I know that a large majority of Americans take home ownership for granted. But for Tammy and I, the reality is still sinking in. We’ve been married just over 10 years. I’ve been living away from my parents for over 15 years (not counting 2002… *shudder*). In all that time, we’ve lived in apartments or rented houses, never anything we could consider “ours.”

The notion that, if I really wanted to, I could paint eight-foot-tall daisies on the walls and knock some walls out to make room for a colossal slot car track and no one could stop me or kick me out for violating a lease agreement… it boggles the mind.

Then there’s flip-side: The notion that if something breaks, if the water heater explodes, if the roof falls in, it’s up to me to fix it, or pay for it to be fixed… That’s down right horrifying.

To be honest, even though I’m 35-years-old (and a half), I don’t feel like I’m really grown up enough to own my own home. The whole process of house hunting, financing, and closing went smoothly, and I understood most of it, but at the same time, it was all kind of surreal. It’s hard to put it to words, but this comic from xkcd hit the nail squarely on the head.

That’s exactly how I feel.