I realize I haven’t been posting much in the past week or two, but I have a good excuse (beyond the fact that I’ve been super-busy packing everything we own into cardboard boxes, trying to do and see all kinds of things for the last time, and generally takin care of business): My blog was actually down for a couple of days. I think. I blame the fact that I was slow to update my version of the WordPress software. And the fact that when I tried to do so, everything went all buggy on me for a day or two. Should be all functioning properly now, methinks.

Anyhoo, hows about a quick catch-up? Things that have happened since my last post:

• The house got inspected
• The seller agreed to fix everything the inspector recommended fixing (including the A/C, woohoo!)
• We bought new (used) bikes because our new house is actually close enough to things (like school and work) that we can bike to and fro
• Made two trips to Jacksonville so Ben could get dental work done at my mom’s office
• Decided to throw ourselves a going-away party this Saturday
• Did NOT sell 90% of the stuff we listed on Craigslist
• Began to feel frantic that there isn’t enough time to do everything we need or want to do in the next week

Here’s a picture of our rad bikes (taken with my lovely new iPhone (: ).

Now back to the endless packing!

A definite improvement (see here for the “before”). Ended up having to cut a chunk out of the drywall to get the color matched. But I patched it well (it was just below the toilet paper there), see? And of course, even after I had the paint right, I didn’t have the right screws to hang the towel racks, so a potentially under-an-hour project dragged into THREE DAYS. (And yes, I know, again with the blurry pictures. But it gets the idea across, so lay off! :))

I should have expected this. It is Monday, after all. But I’m unemployed! Mondays aren’t supposed to mean squat for me anymore. Just a day like any other day. Oh, how I wish it were so.

First, a bit of background. (Warning: this story involves lots of parentheticals, power tools, my bathroom — but no bathroom-related bodily functions — and multiple trips to Home Depot, may result in an overdose of shades of teal, and ends with me needing a ginormous glass of wine. It is, however, a story that is quasi-crafty, if only in that it involves DIY home improvement…and a ginormous glass of wine.)  Continue reading →

This week has not only been jampacked with milestones such as putting in our first contract on a house, having said contract accepted (on the first try!), filling out/signing 80 bazillion pages of mortgage application stuff, and **almost** getting iPhones (since we are not insane and didn’t get to the store at 6 a.m., we ended up having to order them*), it’s also been a week of shelling out some major cash. A $500 “earnest money deposit” (if the sellers could just see our giddy faces they’d have no question about whether we’re in earnest) here, a $400 appraisal fee there, a $250 home inspection charge there … it adds up fast. Not to mention the moving truck reservation that’s gonna run us close to $800 (amazingly, the cheapest deal available by far). I’m trying hard not to feel like these expenditures are wasteful or extravagant, since this IS what we’ve been scrimping and saving for for so long. I’m trying to see this as the fruition of all that saving — the best use for that stimulus package and whatnot. Which it is. But my thrifty side (which is like 3 sides of me, assuming I have 4 sides) never ceases to cringe at the sight of our account balance shrinking. Sigh. I really need to get over this. Hopefully I won’t feel so bereaved when we actually close on the house (August 8!!) and write the biggest check of our lives. Because then we’ll actually have something to show for all the savings-spending. A freaking house.

* Said iPhones are not part of the big spending. Various generous and good-looking family members have chipped in to get them for us as birthday (me) and graduation (Ben) gifts. Yay!

Happenings in the past 24-ish hours:

• Ben got the job
• We got pre-approved for a mortgage
• We submitted a formal offer for the house
• Freaked out slightly cause we found out there was another offer on the table
• They accepted our offer!

Still a lot of details to iron out, but everything’s falling into place, it seems. Holy freaking crap. We are going to be homeowners. Woooohooooooo!!!

Thanks everyone for the good thoughts/prayers/what-have-you! I wouldn’t complain if you kept it up until the closing goes through, though.

Ahoy hoy, good readers! I’ve missed you in my absence — despite the lovely feeling of being completely non-Internet-connected for a full week, I did occasionally wonder “What’s going on in the lives of my blogging buddies” … and then I went back to tending the campfire or mentally arranging furniture in our (we hope) new house or opening birthday gifts or eating shrimp kebabs or sleeping in. Heehee. I’m sure you understand. The short version of the past week: we drove; we camped; we ate copious amounts of hot dogs; we found the perfect house; Ben probably got a job but is waiting on the formal offer; we fell in love with Richmond; I got older; I ate lots of sorbet, frozen custard, and Italian ice; I am continuing to celebrate my unemployment with hours spent in the pool reading. Here’s a picture, then after the jump, an in-depth account (and more photos) of our trip to Richmond, my birthday and whatever else I’ve been doing other than being a good blogger.

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