Aaron's New Home

So this is the house we're closing on next week! So the yard needs some help. (But you can't judge a house by its yard!) :) And is that not an insane tree sitting in the front yard? It scares the daylights out of me! :) But we do like that it provides a lot of shade. The house is just what we need! It has four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a lovely living room, a formal dining room, a den with a fireplace (love fireplaces; they give a house that "homey" feel), an unfinished kitchen (will explain), a good-size laundry room, and a large backyard for playin'. The house is also one level, which is nice with kids. And, ideal location. Nice, quiet, tucked-away neighborhood just four minutes from two great shopping centers, featuring Outback Steakhouse, Target, Taco Bell, Home Depot, Super-duper WalMart (or whatever it's called!), UKROP'S!, Panera Bread, etc., etc. We'll also be close to a brand-spankin'-new libary (our new hang out), and Mike will have an easy-breezy 17-minute commute into the city - and that's IN rush-hour traffic. Also in a great school district. Location, location, location! We also found out our new neighbors have two boys under age 2. Playmates!

It's funny, I recently attended a pool party in what was probably the wealthiest neighborhood I've ever been in. When I pulled into the neighborhood, I said to myself, "Okay, are these houses? Because they look like museums." It truly resembled a museum district. "And that house, yeah, as big as the Smithsonian." I have never seen such outrageously big/stunning houses in my life - they exceeded the size of the homes I saw on my mission in a ridiculously wealthy area of California. So ... I get to this house/museum and go around back to find a gorgeous swimming pool with sparkling blue water, a full-size outdoor enclosed kitchen for entertaining, and a backyard that looks like a national park. I was just in awe! I was describing the house to Mike, and turns out he had actually been to it before.

Anyway, so I guess the point of my post today is that you can't judge a house by its size either. ;)

The outside of our home is actually quite deceiving; it's bigger than it looks. It has charm inside and lots of potential. Potential being the key word. It's a bit of a fixer, meaning we're having some work done before we even move in. Like having the kitchen finished. A man bought the house a year and a half ago to "flip" it - never even lived in the house - but decided to sell before he finished. So we got a good deal on the house, but we're having to put quite a bit into it, too. It will be so fun when it's done! And I'll be sure to post before-and-after pics as we finish the rooms. This will be a fun, character-building ( ... back-breaking ... ) project. :) I can't wait to get in there and decorate and give the house our own personal touch. Just needs some love ... Jenny love, that is! :) Mike's been really awesome and helpful with collecting estimates for work to be done. It'll be a fun, yet busy, month.

And to those of you who said the right house would come and that we'd know it when we saw it ... thanks. You were right!