Ten Years And Counting.

Ten years ago yesterday we collected the keys from the solicitors office in Inverness, then drove out to this house ready to begin our new adventure. It was the end of a very stressful time thanks to problems with the sale of our previous house. We walked around the garden first before we entered the house, wanting to savor the moment.
I remember that day so clearly, but two things really stick in my mind, the yellow daffs at the front of the house were still in bloom despite it being late April and I remember thinking and saying to DH.... "I can't believe we own this".

Congratulations on your 10 anniv!

You made me cry. I love the image of the walk in the garden and how you specifically remember the daffodils.
And I totally relate to how it is a whole year in the making! Not a one day thing.
Congratulations on your anniversary!!!!! And on your love for your house and business.

Wonderful!! Congrats to you both.
It is memorable - the day after Thanksgiving 2013 was 19 years anniversary for this house. It is a total thrill to be able to say - THIS is ours! May you enjoy many, many more years there.

Shall I ask? Who carried who over the threshold.
And before you ask, we are both too big to even contemplate that.. instead as with my family tradition, we entered with bread and salt.

Jon Sable said:

Shall I ask? Who carried who over the threshold.
And before you ask, we are both too big to even contemplate that.. instead as with my family tradition, we entered with bread and salt..

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With us, even then when he was crutchless, DH could not pick up anyone bigger than a toddler. Even when we got married, picking ME up was out of the question. Sigh!

Jon Sable said:

Shall I ask? Who carried who over the threshold.
And before you ask, we are both too big to even contemplate that.. instead as with my family tradition, we entered with bread and salt..

Click to expand...

Jon Sable said:

Shall I ask? Who carried who over the threshold.
And before you ask, we are both too big to even contemplate that.. instead as with my family tradition, we entered with bread and salt.

Click to expand...

I would like to have been a fly on the wall if you DID attempt that!

Congratulations HJ, and give DH a hug from us too, that is remarkable, you are stellar innkeepers! You have innspired me with your thoughtfulness, your outdoor photography and more. You never know whose life you will touch.
I have to admit I even love your bad guest stories and funny events like chaos in the kitchen. A milestone worthy of celebrating!

Joey Bloggs said:

Jon Sable said:

Shall I ask? Who carried who over the threshold.
And before you ask, we are both too big to even contemplate that.. instead as with my family tradition, we entered with bread and salt..

Click to expand...

Jon Sable said:

Shall I ask? Who carried who over the threshold.
And before you ask, we are both too big to even contemplate that.. instead as with my family tradition, we entered with bread and salt.

Click to expand...

I would like to have been a fly on the wall if you DID attempt that!
.

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And the doctor to repair my hernia?

Congrats! And what a lovely memory. Thanks for sharing!

Sweet! Congrats!
You know what I said? What have YOU done???

you are lucky to have that memory - frankly my first month at least is a complete blur!
My friend Bev's memory is Lillian (PO) chucking the keys at her as she ran out of the door!

It is wonderful that you still appreciate those first moments and hold their memory dear. We first saw this house just a bit over 26 years ago with the same kind of amazement and daffodils in bloom. We weren't looking for a house but we got so emotional over the beautiful location that we made a full price offer within 30 minutes and sealed the deal. There has not been one second of regret, even though we work out butts off to keep this place going!
Congratulations on many levels. If your relationship has survived inn keeping for that long you are in it for the long haul!

Silverspoon said:

It is wonderful that you still appreciate those first moments and hold their memory dear. We first saw this house just a bit over 26 years ago with the same kind of amazement and daffodils in bloom. We weren't looking for a house but we got so emotional over the beautiful location that we made a full price offer within 30 minutes and sealed the deal. There has not been one second of regret, even though we work out butts off to keep this place going!
Congratulations on many levels. If your relationship has survived inn keeping for that long you are in it for the long haul!

.

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Silverspoon said:

It is wonderful that you still appreciate those first moments and hold their memory dear. We first saw this house just a bit over 26 years ago with the same kind of amazement and daffodils in bloom. We weren't looking for a house but we got so emotional over the beautiful location that we made a full price offer within 30 minutes and sealed the deal. There has not been one second of regret, even though we work out butts off to keep this place going!
Congratulations on many levels. If your relationship has survived inn keeping for that long you are in it for the long haul!

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May I ask for your prauers that the same strong emotional connection hits someone looking to buy our B&B.
I am so happy for those who look IN SEASON with the lawn green, the flowers blooming and everything happy. We had some look in winter and it was like "Why bother!" the place looks dark dreary and not anything like it does today, right now. We have an amazing curb appeal, and THAT is what I want to sell them, to clinch the deal!

Awesome!

Our first weeks were very stressful (mind you have you ever met anyone who says any move is a smooth ride?)
We had set our house to be rented out for 2 weeks after the move - basement we were supposed to move into still wasn't finished so we had to move in to my parents house with no stuff as all packed up. DH was working full time and no help - so I did full time plus all the packing and sorting
Just got moved in, in the coldest winter we have had in a long time while the builders were still finishing up and all the pipes froze and burst.
Then the sewer disconnected itself from the mains and poured raw sewage directly into our flat through the wall.
All while trying to find our feet, decipher PO's lunatic booking system which kept popping up people we weren't expecting or alternatively they didn't show and no contact details
Plus being freezing cold because DH didn't listen to me about shutting and locking the windows (they are very heavy units) so they crept open so we had our windows open all winter! (blinds were over them)
and the boiler packed in twice for 2 different reasons
You just couldn't make it up!

And so it goes.. .. another happy keeper.... our tenth year approaches as well. Last trip to Scotland did not include the highlands, but our next trip will. Perhaps we will meet someday.
Congratulations!

Joey Bloggs said:

Silverspoon said:

It is wonderful that you still appreciate those first moments and hold their memory dear. We first saw this house just a bit over 26 years ago with the same kind of amazement and daffodils in bloom. We weren't looking for a house but we got so emotional over the beautiful location that we made a full price offer within 30 minutes and sealed the deal. There has not been one second of regret, even though we work out butts off to keep this place going!
Congratulations on many levels. If your relationship has survived inn keeping for that long you are in it for the long haul!

.

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Silverspoon said:

It is wonderful that you still appreciate those first moments and hold their memory dear. We first saw this house just a bit over 26 years ago with the same kind of amazement and daffodils in bloom. We weren't looking for a house but we got so emotional over the beautiful location that we made a full price offer within 30 minutes and sealed the deal. There has not been one second of regret, even though we work out butts off to keep this place going!
Congratulations on many levels. If your relationship has survived inn keeping for that long you are in it for the long haul!

Click to expand...

May I ask for your prauers that the same strong emotional connection hits someone looking to buy our B&B.
I am so happy for those who look IN SEASON with the lawn green, the flowers blooming and everything happy. We had some look in winter and it was like "Why bother!" the place looks dark dreary and not anything like it does today, right now. We have an amazing curb appeal, and THAT is what I want to sell them, to clinch the deal!
.

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JB, hang in there girl. Your place is beautiful...it just takes the right one (with some resources) to see it! It was a whole lot easier to get $ in 1988 than it is now, and we bought it as a home, not a business. The business was born because we bought it so fast that we never figured out how we would make enough money to renovate the house AND live here. Were we stupid?.....or wicked lucky?
Disclaimer: I do not recommend that any wanna be inn keepers go into business as impulsively as we did.

I'll add my congratulations too. I bet the past 10 years have gone by very quickly for you. My 7 years have flown by.