Red Front Door

Well, we did it: we sold, closed, and moved out of our old house on July 16^th! What a ride these past 6 months have been. From preparing the house for sale, putting it on the market, then selling it, then trying to find a new one, it’s been a whirlwind for sure! Unfortunately, we were not able to find a new house in time to have coinciding settlements so we are in storage and staying with friends.

Little did we know that someone was watching out for us. After an emotional roller coaster of putting in three offers on three different homes and being outbid, our prayers were answered – and in a big way. The house we ended up offering on and winning is better than we could have imagined; so I suppose that all the heartache of not getting the others was worth it. Our dream home is bigger, has a front porch, a red front door, a hot tub, and a huge lot – all the little things we could want but didn’t imagine having. We have driven by this house before when looking at others but thought we could never afford it. But thanks to some financial advice from our realtor and the sellers lowering their price, our dreams were realized!

So, on August 31^st, as long as everything goes according to plan, we will close on our new house and move in to begin prepping for our new baby boy! I say “goes according to plan” because you just never know what can happen. So while we are extremely excited, we are trying to keep it subdued until we have those keys in hand and are walking through that red front door.

I have always wanted a red front door. Don’t ask me why – I didn’t have one growing up, I don’t know anyone who has one, and our old house didn’t have one. I think to me it symbolized the ideal home – colonial in a nice neighborhood with lots of trees, kids playing in the yard.  A welcoming sight, something different that said “that house is mine”. Of course, I’m sure there are plenty of red front doors on crappy houses in not-so-great neighborhoods, but to me, for some unnameable reason, it signifies home. A place we’ll bring our baby boy, where we’ll have Christmas and birthday parties, first steps, family dinners, playing catch in the backyard, and more babies!

So while we still have about 6 weeks ago, we are quietly celebrating the thought of moving in to what will hopefully be our “forever home” - dreaming about the day we’ll bring our baby boy through that red front door.

Thankful Thursdays: Movin' On Up!!

So the main reason I've been MIA so much is because we've been working on SELLING OUR HOUSE!! We originally planned to stay in our current home for 5 to 7 years and were fine with having one or two kids here (I was raised in a townhouse after all!) and moving before our first child went to kindergarten. However, when the DC metro system decided to build a stop in the area we've always wanted to live in, we decided to go for it - after all, home prices were sure to rise when the stop opens next year, right? So, we took the plunge after owning our home for only 4 years.

 

After MONTHS of preparation, blood, sweat and tears from my husband and his father, and me having several breakdowns, we put our home on the market on May 9th - and we had multiple offers and a contract by May 16th!! We are very fortunate to be in such a stellar real estate market - plus we had an amazing agent.

Actually, let me re-phrase that  - a stellar "Sellers" market. Because we have yet to find a new house! There's just nothing on the market in the areas we want at the moment. Alas, when we close on the 16th of next month we will be homeless.

 

Well, technically not homeless because we are blessed to have some kick-ass friends that offered their home up to us even before ours was on the market! So we will be staying with them and hopefully not wearing out our welcome for more than a month - keep your fingers crossed!

I definitely have had my moments of panic and stress at not having a home, especially with the baby's arrival at four months away. However, as my oh-so-positive husband reminds me, at least we are fortunate enough to have had a home to sell, have sweet friends who will keep us, and enough money to buy a bigger single family home. So today, I'm thankful for our home; for our income that provides us this home; for jobs that fuel this income. I am thankful to have had this experience at such a young age - I was 24 when we bought this house! It has brought Sean, myself, and our families closer together; provided us a space to entertain and host; and it has been a space to test and develop our decorating, repairing, planning, negotiating, and compromising skills. I should always be thankful for a roof over our head, whether it's ours or a friend's, during heat, rain, and cold - that which a majority of this world lacks. May I always remember and keep this in mind when I'm stressed.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!

And LOTS of them in this household! The first and foremost is that we are now EXPECTING! Yep, you read correctly!

Sean and I found out on February 14, 2012 that we are pregnant. Now a couple doctors’ visits later we have heard the heartbeat, taken lots of tests, seen him or her squirming for the camera and know that Baby M will be expected to arrive on (or around) October 12^th!

We’ve been trying to relax and take it all in, but unfortunately, this is also the time that we picked to sell our house and move! That’s right - we are putting our house on the market this spring in hopes of selling and buying a single family home. Perfect timing to grow for this new bambino. Now let’s hope that we can do this before I become as big as a house!