Meet Zooey

It's absolutely ridiculous that Zooey was introduced into our lives this past July and this is my first post about her!  Trust me, she's gotten a lot of instagram coverage and Tank is in love with her already (whether its in a sisterly or girlfriend way is still TBD) but that doesn't explain why you're just now hearing about her!  No excuses, I'm the worst.

That aside, she is the cutest Boston Terrier and every time I'm around her it makes me itch for another one.  Don't worry, she doesn't have the same effect on Jake... yet.

I'm certainly going to miss her (and her sweet family) when we move, but have a week of watching her this November to look forward to!  I'm not the only one, Tank has grown extremely attached to her too and cries at the door any time he hears her or her name being called outside.  It's the cutest and saddest thing all at the same time.  His ears go up and he gets anxious when he hears her barking too.  Poor thing, I think he actually stresses when she's crying in her crate- a rare occurrence because she is quite the traveler.

What do you think, should we get another dog?  I mean clearly Tank is open to the idea.

inital home purchases

I'm sure this list will continue to grow, but I've been slowly but surely acquiring some things we'll need (mixed with some things that I want) for the new house!  It's so exciting to be purchasing things that will go into a permanent space and I'm trying to remember to pace myself.  Below are a few things I've snagged to date.

-Samsung refrigerator (obviously this had to make the top of the list)
-coral reef shower curtain... I haven't decided whether this will go in the hallway or master bath yet, but it will definitely have a home somewhere!

Coral Reef Shower Curtain from West Elm

-simple white curtains for the window in our front room

 Cotton Curtains from Pottery Barn

-antique china cabinet (which I'm in the process of refinishing)

-and paint!!!

Tattered Sail

 Barefoot Beach (in my current living room)

 The Harbor 

first home purchase

The house we're moving into has been completely flipped, which is a.m.a.z.i.n.g.  The only appliances it doesn't have are a washer and dryer, which we already own, and a refrigerator, which we definitely don't have and will desperately need.

That in mind, we factored that expense into our offer and have been extra conscious about setting the money aside for it to ensure one could be paid for and delivered by the time we move in.

Starting a few weeks ago we went price shopping just to get an idea and after stopping at a few places were advised to make a purchase Labor Day weekend when it was suggested that the sales would be really good.  In the time leading up to this weekend, we did our homework.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but this was a major purchase and something we have to use on a daily basis.  Add to the mix that we are totally new homeowners and don't have much experience with or opinions on appliance brands, etc.- up until now we haven't really had a choice in the matter.

Anyway... long story short, we ended up buying a refrigerator this weekend that we're both pretty excited about.  Surprisingly, it wasn't from Sears and was a style we hadn't originally planned for.  Not surprisingly, we went with a Samsung and it fell within the budget we set before leaving the house!  Jake loves a good value and this definitely was a steal!!!  I'll have to give you all a video tour and our review once it's set up and filled in our new place- I realize that may sound crazy but I'm a marketer down to my bones!

Samsung French Door Refrigerator

hurry up and wait

My life has been in a perpetual state of rushing around followed by waiting.  I'm not complaining, just sharing.

Obviously with buying a house it seems like every step falls into this pattern.  The various folks working toward our closing will tell us they need something, which we in turn run around to get, and then wait for what seems like forever for confirmation that things are good and we're moving onto to the next item on their list.  It's definitely been a learning process and apart from some obstacles, has been relatively stress-free.

First we had the surprise news that we needed to vacate our rental, which was eased when we found "the" house in our very next Saturday search.  Then we had some pre-approval hiccups, which were resolved in a way neither of us expected.  Our closing date was set for a week before our lease ends and we just heard that we only have to pay for rent up until the day we're completely moved out and ready to do our walk-through, even if that comes before the established lease end date.  The Lord is good and he's shown that over and over again during this time.