By Laura G. (Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley homeowner since 2017)
My name is Laura Gonzalez; I moved to the Valley in 1997 when I was thirteen and have been here since. For the past eleven years, I have worked at Edwards Elementary School as a secretary, and I love my job. I have Logan Gonzalez a 29 month old who keeps me busy every day. We moved to our new Habitat home in June 2017. Logan and I have been having so much fun together in our new place. He helps me cook and sometimes clean. Logan has his own room where he can play and make messes. We watch Blaze, Paw Patrol and Cars three times a day when we are at home without hearing “can we please watch the soccer game”. Before we moved into our new home we were living with my parents and seven of my siblings in Eagle. Yes, you heard me right seven siblings; we are actually eleven in total, but three of them have their own families and live elsewhere.
Building my own home was meaningful to me because I knew that it was a new beginning and a better future for Logan and me. I feel stable and I feel that I have the ability to succeed in life. I feel proud that I can walk around my home and discover everything I built or worked on. It means a lot to me that every time I open the door I see the tile I worked on and the great job I did with the help of Makenzie. I feel that every blister, nail, hole, splinter and bruise were worth my time and dedication.
Building my home with my own family and close friends is a way to remember that you can count on them for anything, and know that they will always be there to support you, and care for you. Working with my family taught me that your home has more value if you built it than if you actually buy it built.
I hope the Habitat families that are building their homes now enjoy the time and effort that they put into their homes because everything is worth it. I encourage them to try to learn a lot from what they work on when they go to the worksite because is a great way to know your home inside out. I hope for them to enjoy every moment they spend with our Habitat for Humanity family because I did and it was amazing. I hope for them to just have fun.
I love everything about my home because I know that all my dedication, commitment, hard work, and working on my days off paid off. I can now picture my future in my home with my son celebrating every birthday and holiday together. What I really like best about my neighborhood is that we all got to know each other and build a relationship before we moved into our new homes. I also feel safe surrounded by people who I can trust.
I’m thankful for Habitat for Humanity; I truly appreciate everyone who is involved with this amazing organization and the willingness to provide a better future for families. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Learn more about Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley homeownership