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a blog by Laura O'Rourke

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Chicken Coops and Other Homes

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I tell people I haven’t moved much in my life, but that is not exactly true.

The true part is that I haven’t moved permanent  addresses very much. I’ve lived in four homes (all in the same small West Michigan city) my entire life, and one I was too young to really remember, let alone get any mail delivered to me there.

But I have moved temporary addresses at least five times.  That time in my life is called COLLEGE.

I lived in the dorms for two years, so that was two moves. While moving into the dorms isn’t like moving homes, it was a big deal to me at the time.

Since I only really remember living in one house my whole life, and also considering that I am somewhat of a homebody who has always preferred to come home at 3am rather than spend the night somewhere that wasn’t my own bed, moving into a dorm with someone I barely knew when I was 18 was, to say the least, terrifying.

I got to move a week before everyone else since I was at marching band camp (which I didn’t even finish because I decided not to try out once I found out that they learned a new show for every home game. Um. no). While I was at colorguard try-outs, my parents went to work in my room.  They bought and put down blue carpet (just like my room at home) and put together most of my things and tried to arrange them similarly to what my room at home looked like.

Even though I loved the effort, moving to college (which was only an hour-drive away from my parents’ house) was traumatic for me. A MUCH-NEEDED trauma, but a trauma nonetheless.

The following year was not traumatic at all and I couldn’t wait to get all my stuff into my new dorm room and shove my parents out the door. After they bought me dinner, of course.

During my sophomore year, four other girls and I decided the best course of action would be to get a house together the following year and stop moving home for the summer.  This was great until we moved in and our bedrooms were all furnished (we had lived in dorms, after all), but no one had stuff for a kitchen or living room.  So we sat on folding chairs until someone’s parents or aunt or grandma felt sorry enough for us to donate a couch here, a chair there, and a TV.

We made it through the year, but then some of the girls started to graduate. The remaining three of us found different apartments, all with different move in dates. Plus we had to divide up the crap furniture that no one wanted to take with them.

I lived in apartments for two years before graduating and moving back to my hometown where I only lasted 2 months living back with my parents before we mutually decided I needed my own place.

I then moved into the tiniest house you have ever seen in your life. It was the size of a postage stamp. Actually, it was the size of two chicken coops pushed together…because that is what it started out as over 100 years previous to my moving in.

The house was owned by (and next-door to) my grandparents. As my dad, grandpa, and I did a bunch of “fix ups” (meaning cleaning the carpet a zillion times because the previous renter had lived there for 1.23 zillion years, smoked like a chimney, and had a barfing cat, and repainting ALL THE THINGS), my grandpa told me of some ancient aunt who had to come move to the farm, so his grandfather had pushed two chicken coops together and called it good.

I was not the proud renter of what we still call The Chicken Coop.

After four years of living there, my husband (then my fiance), decided we needed a real house.  When moving day came, we took a truck/trailer full of furniture and boxes to our new home.  My grandpa helped and claimed that it was a LOT of stuff I was moving.

He thought that one load was it.

Oh boy was he wrong.

I somehow crammed four truck/trailer loads of stuff into a house the size of a peanut.

And my new house still seemed so big and empty.

Now eight-and-a-half years and two kids later, this BIG house feels a bit small and cramped.  There is no doubt in my mind that another move is imminent.

But I am also fairly certain it will be my last move.

Our current home

Our current home

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Comments

  1. It is so true that we can cram many, many things into small spaces and then manage to grow into each of those. This also made me a little nostalgic for all of my silly college moves around town, worried about dividing plastic toothbrush holders that could be replaced for $1.99 at Target :)
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  2. I clearly have no concept of what chicken coops look like, because I am having a really hilarious time imagining you living in two chicken coops. It sounds… cozy?

    Your house now is SO cute! :)

    Thanks so much for being here today, Katie!
    Laura O’Rourke recently posted..Writing HomeMy Profile

  3. I lived in a 400 square foot studio apartment for over a year, with one cat, then two. I loved my tiny little place, with its teeny bathroom and a kitchenette. I managed to fit in a queen-sized bed, two-seater couch, coffee table, TV cabinet, desk and armchair, a three-door closet and a tiny book shelf.

    Do you have pictures of the Chicken Coop? :)
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    • I probably have pictures somewhere…not digital, so I’d have to dig them up and scan them in. It was…tiny. I”m not sure of the actual size, but I am SURE it wasn’t bigger than 400 sq ft. I did love being there with just my cat, but I was ready for the move once Cort and I were engaged :)
      Katie Sluiter recently posted..Chicken Coops and Other HomesMy Profile

  4. Love this story – especially the chicken coops! Impressive that you fit that much stuff in there.
    I have moved more times than I can count, including two trans-atlantik moves… the most interesting place I lived in was in a walk-in closet, though (true story).
    When we did our last trans-atlantik move I said it was my last one, that was 5 years ago. Well, the itch is there again and I think there may just be one more move on the horizon.
    Can’t wait to follow your moving adevntures!
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  6. I have lived in some small spaces, and when I move to a larger space I always feel the luxury – more space! more cupboards! – and then am quickly dismayed by how quickly we fill it up. (Part of that is because of a lack of editing on my part, though!) :)
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  10. I haven’t moved that much either. A few times in the same town/area where my family has always lived and than the major move across the ocean… But we’ve been in this home for almost 12 years now and so far no move is on the horizon even though we always look at homes and dream. :)
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  12. I did a lot of moving around in my younger days too! College dorms and boyfriend’s apartments. I never changed my permanent address from my mom’s although I had lived in lots of places. I am just about to move again, and it’s a downsize. I’m not taking anything with me. Although I must say it’s a bit daunting to see how much stuff we crammed into this house over the past 10 years. I had no idea or I would have begun the clean out sooner!

  13. I have lived in small spaces most of my life. Its crazy all the stuff you can accumulate in a small space. Before kids my husband and I lived in a closet in NY. Yes, really. It was one room, one window, one sink, mattress on the floor and a dresser. We were happy little clams I have to say. But there is only a certain amount of time I can share a bathroom and shower with the rest of the neighbors on the floor. Yuck!
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