I think I'm in love

Ok, enough of the mellow drama, but seriously....

House Hunting Night #1 June 29, 2010: we looked at 3 houses

House #1 was the house that we thought was going to be IT! In the perfect neighborhood, had a good bedroom/bathroom count, good square footage, good price, a serviceable backyard, the pictures of the kitchen looked good...

Reality: With the exception of the kitchen, the common spaces were TINY and all separated by walls and/or the staircase. You walk into the formal living room...did I mention it was tiny? Not even large enough for a regular couch (notice extra small couches in picture?).

Then you hit the staircase...you barley squeeze by that in the hallway before you walk into the formal dining room...again, t-i-n-y and completely boxed in by walls. Go past THAT wall and you walk into the family room/kitchen area.

To be fair, at least they were connected, as previously stated, is on my wish list... (This picture was taken FROM the kitchen looking into the family room, again with the tiny tiny couches...)
HOWEVER, the actual space dedicated to the family room was really small. The kitchen was the only redeeming feature of the downstairs....good layout, nice size, nice look....
The backyard would need serious work, but that would be ok...

Upstairs was a different story, nice sized Master-bedroom, GREAT Master bathroom layout...We were slightly peeved that the other two bedrooms were LOCKED...ten to one odds the owners were locked inside and slightly upset we were there since their house is on a short-sale....can you blame them?

Overall rating? 6 out of 10

THEN we drive to house #2...cue drum roll....

This place was amazing...perfect and I do mean PERFECT layout...really nicely landscaped yard that we could change if we want or keep some features, great kitchen, nice built-in wood cabinets in several of the rooms, 3 car garage (but separate...a two car garage and then a single garage...have you seen those?)

Great kitchen/Family room combo, which of course is SO important to me...Kitchen had nice granite counter tops, lots of cabinet space and a place for a kitchen table. When you first walk in the door, you walk into this HUGE great room that is a living room/dining room combo...absolutely huge...such a great entertaining house.

Only 3 bedrooms/3 bathrooms BUT BUT BUT it had a den, WHICH is serviceable as an office, which is what the 4Th bedroom would be for anyway....

So whats the problem? Hmmmm....this house was a bit pricier that we originally were thinking of paying. Still within our budget, for sure, but who wants to spend more money than they HAVE to?
Then again...who wants to settle for a house that isn't perfect?
Would we need to make any changes? I think we would want to throw some hard wood flooring in a few places, do a little work in the backyard and it would need a good dose of color on the walls...it is STARK white/cream through the house....I mean EVERYWHERE...I need some color in my life!

This house gets a 9 out of 10 and only because of the price...

House #3 isn't even worth blogging about. No one should have a Fish pond on the side of their drive way in West Sacramento....I mean seriously....

If you care, stay tuned for more "Adventures in House Hunting"

Getting my hopes up...

The trouble with house hunting is...you get your hopes up. Inevitably, they are going to be dashed at some point! Tonight we are actually going to look INSIDE of houses for the first time. Sunday I thought we were going to, but we weren't given the chance...I suppose that was a small hope dashed. Tonight, we are going to visit a house that peaked both Derek and mine's interest IMMEDIATELY...not good right? Destined for disappointment :(

Remember that "short-list" of wants that I wrote out a few blogs back...I believe (from the pictures and neighborhood) that this house fits the bill! That in itself is encouraging. So what is the downside? Well, it is a short-sale so that sucks...but what house isn't these days? Just means that we may be waiting months before we hear back anything...if we make it to the offer phase.

While lying in bed last night, listening to those stupid dogs upstairs from us scratching on the floor or whatever the hell they do every night, I tried not to think about what it would be like to have our own house. Then it would be MY stupid dog scratching on the floor!! S-W-E-E-T!

No, but seriously, the thought of having a yard to hang out in, and a much bigger space to entertain in is SO appealing to me. Despite Derek's prickly demeanor, he LOVES to entertain and we want a place to do that in. A backyard to BBQ and throw the ball in. A living room to gather around the HD TV and watch a Saturday night UFC PPV...

Most importantly, we want a dog and a place to keep a dog )a.k.a a backyard). For those of you who are sappy, yes, we even want kids someday. However, we never wanted to have kids in our condo...we are too claustrophobic with just the two of us...not saying we are anywhere near ready for kiddos, but at least with a house we would be PREPARED for the unexpected!!

To me, a house isn't just a owned piece of property, it is a gateway into the next phase of our life. A key to the future that Derek and I have waited SO long to build together. Yes, we are building it now and loving every minute, but we are holding back...we don't want to hold back anymore.
I want future building FREEDOM!

Ah Monday...

There is something amazing and magical about Monday that makes it unlike ANY other day of the week. Is it my over indulgence in weekend fun hangover? Not getting up at 6:15am for two days grumpiness? The knowledge that I have 5 straight days of co-workers, computers and dress-up? Or could it be that everyone drives like idiots on Monday morning?

Yes, yes, yes and YES....Also, in my job, because I periodically work on the weekends, as I did this weekend, I lose a full day of weekend-ness and get the two day vacation SHAFT! It throws off my entire weekend mind-set. It is impossible for me to leave work on Friday and turn off my work brain knowing that I am just going to have to fire it back up on Saturday morning...getting up at 7am doesn't help either.

Needless to say, this morning after peeling myself out of bed, pouring myself into the shower and piecing an outfit together (I didn't exactly break any fashion records today, trust me) I made it to the car.

So we have all heard the term "Sunday drivers" right? Does anyone feel me on the "Monday-morning" drivers? I understand that we are all driving in a sleep-induced fog and barely making it, but seriously, can we all pull our head out of our...you know...long enough to drive to work without a complete driving FAIL!?

I must have seen 3 near-accidents this morning, 4 merging issues, 3 people run red lights, 2 people not GO at a green light and one guy just really pissed me off when it was his turn to go at the stop sign and he just sat there looking at me like I was the idiot...as if everyone forgot how to drive over the weekend.

Ok, that was my vent...head has now shrunk back to normal size. Despite all of that, I made it to work in one piece only to sit at my desk and stare at my computer as if I have never seen it before...Monday? FAIL

This isn't going to be easy

Not that I ever thought it WOULD be, but house hunting is not going to be easy. Our very first day turned out to be a disappointment as our Realtors were not able to meet with us, so we couldn't see inside of any homes. Instead, we took the opportunity to drive around ourselves and look at the outside of some houses that were on our "list".

It is frustrating because it seems like every house has something that we would consider "a deal-breaker". Our short list of deal breakers?
Next door (or close down the street from) a school
Next to empty lots
Small or no backyard
Super dumpy yards in the neighborhood....

Call us picky, elitists or whatever you will, but this isn't a small decision. We are talking a HUGE purchase and potentially a house we might raise our children in. I think we have the right to be picky. That said, it just makes it hard and frustrating. I would love to just drive up to a home and go, "Yes, this is it. There is NOTHING wrong with it that can't be fixed or changed, it is in our price range and has everything we want."

I know that isn't reality. I have watched enough of my friends go through this process to know it is slightly painful so I know what to expect. So what DO I want in a house?
Well since you asked...
Ideally:
4b/3b
Spacious kitchen
Double sinks in the Master bathroom
Room for a Cal King sized bed
A family room/living room that is open or connected to the kitchen
Large enough backyard for a BIG doggy (or two)
A bathtub that isn't a shower/tub combo

That is my short list. I don't thinking I am asking A LOT, but maybe I am. There are things I am willing to compromise on, some things I won't. Only time will tell what I will have to compromise on, but I do know one thing. God has a plan, a purpose and a will for our lives. Even something like house hunting does not escape His attention. He has a house for us already and He will lead us to it in His perfect timing. I just need to remember that and trust in Him...THAT is always the hard part! Jeremiah 29:11

The World Cup, why do we watch?

As we are in the middle of "the world's greatest athletic event" I had a discussion among my co-workers today, during a fabulous potluck BBQ, about why we watch the World Cup. I have to admit, it was a super lively discussion because we have a VERY diverse group at my work-place. Maybe you think you can say that, but seriously...I do. Having a Spanish language radio station in the house gives you a whole new look into Latino culture and what the World Cup means to fans around the world. For them, soccer (I mean, Futbol) is a way of life, an aspect of their culture that is as natural as breathing. It is exactly how we feel about Football and Baseball. When the Super Bowl is on, regardless of what teams are playing, we watch.

However, as Americans, why do WE watch The World Cup, even if it is JUST when the US team is playing? MOST of us are not soccer fans 3 out of every 4 years. Do you watch English Premiere League? I didn't think so...Do you even know what I am talking about? Anyway, I determined yesterday, as I was watch this great video that was pieced together from around America of people's reaction to Donovan's last minute, game winning goal, that Americans watch the World Cup for the same reason that we watch the Olympics; because the US of A is competing against other countries, and we LOVE our country.

As I watched people scream and jump for joy that we had scored the winning goal, high-five their nearest bar mate (some while removing their shirt) and start chanting "USA USA USA" I had CHILLS running up and down my spine! Seriously! There is something sweet about Americans banding together for ANY reason, and this June and July it is the World Cup. It doesn't matter that we aren't "soccer fans" and that we can't name the players on the team. What matters is that we support our country when we have people out there representing us on a world stage.

If someone thinks it is stupid that you are watching the US play in the first game of the second pool tomorrow because you aren't a "soccer fan" ask them,

"Is it stupid for me to support my country? "

I, for one, am willing to rally behind my country for ANY reason, when facing the rest of the world. The World Cup isn't JUST about soccer, it is about countries representing the people who are standing behind them. So stand...stand behind our team and be counted among those who support our country. In soccer, sure...or whatever else...

USA USA USA!

Well, I started a blog

I have never considered myself a "trendy" person. I think anyone who knows me would agree. Do you think having a blog is trendy? If so...oh well! It isn't like I am not on facebook and twitter, because I am. I have always loved to write, to express my thoughts and opinions on a page, but have never explored the avenue of blogging...well now I am. We'll see if I am faithful in my pursuits...or if anyone cares. Then again, this is for me, so it shouldn't really matter!

I guess I feel like I am ready to do all kinds of things I "always wanted to do." After all, I am recently married, and feel like the world sits at my fingertips, if only I grasped it!! Marriage has been amazing (in the two short months I have been acquainted with it). There isn't much better than hanging out with my husband on the couch, watching a Giants game in the evening! I am not a great cook, but I love attempting to make dinner for him and he appreciates my efforts...I think!


We are now about to embark on a pretty scary, but seriously exciting adventure; house hunting. I didn't think we would be ready this early, but it turns out, we ARE! So this week it began, loans, house hunting and the whole bit...pretty crazy and amazing stuff. I am so excited, but it seems surreal. How can I seriously already be at this point in my life? Marriage? Buying a house? I know, I know...the next step is obvious...a dog of course ;)


So I will likely be posting about adventures in house hunting over the next several weeks...hopefully with a positive spin. I know it can be a harrowing tale...I guess we'll see. I do know one thing, life is never boring with Derek and this will be no exception. However, I wouldn't miss a minute of this crazy life!