Welcome . . .

image via pinterest

As of this morning, Chip and I are officially homeowners! We closed on our house this morning and will be moving in this weekend - just as soon as we have a few updates made to the place and fresh paint on the walls!  

Last week I shared the exciting news that Chip and I were getting married, and we have less than six months to plan everything.  And to add to the craziness, we decided it was a great time to buy a house too!

Not really. . . but things just fell into place and we felt we just couldn't pass up this little charmer.  A little background for y'all.  I moved to DC back in September and moved into Chip's studio apartment (yes, I had to significantly downsize my closet situation) with the idea that we would stay here until things were a bit more settled (he was transitioning out of a role at work and I was transitioning to a new office). We gave ourselves till the end of the year and then would start to look for a place.  Well, over that time Chip had a few potential job offers that would have taken us out of the area, so we decided to hold off moving until we knew if those were viable options or not.  

After a few months of going back and forth, and living in 600 square feet together (what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, folks!) we decided that the DC area was going to be our home and we would plant roots here for the foreseeable future and go from there.  We both really liked this area and felt that both of us had great jobs and stability, so why not stay here and see how life turns out?  

Over Easter weekend, we went to an open house for a townhome in Arlington, Va.  For those who don't have a frame of reference to where this is to DC - it's about a 10 minute drive from downtown DC to the area we were looking.  So, we went in, looked around and just fell in love with the place.  It's at the end of a quiet road on a hill- super quiet.  That was what grabbed us from the start.  We spoke with the realtor and she advised us to look at a few other places.  We toured a few other homes, but kept going back to the townhome on the hill.  It needed a few updates (from my perspective), but for the most part, was move-in ready.  We saw a few other homes in the neighborhood that had been updated and although that was really enticing and ideal, you just couldn't beat the location and charm of this house.  

So, we made an offer on Easter night and it was accepted Monday afternoon!  I have never bought a house before, so I had no idea what we were getting in to and ALL the paperwork that goes into getting ready to close on a house.  From the stories I have heard from others, ours went pretty smoothly, so I can't complain.  

We are now at the house testing paint colors for the walls in the living room and bedrooms.  Who knew there were so many 'Whites?' Goodness! And for most of the week, we plan on doing a little bit of updating each day and moving things over when we can.  The movers come Saturday to move all the big stuff and we will officially be out of apartment living and in the new home! (Champagne will be involved here)  

I cannot wait to decorate our new home.  I have so many ideas for things that I need to rein it in a bit.  I can't wait to fill our new home with pieces that represent both Chip and me.  Stay tuned for fun updates, before and after pics, and design ideas.  

If you want to look, I have started a Pinterest page of lots of inspiration and ideas for our new home.  Some of them you just may see in the new house!