Tonight we're putting down a substantial amount of earnest money on a house. It took me almost three weeks to get warmed up to the idea because it's, well, scary. It took me longer to get accustomed to the idea than it did to get accustomed to the idea of getting married.

It all just happened to fall together. We weren't planning to do this until next spring, but hubby got bored one day and went to a real estate web site. We found a house that we thought we'd just love and decided that if it was *it*, then we'd do it. We saw it and it wasn't *it*. But the realtor WAS it. He just so happened to have recently sold a lot to a builder that was planning to build a house that sounded very much like what we wanted.

We went home that night and looked at floor plans at an online site, and didn't see anything that really met all of our needs. Just bits from one and pieces from another. The realtor faxed the floor plan to us the next day, and wouldn't you know it... it had EVERYTHING that we wanted. It was bigger than we had planned, but at least now we'll have bedrooms for our guests to stay in since we're going to be out in the boondocks.

We chewed on it for a good two weeks before deciding that yes, we must do this. We will never find anything more perfect for us. Besides the house being perfect, the lot is perfect. Lots of land (i.e.; lots of privacy), but no upkeep to speak of. Very VERY little lawn. The road up to our house (driveway) will be paved. There will be a courtyard turnaround in front of the house (for fire trucks... it's code..), maybe lawn in the middle.. maybe just an English garden. According to the city code, we have to have lots of certain types of plants to go with the salmon stream that is in the nature reserve abutting our home. The plants must attract birds and butterflies. OK by me.. no upkeep, plus the whole nature thing going on... The back of the house will have a small lawn probably... only for parties, but mostly surrounded by natural greenery. I plan to put up bird houses and feeders in the back, and maybe a greenhouse.

I can absolutely visualize us in this house. I can visualize myself planting my gardens in the spring. I can visualize looking off the balcony to the nature reserve next to our house. I can even visualize making some new friends in the neighborhoods next to us. It so happens that the realtor and his wife (whom we've met and like very much) and the builder live in the neighborhood to the left of the house.

Here are the lot and plans, if you're interested.




So, tonight we sign up for our new life.