Homeowners!

It's official.....

We have a house! All went well yesterday with closing and we've already started bringing things over and taping off rooms that will be painted later this week.  Stay tuned for more pictures and details soon :)

Eye on the Prize

I know we must be getting close to moving into our new house because it is 6:30am on a Sunday and I am wide wake. In fact, I have been since about 5:30.

Yep....the stress-induced insomnia has officially begun. Sigh.

I first noticed this unfortunate habit in college when every semester around finals time, I'd wake up at ridiculous hours (regardless of what time I had gone to bed or when I actually needed to get up), my mind unable to stop running through all the work I needed to do between then and the end of the semester. And so, whenever it comes time for some sort of big life event or other important activity that requires significant work or organization on my part, it becomes impossible for me to sleep past 5 or 5:30am. So fun.

Another sign we are getting close? There are so many boxes around here that it is hard to walk in certain areas of the apartment. We've now packed the dining room, most of our non-hanging clothes and shoes (everything but what we will need for the next couple of weeks), almost all of our linens, all desk stuff, some electronics, all pictures on the walls and decorative items that sit around the apartment (picture frames, candles, etc.) We've also taken care of most of the rest of the "other" stuff we need to do before closing/moving-- utilities set to turn on at the new place and off at the apartment, movers set, etc.

And yet, despite all this progress, I can't help but feeling like there is still SO. MUCH. TO. DO. Maybe it's because I haven't yet tackled much in the way of the beast that is the kitchen. Or the bathroom (which may seem strange but for some reason the cabinets under the double vanity in our apartment bathroom are overflowing with stuff).

The good news is, the end really is in sight (and I just have to keep reminding myself of that and keep my eye on the prize, so to speak). Tuesday is our final walk-through where the builder shows us where everything is and how to contact them if we have issues (particularly in the first year when EVERYTHING is under warranty) and so we can make sure that they've completed everything and cleaned up after themselves properly. More importantly (for us, anyway) it will be our first look at the finished product! Then, one week later, we officially become homeowners and the fun part begins-- painting (more on that in a later post) and moving.

Maybe then I can get some sleep.

The Countdown Begins

Exactly four weeks from today, Jason and I will be homeowners! That's right, our house is almost our house. It's amazing to think that just four months ago, we were looking at this:

And now, we have this:

And this:

Yup--that's the first look at our new kitchen!

With only a month left until we close and move, there's a whole lot to do. And between the working, the cleaning out, the packing, and the general house-obsessing, there's not a whole lot of room for cooking or menu planning these days! But I hope you will stick with me as I share the method to my moving madness as well as the trials and tribulations of new home ownership in the coming weeks. Lots of change and excitement ahead!

Our House is a House!

Our house is really starting to take shape:

And we have walls too!

With only 45 or so days left to go, there are a lot of things to do:

• Give notice to our apartment (going to do this weekend)
• Select lender and finalize details of our loan (hope to have things locked in within the next week or two)
• Get homeowners' insurance
• Schedule move
• Start packing!

We're also starting to think about things like paint colors and blinds-- stuff we will want to take care of as soon as we close and before we move-in. Sometimes when I think about everything we need to do, I get a little overwhelmed....but it is all really exciting! And I can't wait.

Obligatory House Update Post

Ladies and Gentlemen.....

we have windows! And some sort of waterproofing/vapor barrier (at least that is what my experience watching Holmes on Homes and Holmes Inspection tells me that white house wrap stuff is).

The progress continues!

First Look at Our House

Jason and I drove by the home site today to check on things. And things are indeed happening!

Here is a first look at what will one day soon be our house. With all of the construction we couldn't get a head on shot...our house will be the one next to the end unit which is closest to the foreground (if that makes sense). And you can see the backs of the other houses on our block (the first of five that are going up as part of the development.)

Needless to say we were very excited to see that the process has indeed started!!!

A Crazy Week Gets Crazier

As you can probably guess from the utter lack of posting....it was a crazy week (complete with 11 hour work days and trips to Baltimore). After all of that, you would think that I would have used the weekend to slow down and catch my breath.

Nope. Instead I dove head first into the deep end.

Big news y'all...

We bought a house!

Well, actually, we signed a contract (and wrote a LARGE check) for a house that does not yet exist.

But it will...in about 5-6 months.

Stay tuned for more details later this week :)