Signed, Sealed, Delivered....It's Mine!

Sold!

Wahoo! After a month of paperwork and prepping, I am finally a home owner! I arrived to sign my papers on Friday morning at 9:00 and by 9:50, the keys were in my hand. It was a bit scary to enter the world of debt, but I have done my research carefully and am sure I can afford the home I bought. It is very exciting to know that I own a home that I can do anything I want to and that really is mine. (I'm sure I may feel differently when something major goes wrong!

My realtor was amazing and helped me with so many details. Kathy was always available to answer questions and guide me in the right direction. She was also incredibly generous towards me and gave me a huge tub of margarita fixings (glasses, mixes, salt, cookbooks, chips, salsa, even the tequila) and a very generous gift certificate to a teacher store.

I met many of my neighbors right away and they are welcoming, kind, and also interesting. One neighbor spends 6 months of the year in Congo (that is Congo in the continent of Africa) studying monkeys. My kiddy-corner neighbors go to the same church as my friend Luke's parents and they are amazing. They welcomed me by saying they were grateful to have another believer in the neighborhood-yet another way that God has woven this whole process together.

I spent the first day giving a few tours to friends, meeting Jessi and Ezekiel for a celebratory lunch, and then painting until 10pm with Courtney (thanks Courtney-you are an awesome friend and co-worker!) My mom came down yesterday and we did a lot of cleaning and some shopping for odds and ends (which really add up after a few aisles of Home Depot). I painted another room today and my sister is coming tonight to help with painting and some moving too. It helps that the new house is only 5 blocks away-I can move lots of stuff in a little time.

I've included a few pictures now, but will add more when I have the after pictures to show. Moving day is next Saturday (June 20th)-if you're bored, stop by and lend a hand!

My "yahoo" moment and a view of the front