Once Upon A House...

My apologies for the sudden lack of posts and for not answering emails the past couple of weeks (at least!). I've decided to share what's been happening for me and mine in the hopes that others having difficulties will be encouraged that they are not alone. So here's the most personal post I've written for Once Upon A Blog so far...

I have houses on the brain.

You see, to put it bluntly, we are losing ours. I almost wrote 'home', but in the days since finding out that this was not only a possibility but an actuality it's become very clear that home will be wherever my little family ends up. It's not dependent on a building or a location, or even our 'stuff'. As long as we're together, we will be Home and everything will be OK.Everyone knows the economy in the US is in a terrible state but it's not till it starts affecting people you know (and your own family) that you realize how widespread it is. We've known the possibility of moving was there for a while but facing it, especially under these circumstances (which are complicated and personal) as the 'thing that has to happen' was shocking - devastating even. Once we started talking about the difficulties we've been having though, lots of people began to confess they were in hardship too. And I do mean LOTS. All the secrecy, shame, the hiding heads in the sand and the fear are contributing to people not learning what they should about their situation and what their options truly are. This is the main reason I want to share. No matter where you are in your troubles with finances, jobs (and the lack of them) and housing, you always have a choice.

This is one of the very important lessons I've learned from fairy tales. Bad things happen. Sometimes it's your fault, sometimes it isn't. No matter what, you DO have choices. Maybe they're not nice choices or easy choices BUT it's empowering to actively choose, instead of just having everything happen to you.

For us, the choice has been to proceed with what's called a "short sale". It's not what we wanted but we believe it's our best option at this juncture. It's tricky with banks changing the rules every few weeks (and incredibly frustrating when you've been trying to negotiate a loan modification for over half a year) but being active in what happens to us in the future makes us feel less like victims and more like we're managing a bad situation for a better outcome. Knowing we are doing everything we can to put things right means we can move forward with fewer regrets and reduce our chances of ever being in this situation again.I will continue to post at Once Upon A Blog when I can during these challenges but please forgive the lack of daily fairy tale news until the changes are complete and the dust settles.

To all those facing trouble of all kinds, hang in there. You're not alone. We're right there with you and we're determined to make it out the other side. Yes, we're trudging through a very dark part of the woods and yes, there most definitely are wolves (they come in all shapes and sizes). The worry continues and the stress is high (we are human after all) but we now know there's a way through and that there's a 'they lived happily' in our future to look forward to.

Sincerely,
Gypsy

PS The fun pictures in this post are from a Photoshop challenge called Bizarrchitecture, by Worth 1000. You can see these and lots more fun, fantasy houses HERE (you'll need to scroll down past the welcome at the top of the page).

Fairy Tale Bridge on 'Terror Trail' in China

Sometimes you have to risk a little for a worthwhile thing. On this incredibly scary-looking trail (which is certainly not for the faint-of-heart tourist), the rewards are the incredible views and a gorgeous bridge while the risk is... real. Everything could be straight out of a classic tale, leaving you breathless - both from wonder and terror. I find the juxtaposition perfect for a fairy tale.

The location: Yellow Mountain, China - a World Heritage Site since 1990.

The Fairy Tale Bridge

A few of the 76 peaks in the mountain range
& part of the trail

The famous "Sea of Clouds"

If you've never seen photos of this location before yet it seems familiar it's probably because the mountain range has been a popular subject for painters for centuries. It's not hard to see why.

The article on the trail, which shows and describes what the experience is like for those brave enough to try, is HERE.

Fairy Tale Treehouses

There's a Scottish company called "Treasured Dreams" that builds tree houses and retreats that are the stuff of storybooks and wishful thinking. Designed by Gordon Brown, these treehouses are not (just) for kids but are functional spaces to escape to and entertain in (for a price of course).

From their website:

After a severe lighting strike destroyed the largest limb of a 500 year old Cedar tree, the owner was looking for an interesting way to fill the sizeable gap that remained. Our solution was to create a stunning and unique structure that could be used as a fantasy Treehouse for children, but which could also keep the adults thoroughly entertained.

Standing at the end of a long driveway on a grand Scottish estate in Fife, this imposing Treehouse stands at over 45 feet tall, with the large natural Cedar shingle roof blending in not only with it's surroundings, but also with the copper clad fairytale turrets.

Sunlight streams through the stained glass windows and doors - the top floor being a secluded space reached by a ladder making it an ideal place for an exciting sleepover.

Across a suspended bridge sits a large treedeck under the shelter of an attractive Copper beech.

The company has just put out a book on (their) tree houses in the UK and been profiled on the Scottish BBC news.
From the History tab on their blog:

Many famous people have built Treehouses; John Lennon had one overlooking Strawberry Fields Orphanage and Winston Churchill constructed a Treehouse twenty feet up a Lime Tree at his home.

There are many more interesting tree house facts to read on the blog, showing just how fabulous an idea people, through many ages, have considered tree houses to be.

‘Treehouses seem to fascinate everyone, children think they’re a makebelieve land, men view them as adventurous and women as romantic."

"Treasured Dreams" has just expanded, opening a Southern office in Birmingham and also into another niche market: making 'Escape Lodges' for hotels. While not as lofty, are treasured retreats now highly sought after by couples for a romantic getaway.

I just wish they were local...NOTE: Gordon Brown and his Treehouses are also on Twitter. You can read his updates and follow him here.