Time For A Change

There are times when I can be somewhat impulsive. Exhibit A: Shandi. I was sitting on the couch one day, reading "Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul". Given my love of animals, I was bawling my eyes out. At one point, I set down the book, walked into our bedroom where Mike was napping, poked him in the side and said, "Get up. I want to go get a dog". That afternoon, we went down to the SPCA and picked out Shandi. High fives to the fact she turned out to be the world's greatest dog.

Exhibit B: that other goddamn dog. In November '07, I got the bright idea to add another dog to the household (since Shandi was so wonderful). You can read about how well that idea panned out here. Since that time, Jazz was passed on to yet another home so I don't feel so bad about not being able to handle her.

My latest prize that my eyes are on? A new house. It started off innocently enough...Mike and I were laying in bed one morning and I asked Mike if I could repaint the master bedroom. He said, "What colour?". I said, "Purple". He said, "Hell no". I said, "Fine. I want a new house". Two weeks later, we're starting the process of putting in an offer and getting our house ready to sell.

Obviously, when we're talking about spending thousands of dollars, impulsivity gives way to smarter thinking and financial planning. All of that was wrapped up today and now it's just a matter of putting the finishing touches on our house to up the sale appeal (and also to get the most we can for this place).

The house we are looking at is in one of the more frou-frou-y neighbourhoods in PA. Mike has always expressed a desire to live there, but I never wanted to. I didn't want to have to keep up with the Jones' with having the best lawn and the nicest vehicles. And I thought all the houses were just cookie cutter styles and all exactly the same. After being in this house for four years, I've come to realize there are definite pros to living in one of the better neighbourhoods (for one, you get away from having rental houses on your street, complete with the partying teenagers and their little cars with loud stereos).

The house we are looking definitely needs some aesthetic work. The carpet is pink. And the upstairs bedrooms' paint jobs are atrocious. And the hardwood in the kitchen is scuffed. And the cupboards are peeling. But these are all things that can be changed over time. What cannot be changed are the two things I love love love about the house - its location and its layout.

The house is one house away from the street that Katelyn's future elementary school is on. This means she (and any subsequent siblings) will be able to walk to school. All year. At a manned (or womanned) school crossing. The house sits on the a corner so we're not totally surrounded by neighbours looking in our backyard. Across the street from us, we look at the side of a house, not staring into someone else's driveway.

As for its layout, it is perfect in my eyes. It is a two storey house with four bedrooms upstairs. The master bedroom runs the entire width of the house, has 9 foot ceilings, a bay window, a huge walk-in closet and a full ensuite (complete with tub). The main level has a living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, family room, half bathroom and laundry. The basement is one large room with a full bath and a storage room. Did I mention I love love love the house? Needless to say, before we'd even looked at the house, I was already re-decorating it in my mind. When I want something, nine times out of ten, I get it. I love that about my life :-) Stay tuned for further developments!