Pieces of Me...: Home

I can't believe it! Things have been moving so fast. We already have a buyer for our home. The house basically sold HOURS after the Realtor snapped the photos for the virtual tour. She called me a couple of hours after leaving that day to say that there were some people interested in a showing. It happened so early in the game that we didn't even have a lock box yet. We couldn't go too far. So, we went on a neighborhood stroll to see the lake.

I'm gonna miss seeing the lake and hearing the boats go by. I can hear one right now zooming down the water. The lake is so close that we can ALMOST taste it. Unfortunately, the trees leave nothing but the sound of it for us to enjoy. But nevertheless, I'm gonna miss it. As we waited and waited for the showing to end, we also got to eat some wild blackberries growing along the way. The little guy couldn't get enough of them. We continued waiting for the coast to clear. Apparently, things were going well with the showing. It felt strange to have strangers in our home. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. What did they think? What were they saying? The lady must have fallen in love with her just like I did 5 years ago, because the very next day there was an offer. We went back and forth with counter offer after counter offer. Meanwhile, another showing was underway for the following day. So while the lookers looked, the little guy and I steered clear. It was another great showing with an even better offer. But it came in a little too late. It was already taken by the first group. We couldn't believe how well things were going. This week, the inspectors came. The termite inspector gave us a thumbs up, but the home inspector felt we needed a little project to do - replacing the water heater. It was time for a new one. Off to Lowes we went. After this little project is completed, it looks like this will be a done deal. Our little house is slipping away from us. We now have a buyer lined up to take her away. We'll be closing August 14th! I know I have to keep thinking about the great home that is to come. The anticipation is building, as is the EXCITEMENT!!

We finally did it! We put our house on the market and the ball has started rolling and rolling pretty fast, I must add. We had our first showing last night and we don't even have a sign up yet! Time is not wasting, that's for sure. This is something we've been thinking about doing for a while now. I'm filled with all sorts of mixed emotions. Sad, because I've REALLY fallen in love with our home. From the first moment I saw it, it felt like home to me.

We've put a lot of TLC into her, inside and out.

We painted all the rooms (except our spare room), added a new faucet and back splash in the kitchen, hung a built-in ironing board (IT'S AWESOME!), replaced lighting fixtures, and the list goes on and on. As you can see from the before shots, the curb appeal was in dire need of some TLC as well. Nothing was in it's rightful place. Trees was sporadically placed throughout the yard. The grass was neglected. The deck had been neglected. It's as if the outdoor living area wasn't living AT ALL!

The truth of the matter is that the house had been neglected for about a year before we came along and rescued her. I knew she had potential for GREATNESS! She has been our home for the last 5 years. If the walls could talk, they would tell you about the day I told my husband he was going to be a daddy and about the day we brought our little boy HOME. This was our first REAL HOME as a couple and as a family. So many memories were made here, but when the day comes for us to pack up all our belongings into cardboard boxes, we'll pack those memories into our hearts. Yes, I'm feeling a little sad, but it's like they say. HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS!

I'm certain that the move will be a step up for us. We are so fortunate to be given this awesome opportunity to build our VERY OWN HOME. For this I'm so happy and excited! We love our current home so much that we want to build something quite similar to it, just a little bigger with a basement and a bonus room. Ahhhhh.....BONUS ROOM. Music to my ears. No more toys spewing from the little guy's room. They'll all be contained in the MARVELOUS, MAGNIFICANT BONUS ROOM. Well, that's the plan. Oh, and the word BASEMENT. You hear those violins playing again too? You don't know how much having a basement means until you've lived you WHOLE life without one and you hear of a tornado in the area. Our new home will finally give my family shelter from a potentially deadly storm.

I'm so grateful to our family for their help and support. This would have ONLY been a dream in our distant future if it wasn't for the generous heart of our little guy's GREAT grandmother, Nene. She is graciously giving us the land to build our dream upon. Thank you so much Nene. We love you!

Written July 16, 2009