Things Are A-Changing

Matthew and I clocked about 10 hours in the car this past weekend.  This long road-trip gave us plenty of time to talk about several different topics.  One that kept coming up though - was how our life would change when we officially owned our own home. I thought it'd be cool to share a few of our favorites here:

1. No more dropping rent checks off - instead we get the added convenience of auto-pay.
2. If I decide that I simply cannot stand a wall paint color for ONE MORE second, I can repaint immediately.
3. I can sing show-tunes for as long and as loud as I'd like.
4. Matthew finally has a reason to buy a fancypants riding lawnmower.
5. Holidays will no longer mean being away from our home every weekend in December because we can host the family get-togethers.
6. I can finally start putting my Pinterest pinboard ideas to use!
7.  We might actually enjoy cooking and baking again because more than one person can be in the kitchen at one time.
8. Our refrigerator will have an ice maker! (Marking the first time I have ever had this luxury!)
9. Our cars get to become 'garage kept'
10. We no longer have an excuse for not decorating for holidays.
11.My collection of books can finally be in one place. (Right now, it's spread out across three different states at various houses)
12. I'll have a walk-in closet.. and no more explanation for that is needed.
13. NO MORE STREET PARKING! (!!!)
14. We get the confidence that comes with knowing that we do OWN our house.. This is huge.

I will share one more BIG thing that will change for us!  For the past several years, Matthew and I have wanted a dog. We both grew up in homes with pets and it's certainly been strange not having a few running around the house. When we put the word out that we were building a home and wanted dogs - our families certainly delivered and found us two furry friends that will be living with us in our new home!

This is Esma:

She spent the first 5 years of her life in training to be a Seeing Eye dog.  Because she was so amazing, she was chosen join the breeding program and gave birth to many puppies that are now giving independence to people experiencing the loss of sight. She's playful, adorable, and such a sweet girl! We can't wait to have her with us! :-)


We are also 'adopting' a 2 year old English Lab named Duke. One of Matt's close childhood friend purchased Duke to aid him in his duck-hunting adventures.  2 dogs and many children have proven to be a handful for his friend though, so Duke will be joining our household to be spoiled with attention and trips to Pet Smart. So exciting! :-) I don't have an updated picture of him yet, but he's super cute.