*Before their house was complete, the Washingtons checked out the screened-in back patio which is now one of their favorite spots.*

*Monica and Ricky attended the NEA Foundation Education Gala in 2019, where Monica served as the keynote speaker.*

*Since Monica works remotely, Ricky helps her by assembling a piece of furniture which will go in her office.*

We’ve all heard the old adage: opposites attract. Some couples dare to differ with that opinion while others accept it as the truth. Monica and Ricky Washington actually fit on both sides of the equation; while they are very different (he is quiet and laid-back while she tends to be bubbly and outgoing), their personalities also are very similar (both of them are kind, caring, and genuine).

Monica grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and attended public school there. She went to LeMoyne–Owen College, received her master’s degree from the University of Memphis, and her Ed.S. from Walden University. “I am the only teacher in my family,” she explains. “My family is made up of mostly medical professionals and other careers. My mom said she would never go into the field of education but I always had the bug to teach. My career really started in 1998 at Chickasaw Middle School.”

Ricky grew up in Douglasville, Texas. In 1990, at the age of 20, he had a major car accident where he sustained injuries that left him requiring the use of a wheelchair. He attended Texas A&M University-Texarkana then moved to the Dallas area. He lived there for a couple of years, met Monica, moved to Memphis, finished his master’s degree, and began teaching.

In 1999, before online dating was even a “thing,” Monica (who lived in Memphis, Tennessee) and Ricky (who lived in Carrollton, Texas) met online in a chat room. Because she didn’t want to give out too much information to anyone in the room before learning more about him, Monica’s profile read, “I have one of the most important jobs in the world. I am overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated.” Ricky immediately guessed that she was a teacher.

After years of long-distance dating and many miles traveled between Memphis and Dallas, Ricky moved to Memphis to be closer to Monica. They married on August 27, 2005, and lived in Memphis for seven years, then they moved to Queen City, Texas, and renovated a home there. Monica says, “It was a teeny tiny house but it was situated on five beautiful acres.” Ricky then worked as a teacher for Texarkana Independent School District and continued working there for 11 years. Monica also served as a teacher at TISD for 10 years.

After living in Queen City for four years, the couple bought a beautiful home in Linden that was fairly-accessible and situated on nine acres with a pond and a pool. “We sold that house, lived in a rental house for a year, and then built our new dream home here in Douglasville. This home was a longtime coming!” Monica explains.

Ricky currently works as a teacher for Queen City Independent School District. He acknowledges, “I really wanted to work somewhere closer to home because I was tired of making the drive to Texarkana every day. This is my third year to teach at the middle school in Queen City.” For the past four years, Monica has worked for BetterLesson, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, serving in many various roles. First, she provided instructional coaching by beaming into classrooms to assist teachers all over the world (including some in Egypt and Canada). Then she was assigned to a team whose focus was cultural responsive teaching and equity in education. Most recently, her role has changed, and she now mostly supports principals and superintendents as part of inclusive and responsive education practices.

*During a family gathering on January 11, 2020, Monica and Ricky took a photo with his sister, Juanita.*

Building their dream home has been an ongoing process for the Washingtons. “Since Monica and I married, we have always talked about building our own home,” Ricky says. “We bought a few homes but have always wanted to build our own. Initially, we were going to build on my grandparents’ land, but that didn’t work out. I am a country boy at heart. In February, I found this 20 acres for sale in Douglasville that had only been on the market for maybe 10 minutes. I called the realtor, started asking questions, we toured the property, and fell in love with it. The rest is history! We knew this was where we were going to build our dream home.”

Because of the large rainfall that occurred in this area during early 2020, and a few other delays, the contractor, Shep Granberry with Graco Homes in Atlanta, Texas, wasn’t able to get the property cleared and the foundation poured until May. The first week of December was actually when Monica and Ricky were ready to move-in so their beautiful three bedroom, two and a half bath Craftsman style home has been home to them for the last two months, and they couldn’t be happier.

This custom home is perfect for the Washingtons and their individual needs. “Since I use a wheelchair for mobility, I wanted the house designed around me. I wanted access to everything,” Ricky explains. “I didn’t want anything tight. Our builder did a great job making this home accessible. He built little ramps into all of the thresholds that you hardly even notice are there. Doors are oversized. The shower is huge.”

Monica loves the screened-in patio situated off the back of the house. Whether sitting reading a book or enjoying an afternoon nap on the weekends, this area is her hideaway. Since Ricky loves to cook, the outdoor grill is built lower to the ground for him to easily reach and is surrounded by vast storage space. French doors lead out onto the patio area, allowing the Washingtons to open the doors and welcome fresh air inside.

Since the wheels from Ricky’s wheelchair can easily wear out carpet, durable vinyl plank flooring is found throughout the home. Massive closets contain lowered racks and rods and have plenty of space for Ricky to roll in and turn around before rolling out.

Granite countertops and stainless appliances are located in the open kitchen area. A functional island is centered in this area with plenty of space for Ricky to travel around the sides. In their previous home, the microwave was way out of reach for Ricky so they chose to keep this one at eye level, offering him easy access.

Instead of having a two-story home which was in the original house plans, Ricky and Monica chose to turn the area designed for the staircase into a roll-in pantry. An additional pantry is home to many of their smaller appliances, including the slow cookers and the multi-cookers.

*The Washingtons’ custom home in Douglasville.*

As one enters the home, Monica’s comfortable home office is on the left. Since she works remotely, this area is perfect for her. She can sit and have virtual conferences with educational professionals while watching deer frolic and play in her front yard. A half-bath is situated close to her office. “The half-bath is what I consider my own little project,” she says. “I put a little special touch in there, including a very pretty sink that I love. I even named her ‘Sassy Sink.’ It wasn’t quite in the plumbing budget, but we made some adjustments because I had to have it.” Ricky chimes in that her lavatory has gotten “so much conversation” on Facebook.

“We love our space here!” Ricky exclaims. “We are in the country and don’t have any neighbors right next to us. We love the land. It provides a place for me to be able to hunt and a place for us to ride four-wheelers.”

The Washingtons’ 2,600 sq. ft. home is custom built just for them. Big porches with a mixture of stone and hearty plank siding provide a low maintenance option for them since they both stay incredibly busy. They have future plans to plant trees and colorful landscaping, add sidewalks, and lay a concrete driveway. Not only is this home a custom creation for Monica and Ricky; it also allows their four fur babies room to roam freely and not be confined to a small area. With a half-grin Ricky also points out, “At some point, we will probably build me a chicken yard, too.” You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.

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The House that Love Built