The kids move out and suddenly you have rooms to spare

One corner of the haven that is my home office. That's our new-ish cat Cheddar in the lower right corner.

One of the things that attracted us when we bought our house in 2003 was the fact it had five bedrooms.

At the time we had five children under the age of 10. A three- or even four-bedroom home probably wasn't going to cut it.

For the next several years, three of the kids would have their own rooms while two others would share the large upstairs bedroom, which the people who owned the house before us used as more of a family room.

Then, one at a time, our children started leaving the nest. When Elissa exited, it was one kid to a bedroom.

Then Chloe fled the coop, allowing Terry the craft room she had so long desired.

The next thing we knew, only Jack was left and I found myself with an upstairs office. And we even had a guest bedroom.

The height of luxury!

Nowadays Jack occupies the big bedroom by himself while Terry and I remain downstairs in the master bedroom. The craft room, office and guest room remain.

Terry and I have talked about the possibility of downsizing, but this setup is just too good to walk away from. (Well, that and the fact that we have the best neighbors in the world on both sides. You can't take something like that for granted.)

My "office" is really more a combination office/music room/library. There I keep all of my books, my sheet music, my saxophones and other instruments, and almost every other item that is undeniably Scott's. Even though I rarely work there anymore – since I drive to the office five days a week – I still love having this room to myself.

It feels like a reward for the years we spent raising children and cramming all of our stuff into closets, attics and storage rooms.

As much as I miss having the kids around, I think I can get used to this.