A HOUSE

We bought a house! (well, in the process, technically, but still...)

It all happened really fast, and I haven't had a chance to blog about this pretty big event in our life, so here we go, a little late (again)

We got back in town from being in Utah for my grandparent's big party. We had been looking every day to see what homes had been popping up on the market. If there was something interesting, we had to move fast. That's how the market is out here right now. It's madness. You have to decided instantly whether or not you want to place an offer on a house, otherwise you'll be sore out of luck. And the house will be gone before you can even drive off the property. I wish I was exaggerating. This kind of buying frenzy kinda made me a little uneasy, especially since I wasn't finding anything I was too thrilled about. Until Wednesday, June 5 came along. Uncle Brook emailed me that night, and said that this house (the one above) was starting showings the next morning. Did we want to look at it? Steve was a little unsure about it. But I decided that I really needed to look at this house.

I knew the model. Steve and I had seen it before in the fall. That house was in a terrible location, so we passed on it, and continued our search. Brook met me at the house at 12 the next morning. There were already about 5 showings. It was only 12! I walked through the house. I liked it. The location couldn't have been more prime. At the top of a horseshoe street. Larger lot. Bigger backyard with 3 large shade trees, a shed for Steve and all his tools, a finished basement. 8.3 miles from my family. Minutes from a number of parks, rec centers, the library, shopping, and the freeway. PERFECT.

The house was in good shape. Not my style, with most of the chosen paint colors, etc. but that could all easily be changed. I felt really good about this. I wanted to put an offer in. In this area, if you don't move fast, the house will go. I called Steve at work, told him I liked the house and wanted to put an offer on it. He thought about it for about mmmm 10 minutes, called me back and told me to go for it. We put our offer in, and Brook told them we needed and answer by 8 that night.

Brook called at 5:30. "You got it!"

I was shocked! I really was. I didn't think we'd get it. There were other offers besides ours. I was shocked. And so excited! Brook had told us a few other times before, that we'll probably lose a couple houses before we end up with a house. It's just the way the market is. That's what I had built up in my mind, since this was the first house we'd put an actual offer on.

I have loved living at my mom and dad's house. Living here has only confirmed in my mind how important it was for us to live near family. I want our kids to grow up near cousins and their grandparents. As we were looking at houses out in Parker, I was realizing that I was most likely going to have to make a sacrifice somewhere along the line. I had envisioned us buying our first house and being excited about the house, but sad about the location. Sad that we wouldn't be able to just "drop" in and say hi to family when we were out and about. That was a hard pill to swallow.

This house is a blessing and a direct answer to our prayers. We had to be patient, yes, but Heavenly Father listened to our prayers. I am so excited about every aspect of this house.

We close in 8 days. July 17. We will be homeowners!

And here are the details:
-3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
-Master bedroom is large with a separate sitting room with a fireplace
-Walk-in closets
-Laundry on main floor
-Large kitchen with island, and granite countertops
-Great backyard with 3 large shade trees and quite a bit of grass
-Storage shed on the side of the house for tools and lawn equipment
-Basement is finished with cold storage and craft/office area (
-Large crawl space for storage
-Vaulted ceilings in front living room (so my Christmas tree will fit!)

And here are some of our plans:
-scrape all of the popcorn ceilings (I know, quite the task, but we're doing it)
-paint existing kitchen cabinets white
-install a white subway tiled backsplash in kitchen
-stain hardwood floors dark
-crown molding in kitchen/family room
-paint EVERYTHING (I'm thinking a linen color with white trim)
-install a reclaimed wood wall in family room
-new light fixtures throughout house
-stencil/wallpaper laundry room/powder room
-stencil sitting room in the master bedroom
-turn basement into fun playroom with a reading nook, lots of storage, and color.

We'll be staying with my parents until everything is done and ready.

I think it might be a bit of an adjustment moving from my mom and dad's house. We really have enjoyed the past year. Bridger has so many people around constantly that love and adore him.

Good thing we are only 8.3 miles away so we can visit often!