You just moved into a new state, a new city, a new house so that you can start your life. As you move boxes into the house you find it cozy and cute and that it’s all yours to design however you want to; making it yours. You accidentally stumble on the last stair entering the house when the box slips out of your hands causing photos to spill out of the box. As you begin to pick up the photos you pick up one in particular; it’s a photo of you when you’re little at home surrounded by friends and family who are all laughing and smiling. You look up from the photo and look at the wide open front door of the house and wonder “When will I call my house home?” That’s the underlying question; when is the moment that a house is no longer a house and instead is a home. When is the pivotal moment? That moment depends on the person. The moment could be someone getting a pet for the house, or buying things that you found common at home (like a printer, washer, dryer, etc.), or having a place that you can relax at, or paying bills, or being surrounded by friends and family. That moment is so different depending on the person you ask. But if we were to specifically talk about what I think makes a house a home is the aspect that it’s yours. It’s a place where you have total control over how things look, how things are run, how things are done, etc. It’s a place that you feel comfortable at 100% of the time. It’s a place that you can just be your true self and have the pleasure to just set back and unwind. A home is where you feel safe. It’s a place that feels cozy. It’s a place that you can invite your friends and family over to hang out. It’s a place where you can start a family and your future. Overall a home is the step that you take when you’re ready for bigger things in your life and you are ready to make something your own. A house is more than a shelter in the fact that a shelter only protects you and keeps you warm. A house lets you grow as a person and start new things in your life that you hadn’t before.