Here Goes...

Well, this is something I have never done before, nor ever thought I would do. To be honest, the thought of sharing my thoughts on the internet is still slightly terrifying! But I am trying something new, and that is supposed to be a good thing right?! :)

Today is a big day for a few reasons(besides being the first blog post of my life)...

#1-Its my mom's birthday!

Photo courtesy of Candy's Photography

My mom is probably one of the biggest influences in my life up to this point. I have learned some of the most invaluable lessons of love, patience, and acceptance from her. She and my dad, raised us to be ourselves, and to be HAPPY being ourselves. She would always tell me that no matter what I chose to do with my life, or who I choose to spend my life with, as long as I was happy, she would be happy. This is something that you can not measure. What is happiness? What makes us happy? WHO makes us happy? I can honestly say that I AM happy! I have made a conscious effort to surround myself with people who make me happy, and I have a job where I have a chance to spread that happiness to others. At this time in my life, I have the BEST group of friends I have ever had, and I have a wonderful husband. They all will likely play a large roll in future posts :) I would say my Mom has plenty to be happy about on her Birthday, and plus I heard she is going to get a facial...how could that NOT make you happy?! More on the topic on family, friends, work, and happiness in posts to come!

Photo courtesy of Candy's Photography

My awesome family in the 90's :)

#2-My husband and I are taking another step towards owning our first home!

A little back story...

Photo courtesy of Candy's Photography

Jordan and I got married on July 22nd of this year. It was a blistering HOT day of absolute love and joy. One night after the excitement of the big day wore off, we both turned to each other and decided that NOW was the time to start looking for a home. We had planned to start our honeymoon TODAY, but noticed that the local housing market in Minneapolis was starting ramp up, and we did not want to miss the boat. We knew we would have a limited budget and wanted to try to get a home while the prices were still low. We had not bought our plane tickets or made any hotel reservations for the honeymoon yet so we had nothing holding us back. We thought to ourselves, we can take a honeymoon whenever we want right?! There are no rules for this, and to be frank, we didn't follow many of the "rules" for our wedding either :)

Photo courtesy of Candy's Photography

Our first step was to call my best friend Aundrea. She and her awesome beau Mike had just bought an adorable bungalow in South Minneapolis in March, so they were a great resource. You can see their home ownership blog here! They had a great Realtor, who they wanted to share with us :) We called Ben Trudeau, and got the ball rolling at the beginning of August. Fast forward through all the paperwork, and financials and we were looking at several homes a week. Jordan and I were thankfully on the same page with our home expectations...unlike a lot of the couples we saw on our new favorite show "House Hunters" :) We both work in hospitality, and have long/odd hours. That, coupled with the fact that neither of us are what I consider to be "handy", and that we were using an FHA loan, we were NOT looking for any sort of fixer. We saw probably 30 homes of all shapes, sizes and layouts. Can I just say, that people do STRANGE things in their homes! WHY you would put a toilet 1 inch from the shower, so you literally have to step OVER the toilet to access the shower is beyond me!

A few weeks ago, we walked into a house, that made us smile :) We could not help it! it was perfect for our lifestyle, and in a great location. BUT, it was a short sale, and a short with not one, but TWO mortgages. For those of you who are not familiar with this here is a good description of the process. That being said we decided, that we should go for it! We are not in a rush to get out of our current rental, and if we can score a great house for a great price, why not try, right?! So we met with Ben, and filled out the offer while sitting at the bar in the Restaurant were Jordan works (Pizzeria Lola), since he was in the middle of the 10 day work week and we did not want to wait. Oh, and if you have not eaten there..got to it! Delicious artisan wood-fired pizza...but I digress...

So long story story short, we are prepared to be in this for the long haul. To complicate things, the sale is being negotiated by a lawyer and the seller is requiring an inspection to be done prior to short sale approval,  which is abnormal. But our realtor has been incredibly helpful and has kept us informed and provided great insight in the process. Today is the inspection, and my stomach is filled with nerves and excitement. Nervous that he will find something wrong with the house, or that its in great shape and we fall more in love with it, only to find out in 3-6 months that the bank has not approved the short sale offer. But mostly excitement to see the house again, and to envision our future in the home!

I will leave you with a Dr. Suess Quote that Jordan and I used on our wedding programs, that describes the two of us and the life we are building together.

Phew! That wasn't so bad was it?