We are finally hitting the point where the majority of house decisions have been made and we are able to get a little more excited about the whole thing each time we inspect the building progress (HALLELUJAH! All that's left design-wise is the cabinets... then the electrical... then the landscaping...ok... still seems like a lot). It's such a nice feeling after all the stress of finding the perfect location, and then the stress of deciding on floor plans, and colors, and windows and... grout (really? There are different grouts? Oh, only about 500! And I get to make the decision in 5 seconds flat. Awesome!). Don't even get me started on the stucco decision process... oh the stucco (won't even get into how many different shades of poop green a normal looking sample of brown stucco can look like once it's on a house and not a swatch).
ANYWAY, point being... we are starting to enjoy the whole process a bit more the last few days as some of the big decisions wind down. :) We really feel like we've found the right place for us, and feel really blessed because we admittedly had some crazy criteria:
*Numero uno our list: we wanted our own little neck of the woods. As weird as it sounds, coming back from 5 years alone in D.C. I knew that we needed somewhere where we would be close enough to family and friends to get together easily and often, but still have our own space... our own ward... our own retreat. With sisters, friends and cousins all building like crazy, I didn't think it would happen (goodness, that could come across wrong! If you are a relative or friend who's recently built, you know I love you to pieces and love being around you, right? You get me and my odd quirks. I'm weird about my space... and just weird. So no offense taken? :)). CHECK. Our little neighborhood is the perfect haven, full of strangers, but still close enough to all our loved ones that we can enjoy them often.
*I didn't want to live in my old stomping grounds. I wanted a fresh location and adventure. CHECK. (Not sure I even knew Bluffdale existed when I was growing up. :))
*Brian needed a short commute. CHECK. (Although, anything seems short compared to the hour and a half in D.C.).
*We wanted it to have people having kiddos. CHECK. We've already met a few girls who are pregnant too... I think it will be baby land. And there was a good mix of older people too. You know how at home Brian and I felt on our Holland America Cruise? Loved it, and will love having older people around.
*We needed it to just feel right, and after weeks and weeks of looking, and checking out lots of awesome locations, were starting to doubt that could happen. But, CHECK. Something finally felt like it was just... it.
*Last, but not least, we needed it to be chuck full of BYU graduates and fans. Ha ha ha... ok, that was NOT a criteria, but it was pretty awesome to get called over to our neighbor's house the last time we were visiting the lot, and get introduced to all of our surrounding neighbors (seriously...a dessert party with like 20 people), all of which were connected to BYU in some way and sporting BYU grill covers. We're moving to Cougar Nation! :) (Not cool that I was in my pjs/lounge clothes, with absolutely no makeup on, rocking the 'I'm 8 months pregnant and starting to be really uncomfortable' look. Alas. Great first impression.)
To mellow out the perfection and keep us grounded, there are some downers... the big HOA fee, which we swore we'd never do... the 120 days from start to finish dragging out way past that (looks like we're looking at mid-November to move in)... interest rates climbing... making cabinet decisions... and did I mention the stucco? :) But all in all, I think, by Jove, we've done it! Or rather, been led to it... the perfect spot for us. (Keep your fingers crossed that I haven't spoken too soon...or jinxed us...)
Now, after all the blabber (sorry... I don't journal these days, so some of these turn into a record for me...)... some photos of the framing. It's coming right along! (And so is baby Lincoln! Look at that tummy!)
