So Brett and I got things cleaned up halfway decently and I thought it would be a good opportunity to take some pictures of the house. They're in here backwards...but you'll get the idea. Here they are:

Moving on Up

Well Brett and I finally got through the nightmare that was getting closed on our house and we are officially moved in and loving it! If I complain at all about unpacking, someone please slap me and remind me that I could still be living in a 2 bedroom apartment surrounded by boxes. Yes, I must admit it's much better being in a house surrounded by boxes. We are soooooooo excited about our new home and can't wait to have people over for dinner, parties, movie nights, holidays, etc.

Patsy and Bentley are sort of enjoying the backyard, but considering it's been in the 20s the last couple of days, they aren't as excited about it as I had expected. But just wait until it warms up and I find the bag of balls I had hidden from them in the apt. Bentley loves playing with balls, but I took them all away from him while we were still in the apt. because he kept rolling them under the furniture. He can have them back now.

If you're wondering how the big move went, all I can say is that we have the best friends and family anyone could ask for. Dustin, Sarah, Zac, Gary, Kasey, and Cody all came to help us move. They also brought along their vehicles which helped out tremendously. I couldn't be more appreciative of what they did for us, because it made it 100 times easier on us. Big props to them.

So I've already unpacked a lot of stuff and the house looks half way decent. I tackled the kitchen on Sunday and worked on hanging up decorations and cleaning and unpacking our bathroom yesterday. I also put together our second nightstand. Brett got the garage all cleaned up and organized and we got both of our cars parked in there last night! So I'm thinking we'll be ready for a house warming party next weekend. We can't wait!!! I'll put some pictures up here once we have the place uncluttered a little bit. Later!

Two days and counting.

There's only two days left until Brett and I become homeowners for the first time. We are extremely excited about this huge step we're making, and although some would be nervous about making this kind of commitment with the economy the way it is, we couldn't be more sure of it. We were patient and never let ourselves get emotionally attached to a house, because we wanted the best deal we could find and we knew they were out there. I said going in that I wanted to pay $80 to $90 per square foot for a house and I can't tell you how many said it couldn't be done. I knew the market was way down and we weren't going to be foolish about our purchase. In the end, we ended up paying $84 per square foot for our house and locked in our interest rate at 5.125%. It doesn't get a whole lot better than that. We also made the seller pay for a new roof and HVAC unit. So this 12 year old house has new carpet, new paint, new linoleum floors in the kitchen and bathrooms, a new roof, and a new HVAC unit. We truly believe God has answered our prayers (and boy have we been praying a lot) and has blessed us with a nicer home than we could have ever expected to purchase our first time around. The process has been long and extremely exhausting, but it has all been worth it. I have shed my fair share of tears over the last few months and wondered to myself if getting a deal was really worth the struggle, but I tell you now, it was!!

I can not wait to have our house warming party and invite all of our friends and family over. At least those that live here in TN. I'm going to cook up lots of goodies and even challenge my friend, Kasey, to a throwdown. We both love to cook (she's far more talented in the kitchen than I) and with a little extra room to move around, we should be able to make some delicious treats. I keep telling my puppies about the big backyard they are getting, but they just don't seem very excited. I'm sure they'll come around once they see it. I'm just happy that I won't have to put them on a leash and walk them around everytime they need to do their business.

I guess the next step after a house, will be a baby. Our parents have been hounding us for some grandkids, but it just doesn't happen over night. It'll happen when it happens, but we're doing everything in our power to make sure it happens sooner rather than later. :) Anyway that's all for now and the next time I post, I'll be a proud homeowner. YAY!!!!