Everyday

We're finally getting settled in, and life is good. Here are a few random bits from the past week. A big fat mess of chords on my desk.
TRYING to get organized. It still needs some work, but it's getting there. It's funny because I was so excited about having an extra room for my office, but in the end, I actually set up in our loft area because it's got a nice, solid built-in desk with plenty of outlets and plenty of quiet.
This Voip video phone was actually a gift from the big boss. It's pretty darn cool, but the video part only works with other people who have video phones...so you all should get one! :) Come on, it's the wave of the future, right? My favorite part, however, is that we don't have to pay for a phone line because it's all through the internet. (VoIP="Voice-Over-Internet Protocol")
The view from our bedroom. I'm excited to see what these trees look like in a few weeks, but I'll miss the snow on the mountains.
I told you I'd get some color in that bathroom! :) And the last picture is from our date night Friday. Eric and I have a new agreement that, rather than argue over where we want to eat out, we're going to take turns making the decision. This week I chose Mai Thai, and it was so yummy. I got the pineapple fried rice with chicken & shrimp, and Eric got the drunken fried rice with steak. Both very different but both were delicious.

Dream Lender

Have I mentioned that we have the coolest lender? I just have to do a post dedicated to her because she's fabulous.

Proof of her awesomeness:

1. She has a lot of experience and is extremely knowledgable
   
   
2. She's very patient and will tell you all you need to know about the loan process (which is especially nice for first-time home buyers)
   
   
3. She drives almost the exact same car as us (she must be a smart woman)
   
   
4. She says it how it is.
   
   
5. She has a great sense of humor.
   
   
6. Since closing on our house, she's sent us, not 1, but 2 gift cards. A $40 gift card for Goodwood and a $10 gas card.

Eric and I both would recommend her in a heartbeat. So if any of you are in the market for a new home, let us know, and we'll give you all of her contact info. (And thank you Mom, for recommending her to us)

We've been fortunate to have so much help and advice from family over the past few months. My brother let us crash at his house, Eric's parents have been very generous in helping us get on our feet, my bros helped us move, Jason was our "entertainment" advisor, Sheri and Robbie were my decorating advisors, and so much more. Our family recommended a window blind company that's going to save us about 50% (blinds and installation will cost about as much as the blinds alone at Home Depot). Everything has just been soooo smooth.

We can't thank you all enough!

Our new pad (mostly furnished)

Master Bedroom. Eric has a love/hate relationship with that light (he hits his head on it daily). We should probably raise it before he takes a bat to it. We'll eventually get something on the walls above our bed. My favorite part, however, is not in the photo. There's a big bay window to the East where we can see snow-capped mountains and mature trees. We also have a little balcony.
Who would have thought that I would have wallpaper in my house? And I absolutely love it!
Ok, so I'm boring ("vanilla"). My mother-in-law would probably even tell you so. What can I say, I love my beiges, blacks and whites. BUT, I am trying to break out of my shell a bit and throw in an accent color here and there. Ok, so our master bath has a white shower curtain, off-white rug and tan towels that match the walls, but I have big plans for red roses or some such brightly colored plant on the sink. I will say, however, that I love our hookless shower curtain! And it comes with a liner that snaps in! Genius. :) And we're digging the high ceilings.
We sold our old couches so we could get these perdy little things. We had a few hesitations about how kid-friendly they would be. Apparently, we should have followed those intuitions. About 3 days after purchasing them, Eric dropped a blue pen right in the middle of the cushion leaving a nice mark. Before buying them, I was thinking to myself, leather's easy to clean right? The only things that might pose a problem are pens and permanent markers and I won't let our kids near the couches with them. I just forgot to enforce those rules with my husband. Luckily, after trying alcohol, purell, hairspray, and finally, nail polish remover, the mark is almost completely gone! Phew.
This house is so fun, and we feel really fortunate to be here. Eric wants me to add that the wallpapered bathroom looks much better in person. He thinks the picture looks "hideous." And he also wants me to add that the entire house is energy efficient! I didn't include any pictures of the office or the library/loft area because they're still a bit messy. And, for those of you planning to visit, we're currently accepting donations for the guest bedroom. :)

Obsession confessions

Moving is a funny thing; it has a way of revealing some of our obsessive quirks. For the record though, Eric totally has more than I do.
You know how some people collect stamps? Eric collects vitamins and meds. It seems like every time we go shopping he has to buy 2 things (whether we need them or not): 1. medication of some form and 2. (not pictured) cleaning supplies. He doesn't necessarily like to clean, but he loves to buy cleaning supplies.	I am obsessed with the THOUGHT of being clean and organized. It doesn't always work out that way, but I like to think that I have potential. Unfortunately, I think what I have is the opposite of potential. I start off ok (like here in our garage), but I assure you it will get worse.
Accessories. I have an addiction to home accessories. Eric teases me relentlessly over this one. I love flowers, plants, vases, art work, pillows, throws, vintage classic books, etc. It's a good thing I'm a minimalist or else we would have a problem on our hands.	Eric loves pens. I forgot, that's another item that always manages to creep into our grocery cart regardless of the lifelong supply we have at home. Eric could be the poster boy for BIC. It's funny because, despite our endless supply, he still gets all riled up whenever I try to use one of HIS pens. And if you're curious which ones are his, they're the yucky ones with the chewed caps.

All is well

It's unbelievable how smoothly this whole home buying process has gone for us. We haven't had to deal with any of the headaches that you always hear about with crazy builders/lenders/realtors/appraisals. In fact, we've been really happy with everyone we've worked with. By the way, if any of you need a great lender, let us know.

We just got our appraisal back, and everything was perfect! And they just put in the grass in our front yard! And more trees! I really love this little house. Eric and I both cannot wait to move in. In fact, we're in the process of trying to move up our closing date right now. It could be as soon as next Wed.!

Here's my first finished project for our new home (for my office...I can't believe I'm actually going to have an office!) - a framed 2010 calendar (20 x 20").

Come visit us! :)

Lately...

A few random moments from the past couple months...
My brother, Cortland, with 16 y/o daughter Cami & 10 y/o daughter Faith. Just a Sunday at home. Believe it or not, this wasn't staged! Although, they did have to freeze their "natural pose" while I ran to get my camera.
"And here we have Idaho..."	Eric, squeezing comfortably into Women's snow pants.
Ice Festival - McCall, Idaho
Note the space between their bums and the sled.
Future ladies man. Poor Braden. This was right after he crashed HARD but was being very brave.
The biggest cinnamon roll EVER. From the Pancake House in McCall. That's almost a whole cube of butter! And an icing moat.	And these last 2 pix are for Amy & Gregor...
We finally got to use our Chandler's gift card last night! And thank goodness b/c that place was spendy! But nice, and the food was delicious. You know it's a fancy restaurant when the WAITRESS gives you a long-stemmed rose after the meal. We were celebrating 2 things - Valentine's and (near) homeownership. Our closing date is March 5. We can't wait. I haven't gotten much sleep in the past few days.

Revision to La Casa post

Ok, so here's the actual townhome we're considering (#4 from previous post). They just posted brand new photos today. Fortunately, and unfortunately, it's the model home which means it has all of the upgrades (trim, lighting, granite counter tops, etc.) Obviously, we love all of those things, but it bumps the price a little bit. I'm just going to stop kidding myself and confess that this is definitely my favorite. *Update: We put an offer on today! and should know by tomorrow or Wed. if the owner accepts or counters. We've had a crazy day meeting with lenders, builders & realtors, but we're very excited! We recently took some family to check out the place and they really liked it so that's reassuring. We even did a sound test. It's always a risk living in a townhome, but my brother, Jason, went to the house next door and yelled his loudest and banged on the walls, and we literally heard nothing! A few more fun details about the house: It's pottery-barn inspired (which I love). Nice views from the back (from the master bedroom/balcony) of the mountains and trees. There is an I-pod docking station with surround sound. A 2-car garage, which will be heavenly (no more storage units and living out of a suitcase)! You know it's a winner when even your little neices and nephews love it. They were running around like crazy - finding all of the best hiding spots, etc. My nephew, Braden said, "This place is awesome! You've got to get it. It's got like 5 bathrooms!" *Update #2: We got it! They countered with a slightly higher asking price than our first offer, but they've agreed to all of our contingencies (closing costs, fridge, W/D, etc.).
Click to enlarge.

La Casa?

Ok, so it's no secret that I'm excited to jump into the next phase in life. Eric and I have been married for 6.5 yrs, and I think we're finally ready to consider buying our first home (more likely a townhome). Thank you Obama for easing us into this decision with the $8k First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. We don't even know if we qualify for anything yet, but these are the things I like to daydream about. I need your help though, which of these 4 options below is your favorite?

Option 1:
2 BR, 1 Bath - Downtown Boise! Same street as Eric's new job - just a few blocks away. I think it would be a blast to live downtown. (Random fact: I'm a sucker for little details like doors...)

Option 2: 3 BR, 3 Bath - Cute place, community pool, good location, but really close to a loud, busy street.
Option 3: 3 BR, 2.5 Bath - Huge! (for us anyway) Decent location. Cheapest. Least amount of character.
Option 4: 3 BR, 2.5 Bath - Our favorite! High quality, charming, smart everything! Unfortunately, it's also the most expensive. But still very reasonable if you ask me. By the way, this isn't the exact one we would buy. (different colors, lighting, finishes, etc.) And if we want, we can also customize one. That just means we'd really be pushing it for the tax credit AND we'd have to wait another 3-4 months for it to be built. :( Am I that patient?
Watchoo think?

He got the job!

Eric is now the newest First-Year Associate at a downtown Boise law firm. We're so excited. Eric can already tell that he's going to really enjoy the work environment there - which is a rare thing when it comes to firms. It may not carry as much name-recognition as some of the larger firms that Eric has been talking to, but the fact that it's a smaller boutique firm is also what appeals to us (it's not a "sweatshop firm"). We've heard nothing but great things about this firm. e.g. "One of the best to work for in Boise", great mentoring, reasonable hours, etc.