Welcome to the Jungle

The last month has been one of the craziest months of my life.  It takes a lot to earn that title after you’ve been alive for 380+ months!  I don’t even know where to start….just keep in mind that every second that was not filled with the madness detailed below was spent packing, cleaning, moving and stressing. 

August 2 – we officially signed the documents on our new townhouse.

August 3 – helped host a bridal shower for Whitney during the day and hosted Heidi’s bachelorette party that evening.

August 6 – celebrated Lisa’s birthday.

August 10 – loaded up 2 moving trucks full of stuff headed for storage and a (amazing) friend’s garage.

August 12 – 16: coworker took vacation so I was flying solo.

August 12 – got to visit with a good friend who was in from Virginia.

August 15 – bank appointment

August 16 – bought new appliances and lighting for the new house

August 17 – celebrated Collin’s birthday.

August 18 - celebrated Father in Law’s birthday.  Moved mattresses and box springs to storage and moved in with Keith’s sister, Brenda.

August 19 – walk through with builder at new place

August 20 – official loan application at bank.  Major drama with the inspection report on the house we were selling….full meltdown. 

Devil box!!!

August 21 – closed on old townhouse

August 22 – wedding prep

August 23 – wedding prep, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner

August 24 – MY BABY SISTER GOT MARRIED!

August 25 – visited with one of my favorite people in the world, Uncle Bob.

August 26 – Perry started 2^nd grade.

August 27 – ordered new bedroom and living room furniture.  (Please ignore the blurriness).

King Size Bed (Dresser and Nightstand Not Shown)

Couch, Loveseat and Ottoman (Accent chair orderd in a print!)

August 28 – celebrated Heidi’s birthday.  Mild drama with Dan Ryan over decks, almost became homeless again….

Now there are a million and one other fun things mixed in there, but those are the majors.  I realize this list is completely boring to read, but I’m thinking of it more as therapy….typing is cheaper than sitting on the couch!!  Plus along the way some amazing friends (and husband) cheered me up with flowers, edible arrangements, spa giftcards, etc. 

September isn’t going to be much calmer, I can feel it now, but hopefully by October, we should be settling in our new place.  Through it all, I’m thankful for the madness…..this jungle is my life and I wouldn’t trade it…..

Beach Bums

The week of July 20-27, we ventured to Myrtle Beach, SC for a family vacation.  Keith and I thought about cancelling the trip because life has been so nuts, but we really wanted to take Perry somewhere fun and honestly we needed a break from reality.  We have some "extended family" who own a condo which makes our vacations SO much easier!!

During the planning phase we decided that we wanted to take someone along to have an extra set of eyes on the ocean and also so I would have someone to do girl stuff with lol.  The boys would rather be beaten up than be taken into a single store so we knew it was in everyone’s best interest to have another girl along to even out the estrogen/testosterone ratio. 

My friend, Beth aka Bethy, came along because she has been dying for a vacation and I knew she would be the perfect partner in crime for sand, surf and shopping. 

We drove through the night on Saturday and after some sleep/passing out, we got up to do grocery shopping and visit with my brother and sister in law who had driven up from their place in SC.  We all met for Mexican food and then we called it a night. 

The next day was BEACH DAY…..Scott and Jenn joined us for some sun and then they hit the road.  It was nice to see them, but I wish they could have stayed longer.  We got cleaned up a bit early and headed out for seafood.  YUM!! 

The rest of our time was filled with Broadway at the Beach, swimming, paddle boats, playing in the sand, relaxing, eating some amazing food and Keith and I even managed to squeeze in a date night thanks to our Perry-sitter. 

The week came to an end quickly, but we all came home a little less stressed and ready to go back again next year.  After all, I have to get my annual pic with my favorite condo cup!!

Lost and Found

Well, we lost our original house.  Amidst all of the madness, we decided to get a break from the real world and not cancel our family vacation to Myrtle Beach.  So after my sister’s bridal shower on July 20^th, we hit the road.  (Bridal shower and beach posts to come...)

On our third day there, we got the call.  When the realtor asks if you want the good news or the bad news first, that day of vacation automatically takes a downwards spiral. 

The good news:  Our town house appraised for the asking price….Hallelujah!!  After our ridiculously low appraisal at our refinance months earlier, we thought we didn’t have a chance. 

The bad news:  The sellers had accepted another offer on the house we were buying.  So I cried in the middle of a beach parking lot, pouted in the sand and stressed.  Keith went to work searching for new houses.  I did the grown up thing and immediately decided for the next 5 days, I was going to completely ignore our problem.  Best idea I’ve had in a while.

So, when we got back to town we had an evening full of house shopping scheduled.  The day before this could take place, Keith got sick….like really sick.  So he stayed home while I went to look at houses.  The house we were convinced was “The One” was a huge dump.  Cracked kitchen cabinets, poor handyman work and general cheapness sent us running.  One of the two houses at Pinecrest held potential but I hated the location and the two houses at Four Seasons were immediately ruled out (hello vertical driveways).  So I left even more disgusted.

After a chat on Facebook and some other random searches, I was lead back to two things I had 100% written off when we started the buying process: Dan Ryan and a townhouse.  Mark convinced us to go look at one and they were amazing.  Big, affordable, good location and new…..we left with a whole new outlook.  As we were pulling back into work after a lunch viewing, we got the call to look at our last potential.  It was beautiful but more expensive, bad location/roads, and some majorly squeaky floors.  That was the point where we decided we were done.  We put in an offer on the new townhouse. 

As of Monday August 5, we are officially under contract to buy our new place.  As soon as my townhouse closes later this month we can move forward with the financing and should be in by mid to late September.

I’m still disappointed over losing the original place.  It had a yard and was stand alone and had potential to be a forever home.  It wasn’t in an ideal location, but it worked for us.  The new place is a stepping stone toward a stand alone home…I’m trusting this is a case where God knows more of what we need than we do. 

The Details:

-End Unit

-Grey Siding, Black Accents

-3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath

-Decent back and side yard

Floor 1: Walk into a hallway, big closet, 1 car garage access and straight ahead is an unfinished section with laundry hook-ups and rough bathroom plumbing.

Floor 2: Kitchen, breakfast nook and dining room with hardwood, wrap around deck, living room, half bath

Floor 3: Large master bed and bath (soak tub and shower stall), walk in closet, 2 other bedrooms, extra bathroom