Home is where the heart is for the pastel enthusiast. Unfortunately, she\u2019s had to move 13 times in 10 years. Toronto\u2019s challenging rental market, negligent landlords, a collapsing roof, nightmare neighbours, heartbreak and transitional roommates all played their part: \u201cIt was a mix of life stuff and apartment stuff going horribly wrong,\u201d she says. That said, Garrison has never hesitated to sprinkle stardust wherever she goes \u2014 even on a rental with a leaking roof.<\/p>\n
I caught up with Garrison to find out how she finally found her forever home (a stunning unicorn of a house dubbed \u201cHeaven in High Park\u201d on Instagram), her experience becoming a single mother by choice, and why she encourages other women to never wait for a partner to have a kid, buy a house, or do whatever it is they want in life.<\/p>\n
When Garrison turned 27, she decided it was the last year that she would wait for a partner to realize her dreams of becoming a young mom. Instead, she took matters into her own hands, and with the help of a sperm donor, a doctor and a supportive network of friends and family, she concieved on Mother\u2019s Day and gave birth to Summer Honey Rose Garrison on January 25th, 2019.<\/p>\n But before that could happen, there was one piece she had to figure out: Finding a suitable rental in Toronto\u2019s volatile market. \u201cI had the idea and I was working towards it, but I felt like the apartment was a huge missing piece,\u201d she says. Garrison suspected that condo living wasn\u2019t for her, but decided to try it for a year to test-run the possibility of buying one. \u201cI knew I couldn\u2019t move forward having a baby at the sad condo. Finding the right apartment was a huge step towards being able to make this dream a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n It turned out apartment 13 was the lucky number. She went to a viewing and wrote a long, personal letter, detailing to the landlord how much the home would mean to her. He let her know that it had just been rented but he would keep her in mind for future vacancies. Defeated, she closed her email and expected to never hear from him again. \u201cThis particular landlord messaged me the next day saying someone had just given their notice in another one of his buildings,\u201d she said. This place was about the same price, but a lot bigger.<\/p>\n In the end, it was so perfect, her only concern was that there was too much space. \u201cI was a bit scared to commit because it was quite a lot more rent than I\u2019d been paying. I said to a friend, \u2018I don\u2019t even know what to do with all of these rooms, I don\u2019t even have enough furniture, what am I going to do with this house, it\u2019s too big for me as a single person.\u2019 And they said to me, \u2018If you make the space, the universe will fill it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Despite dreaming of homeownership, Garrison is grateful to have the flexibility of a rental \u2014 for now. Her family is on the West Coast, and her friends are in Toronto. \u201cI can’t really commit to where I want to buy,\u201d she says. \u201cI like the idea of buying, just for the stability of not having to ever leave. But I need to find a place where I never want to leave, first.\u201d<\/p>\n That hasn\u2019t stopped Garrison from saving \u2014 whether it\u2019s to buy a place one day or create a nest egg so she can take an official maternity leave one day. \u201cI used to be so, so terrible with money. I was super irresponsible and I just loved spending,\u201d she says. In recent years, she\u2019s turned saving money into a challenge. \u201cBudgeting for myself, making goals \u2014 it\u2019s kind of turned into weird, fun game for me,\u201d she says. \u201cIs this being an adult?\u201d<\/p>\n Garrison also subscribes to the adage: \u201cLook at all of your stuff that used to be your money. Look at all the money, that eats up your time.\u201d Every time she\u2019s about to buy something, she holds it in her hands (\u201cMarie Kondo-styles\u201d) and asks if it was worth the time it took to earn the money. \u201cIs this where you want it to go to? Another candle?\u201d she says, \u201cI definitely do not need more candles.\u201d Being the sole-income earner has been the biggest challenge for Garrison as a single parent. \u201cI can’t take a break from work. It affects my whole family, and there’s no one else to support me in the meantime,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Today, Garrison uses her platform<\/a> to share her non-traditional pregnancy story and normalize single-parent families and alternate methods to conceive.<\/p>\n In many ways, I see a parallel to women (and men) delaying homeownership until they meet a partner. The reality is that more single women are buying real estate on their own than ever before. Despite this, there\u2019s still a societal pressure to wait for a partner before taking that first step on the property ladder.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to feel like \u2018Oh, wouldn\u2019t you want to buy your first house with someone? It\u2019s such a special experience.\u2019 And I think a lot of people feel that way,\u201d says Garrison. \u201cYou follow the steps: get married, buy a house, have children. But I think it’s a fun adventure to do on your own, too.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s helped Garrison realize that no situation is necessarily perfect. If you wait to have a child with a partner, there\u2019s always a chance the relationship will dissolve. You could wait to get a house with someone, and they back out or default on the mortgage. \u201cI think my gamble is less traditional, but not necessarily a lot scarier,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Garrison believes in building the best life she possibly can, right now. If someone comes along to share in it with her, that\u2019s great. \u201cWhy wait? Why not just go ahead and forge your life the way you want, as best as you can, and let someone else fit in down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n The Toronto-blogger behind Random Acts of Pastel refuses to wait for a partner to have a kid, buy a house or accomplish any of her big dreams. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":195296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2019-08-29T18:03:38Z","apple_news_api_id":"76e47f79-fd46-4cbe-9ca0-cc0d7051bce3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2019-08-29T18:03:39Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AduR_ef1GTL6coMwNcFG84w","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":["https:\/\/u48r14.digitalhub.com\/sections\/09b86915-7d2b-3acd-915b-b215002d01b7"],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11118],"tags":[11113,11141,11240],"coauthors":[10245],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Alyssa-Garrison-forever-home-rental-3.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: Scarlet O’Neill\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nFirst came the house, then came the baby<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Alyssa-Garrison-forever-home-rental-4.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: Scarlet O’Neill\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nBuilding a nest egg<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Alyssa-Garrison-forever-home-rental.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo: Scarlet O’Neill\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nNot waiting for \u201cPrince Charming\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Alyssa-Garrison-forever-home-rental-2.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo:\u00a0Scarlet O’Neill\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n