happened to swing by one day as the previous residents were moving out – and they let him peek in to scope the space! The timing could not have been more perfect.

Then, my two best friends from Maryland visited us in San Diego and I wanted to show them our new area too. The night before we drove over, I pictured us arriving at the space with the door wide open, and a friendly crew working on renovations inside. I shared this vision with my friends on our way over, and – to everyone’s surprise and delight! – it came to life before our eyes. We were able to tour the space together and meet the amazingly efficient and hardworking people who were updating our space.

Here we are that morning right outside our new front door and out on our balcony. I love the rainbow arc of light streaming across us in the first photo. It looks just as magical as that morning felt!

The whole experience of dreaming up our future home, finding it so quickly, and witnessing a number of moving pieces fall into place reminds me of the power of declaring what you want and residing in a state of hopeful expectation.

It’s not easy to stay in that space. Our minds love to remind us of all of the obstacles and logical reasons why we can’t get what we want or why we’re so far away.

Yet if we’re willing to let go of those thoughts, lean into our desires, clarify how we want to feel, and let life surprise us, we open ourselves up to miracles unfolding right before our very eyes!

 

To miracles,

P.S. Is there something you’ve been secretly dreaming about or wanting, but have been afraid to admit (even to yourself)? Consider this your invitation to acknowledge it, declare it, and imagine what life would be like if you had it!

If you’re feeling ready to claim what you want, I’d love to hear what it is! Comment below and let me know what is on its way to you!