The mortgage crisis occurred in 2008, once again confirming that we had paid too much for our Decatur home and resale would continue to be impossible. Rental would help cash flow but a broken water pipe flooded the walk-out level in the midst of winter. We had moved to Austin in May, but came back to the Midwest during the Holidays where we discovered this disaster. It was not the only time we had a water issue in this albatross that we once called home. Our Austin residence was a Congress Street apartment provided by the company. Eventually, we would pay for two more apartments, still hoping for a sale back in Illinois that would enable us to buy.

The Decatur property continued to be an issue for 13 more years, even though the half-price sale occurred in 2012. The home we bought in Florida a year ago has already increased in value more than that painful loss thankfully. It will hopefully be our last real estate investment in this lifetime. I’ve certainly learned some difficult lessons, considering all the bad deals I’ve made. Maybe I’ll be better prepared for the next time around, if there is one?

We’re two days from departure to Singer Island and the celebration of our 21st anniversary. I’m only 6-years away from breaking my previous marital record, as many of my peers are looking at 50-years together. This was the case with our weekend guests and the couple we’ll meet soon on the Atlantic coast. As for the two of us, we’ve reserved Flagler’s Steakhouse at The Breakers for our poem reading and toast to love.