Turn that Frown Upside-down

Ok, I'm coming out of my dark hole.  Feeling better, good almost.  Part of it is due to some nightmares I had last night where Mr. Molly wanted to pull out of buying the Dream House and divorce me because of my bad attitude.  The other part of it is because the closing is currently scheduled for 4pm on June 29th and that's only 29 days away.  Less than 30 baby!!

We re-arranged the furniture in the AH so that they kids have "playroom" now, which is separate from the "adult living space".  We also put the dining table in the kitchen making it a little cramped but so much easier to clean up after my piglets little boys.  Finally, I am really enjoying the AT&T uverse cable.  The DVR is incredible.  Unfortunately we can't get AT&T uverse at the Dream House so it will be back to good 'ole Insight when we get there.

I'm going to take the boys to the zoo on Saturday since they will be bummed at the seasonally appropriate weather that is too cold for swimming.  I love the zoo so I'm really looking forward to that.

Dream #3

Last night I had a dream about Jim and Cindy.  This what I am naming the current owners of Dream House.  If you get the 90210 reference then you win a cookie.

Jim and Cindy didn't do anything weird in the dream.  We were in dream house walking around, it was 1/2 packed (maybe it was the final walk through or something) and Jim was sitting on his couch.  He told me that he was challenging the appraisal because he felt that the features in the house warranted a higher value.  I was like "have at it" because that only helps me in the long run. 

Cindy told me she was really sad to be leaving the house.  I told her I could relate and that we were so happy to be moving in and we appreciated them taking such good care of it.

Then Cindy asked me if I would help her look for her new house since we obviously have similar taste.  I don't know why she would have asked me that since she is looking at houses 2,000 miles away.  But we were looking at our calendars figuring out when we could get together and I noticed on her calendar that she had the closing of Dream House scheduled for the 24th.  Premonition???????  Probably not since the 24th is a Sunday.

So somehow we ended up on a plane, me and Mr. Molly in one row and behind us Jim and Cindy.  Except it was weird that Jim and Cindy were acting like they didn't know us.  They kept saying "you two look familiar."  

I think this last part stems from when Mr. Molly and I took a walk by Dream House recently and Cindy was in the front dining room window working on homework with her son.  She looked at us and we looked at her and then I freaked that she recognized us and would think we were stalkers (which we are).  Mr. Molly said it's unlikely that she would recognize us as the buyers but she might think we looked familiar.

According to the contract the closing needs to be "on or before" the 30th with "possession 5 days after closing."  Since the 30th is a Saturday, the 29th is the latest we can close, which means we would get possession on July 4th.

The Bed

I hate the bed at the AH.  Like, it makes me really angry.

It is supposed to be a queen but it feels like a double.  It's not only small width wise but short too, and my feet always hang off the end.  The sheets and pillowcases are scratchy/rough and the pillow is horrible.  The comforter is ugly motel-style and rough feeling.  And the thing is creaky.

When I lay down in the bed to go to sleep I just lay there.  I can't get comfortable and I can't stop my mind.  I start to feel panicky about how I can't sleep and I'm going to be tired and cranky the next day.  I start to have anxiety and I get this horrible feeling like I"m choking on my own air.  I get short of breath and start swallowing air and clenching my jaw.  I blame the bed.

That thing looks innocent but it's not. 

Especially when you are used to this:

I'm not quite sure why I'm so stressed.  I guess I'm just not cut out for apartment living.  I pretty much hate it.  It doesn't feel like home at all to me.  I thought that it would be great to not have to bring anything but our clothes but in reality I just feel like I'm using someone else's stuff.  Someone else's cups, plates, couch, shower....

Plus, the pool was supposed to be the best part about this whole temporary living thing.  Guess what? It's totally not.  If it was a weekend morning it would probably be hunky-dory.  However, around 1pm the smell of desperation starts to set in.  I expected young hot single 20-somethings looking to mingle.  Instead it's desperately divorced single 30-somethings who look like they've lived a hard life.  They smoke and drink not only in the pool area but in the street outside our unit.  They play loud music and yell obscenities at each other.  The other day Mr. Molly witnessed 2 grown drunk men wrestling.  It's like we live at Animal House.  Totally not appropriate for my little munchkins to be jumping in with their water wings next to these desperadoes.

So basically RL better set my closing date this week or I'm going to freak out.

Vaca

I'm heading down to Molly's Parents house to pick up my babies and get my hair did and go to a swanky graduation party in an 11,000+ sq foot house.  Don't worry, I'll be back with a vengeance on Monday Tuesday. 

And don't get any ideas about raiding the AH while I'm gone.  Mr. Molly will be there all weekend keeping an eye on the hot 20-somethings at the pool things.

Up 2.4

Since my last weigh in on 5/3/12 I gained 2.4lbs.  According to RL when someone moves they lose 5lbs so I guess that really means I gained 7.4lbs.  I can actually believe it.  During that time I had my BIRTHDAY and my BFF visit so those two events can easily equal 7lbs.

Back on the bandwagon this week.  Well.. maybe after Memorial Day.  I love my mamma's ribs.

42 Days

And so the countdown begins.  42 days (at the most) until we move into Dream House. 

I was planning to get more "settled" in the AH last night but I got last minute invited to the LMFAO concert so that didn't happen.  I really want to get it all set up for when the boys come back on Monday.  I'm nervous about them coming back and being confused.  We have tried to play up the AH but it's not as cool as our old house, Molly's parents' house, or Dream House so I don't know what they will think.  I also don't think they will understand that we can't go back to the old house.  They are only 4yrs old after all.

So the big question is, how much stalking will I do of the old house?  Poor Mr. Molly.  He felt so bad that the grass had burned up a little b/c we've had no rain and he couldn't water b/c the hoses were packed.  He told Jack last night when he turned over the keys and Jack said "It's no big deal, I'm not the kind of guy who needs a green lawn."  WTF Jack??? Way to break Mr. Molly's heart.  He worked so very hard on that grass.

Jack also asked Mr. Molly if he could keep the garbage can outside of the garage.  This is a no-no with the association but just the fact that he asked made us think that they are not going to take as good of care of the house as we did and that is kind of sad.  They are going to keep the front room as a playroom.  I wonder if they will paint over the balloons that Molly's Mom freehand painted on the walls.

I'm sure I'll get reports from my neighbor friends in front and back of the house.  But I will also do many drive-bys in the next 42 days (and probably beyond).  Dream House is exactly 2.87 miles from our old house.  AH is exactly 1.35 miles from our old house.

Keys

Sadness is setting in today.



Move #1 Complete

I'm writing this post from my new home, the Adventure House (AH).  Otherwise known as, temporary apartment living.  This temporary apartment living is really a very interesting thing.  It's like living in a hotel, except not.  But I'm getting ahead of myself....

The 3 movers showed up a little before 9am this morning.  They brought 2 trucks and they were super nice.  They loaded our stuff from the house into these wooden boxes that were in the trucks and then they will move the wooden boxes into their storage facility.  Darrel, AJ, and Tom were professional, polite, efficient, conscientious, and just seemed like all around nice guys.  Exactly who you would want to be in charge of all your worldly possessions.

So they packed the truck until about 3:30pm and then they drove away and Mr. Molly and I just looked at each other like "what now?"  So we finished packing our cars with stuff for the AH and we drove over here.  They handed us the keys and we walked into our new house (for the next 6 weeks).

There are pros and cons of temporary living at AH. 

Pros:

• No responsibilities.  (except keeping kids alive - that one never goes away)  No bills, small place so no cleaning, no lawn to take care of, no one cares if you mess stuff up, it's an apartment.
• All you have to move is your clothes and toiletries (and the kids toys - those things never go away either)  The AH has everything you could need including sheets, towels, a billion pillows, flat screen TVs, wireless Internet, plates, cutlery, an ironing board (ha, like I need that!), and even hangers in the closets.  It is basically a hotel.
• It is basically a hotel.  They even put little tiny shampoo and conditioner in the showers.  Like one tiny shampoo would tame Molly's hair for 6 weeks.  But it's a nice gesture.  There were 2 rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom. 
• Pool.  About 20 steps away from our front door is a pool.  Enough said.
• Fitness center.  About 15 steps away from our front door is a gym.  Enough said.
• Spacious. For an apartment.  It's 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths.  There is plenty of space for the 4 of us for 6 weeks. 
• Satellite TV including THE GAME SHOW NETWORK.  My absolute favorite channel.
• It has a very nice shower in the master bath.

Cons:

• It's not the dream house.
• No DVR
• It's not the dream house.
• Small master closet.
• It's not the dream house.
• One sink in the master bath.
• It's not the dream house.
• Feel like we are in a fishbowl.  The actual location of the unit is right in the front of the complex so literally every person who comes in drives by our kitchenette window.  It's also across the street from the pool so every person who goes there can see straight in our kitchen with the blinds open. 
• It's not the dream house.
• Busy street so kids can't ride bikes.
• It's not the dream house.
• Have to park outside.

45 DAYS TILL WE MOVE FOR THE LAST TIME.

P.S. Tomorrow we met Jack and Jill at the old house at 7pm to "hand over the keys." 
P.P.S.  Only 3.5 work days this week and then 3.5 days off again.  So that's good.
P.P.P.S. Our loan was approved and Dream House appraised for $10k more than the selling price.  So that's good.

Lost and Found

The process of packing up all our worldly belongings caused us to find many items that have been missing for some time.  For example:

• Mr. Molly's spare car keys.  Would have been helpful a couple of months ago when Molly's dad locked himself out of Mr. Molly's car and had to have someone come and open it.
• The power cord to the video camera.  Luckily in this day and age you can just use your phone as a video camera, but I really missed being able to use our real one.  Now we can watch all the old movies we took when the boys were little!
• Toys, toys, toys.  So many random little pieces of toys.  It's like they mate with the dust bunnies and multiply.
• My "cash for gold" jewelry I was planning to sell the next time someone invited me to a "cash for gold" party (which, by the way has never happened).
• Huge stash of Mr. Molly's grandma's crystal.  Now this was never lost, but I had a lot of it displayed in my china cabinet and I forgot I had a whole additional box full in my basement.  Such beautiful gorgeous crystal.  I can't WAIT to display it in my new dining room.
• One John Deere Christmas ornament and one plastic plate holder stuck in the crumpled up paper in a box that someone gave me that she had gotten from someone else.  I gave them to Goodwill.
• Lots and lots of expired food and medicine.  I gave them to the dumpster at the Adventure House.
• My preserved wedding dress.  Again, not lost but it was fun to pull the box out of the bag and look at the beautiful dress through the little plastic window.  That was $385 well spent.  /sarcasm
• The remote control and instruction manual to a DVD/VCR combo that we threw out years ago.
• Cowgirl hat.  That I got at my bridal shower.  Yes, I married a Texan.
• Molly's mom's handkerchief she used at her wedding. 

Not found yet:  My sunglasses. 

Last seen:  When BFF was visiting 2 weekends ago.

Outlook: Not good

All Packed Up and Nowhere to Go

Thanks to the amazing wonder powers of Molly's parents, we are pretty much completely packed and it is Saturday evening.  The moving truck comes Monday at 8am. 

I only have major electronics left (this computer I'm typing on, the printer, the stereo) and little electronics (alarm clock, phones).  Then just the last minute stuff, of which there really is not much.  Our car is even partially packed to go to the apartment (which we can't get into until 4pm on Monday). 

So now I basically just sit here and wait.  My kids are at Molly's Parents house in another state.  So I guess I will do some work clear out all the shows on my DVR.

P.S. I still LOVE packing.  The past 3 days have not changed my mind about that at all.

My name is Molly, and I love packing.

"Hiiiiiiii Molly."

It seems like if you admit that you love packing people look at you like you should be sent to the loony bin. 

Well guess what?  I'm out and proud.  I.  Love.  Packing.

The feeling of putting everything you own into tightly sealed and well-labeled boxes gives me great joy.

I know you skeptics out there are saying, "Of COURSE she loves packing.  She goes to work all day and Molly's Parents pack all the boxes while she is gone."

Well, that is kind of true.  They do pack boxes while I'm gone (for 3 of 5 work days this week) but the full truth is I would MUCH rather be here packing the boxes. 

It's so exciting to me.  Everything goes in a box and then VOILA (in 6 weeks) it shows up at Dream House ready to roll.  The boxes all say what room they go to thanks to my awesome moving tape and everything is neat and organized.  I think the hardest part will be at the end when you have lots of bits and pieces that aren't already organized and you have to kind of throw them together in an unorganized way.  But right now it's pretty sweet.  All the work we did back in March to stage the house definitely helps.

We have to separate everything into what goes into storage and what goes to the "Adventure House (AH)"  This is what we are calling the apartment, mostly for the sake of the kids.  It does have a pool across the street so to them it will be a most excellent adventure.

Technically the AH is fully furnished and all we need to bring is our clothes.  That's how they advertise it, but it's not really true.  You also have to bring your toiletries, your kid's toys, your kid's sleeping devices, your medicine, your important documents, your iPad and laptops, and all the food and liquids that the moving company won't put in storage.

So everything they say about "it's so great, you don't have to move twice!" is only kind of true.  It's just a baby move.  As my 24yr old employee who is about to move into his first house would say "it all fits in my car."

Inspection Period Complete

The sellers of Dream House accepted all of our "Requests to Remedy" with no negotiation at all!

Happy Mother's Day and Birthday to me!

So things are moving right along (as Kermie and Fozzie would say) this week. 

Today is the FINAL WALK THROUGH on our current house.  I hope Jack and Jill love their new radon mitigation system. 

Thursday is the CLOSING on our current house. 

Saturday or Sunday the kids will say goodbye to the only house they've ever known and head to Molly's Parents house for an extended vacation.

Monday the moving men come and take it all away to storage and we start our adventure in apartment living.

P.S. Trying to set up RL with Molly's Mom because 1) I think they would be great friends and 2) I think they could actually work together if Molly's Mom ever moves here.

Inspection Round #2

So we had the inspection on Dream House on Wednesday morning.  I got to spend 4 hours in the house and when I walked out of it I loved it 10 times more than the first 2 times I had been in it... if that is even possible.

Nothing major went on in the inspection, so that was a good thing.  We submitted our "Request to Remedy" yesterday and now (according to the contract) there are 3 days for us to work out an agreement.  I'm stressing a little bit b/c they haven't gotten back to us yet.  Once it becomes the weekend it's harder for us to get the signatures scanned and sent electronically.  Especially since we are going out of town this weekend. 

Before you say anything - I know it's stupid to go out of town when you are moving in less than 2 weeks and haven't packed a box yet.  But it's my Birthday and Mother's Day and this was planned before we even put our house on the market. 

Here's some things I noticed about the Dream House that I hadn't noticed before (or paid too much attention to):

• There are speakers in the ceilings in the kitchen and other rooms.  I suspect they are hooked up to some central system.  Not sure if it is still functional but if it is that's kind of cool.
• No official pantry in the kitchen.  Lots of cabinets though so not a huge deal.
• The kids rooms also have built ins in the closets.... soooo nice!  I thought it was just the walk in closets in the master and the guest suite but it's all the bedrooms!
• The master bath has little towel holders mounted to the wall.  This is so cool b/c you don't have to take up room on your counter for towels.  There are also 2 awesome chandelier type light fixtures in the master bath and the shower has like 5 nozzles and a rain shower thing.  The jets in the jacuzzi work too.  I may actually never leave the bathroom.
• The crawl space in the basement is seriously huge.  It runs the entire length of the house and in the back you can stand up in it.
• There are SIX cable outlets in the basement.  SIX.
• There are 2 a/c units and 2 furnaces and a 75g water tank and a humidifier hooked up to the furnace.
• There is a back up battery on the sump pump.
• The roof is only 4-5 yrs old.
• You can walk to a huge pond from our house in like 2 minutes.
• The current owners have a huge golden retriever dog.  They hid it so well that I never even considered they had a pet.
• The double ovens are actually 1 oven and one micro/oven.  I never noticed that there is not an official microwave, just a "micro-oven."
• There's a big closet in the basement that I didn't notice before.
• Two things that I wonder if they will leave: a huge trampoline hiding behind the pine trees in the backyard; and a portable fire pit on the patio.

The First of the Lasts

Today was the last time my cleaning lady (CL) will clean the house with furniture in it. 

CL has been with us for about 5 years, maybe a little longer, and she has seen LOTS of changes in this house.  When she first started with us we didn't have a lot of furniture (kind of like how the dream house will be for a while) and we didn't use 1/2 our house. 

The front room was an office and we had 2 full guest rooms and I honestly have no idea what we did with the 3rd room.  Was there a futon in it?  Dear Lord.

Since then we have been invaded by little boys and we now use every freakin' inch of this house and then some.  A couple rooms have been redone and redecorated.  Furniture has been purchased and rearranged.  And everything looks a lot more lived in.

CL is sentimental about the house too.  And probably apprehensive about going from cleaning 2100 sq ft to 4500+ sq ft.  But she is a good sport.  She is going on this adventure with us. 

So CL cleaned the house with our belongings in it for the last time.  She'll be back to do a "move out clean" but this was the first of the lasts.

Actually, I'll take that back.  A couple weeks ago was the last time Mr. Molly's parents will visit this house.  And last weekend was the last time BFF will see it.

So actually CL was the 3rd of the lasts.  Oh well... they will start coming fast and furious now.  I'm so very happy that we have something amazing to look forward to, otherwise this would be seriously depressing.

Updated: Did You Know?

Did you know you can reserve a PO Box online?

Did you know it costs $282 to ship a beautiful rug that you had in your bedroom as a child to your BFF to use in her precious daughter's bedroom?  Note to self: get another quote
Update:  Those shipping people are bogus.  UPS did it for $24.  What can BROWN do for you?  If you knew BFF you would know how appropriate that whole situation is.

(exact rug not shown)

Did you know you have to move everything in your basement 1.5ft away from the wall to get your Radon mitigated?

Did you know spiders are scary and it will give you nightmares all night long if you see one on your child's bedroom wall followed immediately by a huge black ant on your bathroom floor?

Did you know UHaul makes this AWESOME tape for sealing up your moving boxes?

Did you know 4 year olds don't really understand moving and that when you show them what will be their new room they think the bed and the stuffed animal on the bed come with the house thus forcing you to buy a stuffed alligator so they don't hate their new house?

Did you know my birthday is on Monday and I was born on Mother's Day back in 1978?

It's that many candles x 3 - 2

Appraisal and Feedback

Our current house (known to my kids as "Our Old House") appraised for at least the selling price.  Woo Hoo!

Part of why that came to be is due to the fabulous work that Mr. Molly and Molly's Parents did to get the house "sale ready."  All that work is reflected in the showing feedback we got during the one week that the house was on the market. 

Here is a summary:

Friday, Apr 13, 2012 6:15 PM-7:15 PM

SHOWING TYPE & RESULT: Showing / Setup
SHOWING AGENT: KRISTEN KEYS
SECOND SHOWING? No

FEEDBACK:
Home already in contract, thanks!

Friday, Apr 13, 2012 5:30 PM-6:30 PM

SHOWING TYPE & RESULT: Showing / Setup
SHOWING AGENT: SANDRA LAING
SECOND SHOWING? No

FEEDBACK:
Did not show as was told it went into contract and Sellers did not want to continue showings.

Thursday, Apr 12, 2012 11:00 AM-12:00 PM

SHOWING TYPE & RESULT: Showing / Setup
SHOWING AGENT: RICHARD LEMMONS
SECOND SHOWING? No

FEEDBACK:
My buyers are relocating from Louisville and have a house to sell. Her comment was "This house wont be available by the time we are ready to buy!" Great staging

Wednesday, Apr 11, 2012 10:30 AM-11:30 AM

SHOWING TYPE & RESULT: Preview / Setup
SHOWING AGENT: MARY CAMPBELL STAEBLER
SECOND SHOWING? No

FEEDBACK:
Immaculate, sharp decor, pretty wood floors, staged extremely well. It's a "maybe"---it could possibly be a bit too small for my buyers, but it is really cute. If they don't choose to see it, I will keep it in mind for others. Thank you for the preview! Mary

Tuesday, Apr 10, 2012 10:30 AM-11:30 AM

SHOWING TYPE & RESULT: Showing / Setup
SHOWING AGENT: SUSAN BERG
SECOND SHOWING? No

FEEDBACK:
Did not like yard. House showed nice.

Tuesday, Apr 10, 2012 8:30 AM-9:30 AM

SHOWING TYPE & RESULT: Showing / Setup
SHOWING AGENT: HARLEY HAAS
SECOND SHOWING? No

FEEDBACK:
Your new listing has further confused our buyers. They had two homes in this price range they were considering but now have three as this new listing showed very well. We are meeting them at 5:30 this evening to further discuss and prepare an offer on one of them. One has a much nicer back yard and finished basement, another has a larger interior and the other is nice but is just priced better although I think that one just fell to 3rd place. How flexible could the sellers here be on possession? would it be possible in 5-6 weeks if we come to terms? This and pricing may sway them towards one or the other. Please let us know.

Monday, Apr 9, 2012 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

SHOWING TYPE & RESULT: Showing / Rescheduled by Agent
SHOWING AGENT: FRAN GREENBERG
SECOND SHOWING? No

FEEDBACK:
Very nice and clean home, but a little above their price range. They looked at 6 homes and they need to make a decision.

Checked Off

I need a moving checklist.  Maybe this is something RL or BFF can provide.  I know there are a billion things to do and I love lists.  Here's what I got checked off this week:

• Go into contract on dream house
• Schedule inspection for dream house
• View apartments for temporary housing
• Sign lease on apartment (3brdm/2bath furnished townhome at $3350/mo - blech)
• Get estimates from 2 movers
• Schedule mover
• Get estimate for Radon Mitigation System installation and sump pump replacement on current house
• Schedule RMS installation and sump pump replacement
• Get current house appraised
• Get all neccesary documents to mortgage company to lock in intrest rate for dream house
• Schedule closing on current house
• Start collecting newspapers to assist with packing

Not related to moving:

• Work (only marginally accomplished this one)
• Keep kids alive
• Provide dinner each night
• Lose weight (down 2lbs this week!!)
• Take kids to music class
• Get hair cut
• Change sheets for BFF's visit
• Get pack and play and whole milk for BFF's precious baby girl
• Watch New Girl

Pinch Me

Here is the description (some names have been changed):

This spectacular home in the Stepford Country Club offers 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and approximately 4,589 square feet of living space. You will find luxurious details throughout this home that is awash in natural light all year round!

Step into the elegant entry that is flanked by a study with French doors and beautiful dining room accented by pillars. The spacious kitchen lends itself to entertaining and boasts lovely white cabinetry, high-quality stainless steel appliances and a large center island. Enjoy your morning coffee in the charming breakfast room with wood sliding door leading out to the patio and fenced yard.

Relax or entertain friends and family in the two story great room with fireplace, stunning windows and beautiful built-ins. Relax in the evenings to the sumptuous first floor owner’s suite with high ceilings, breathtaking oversized windows and a private bath with large vanity, double sinks, walk-in closet with built-ins, and corner garden tub.

The dramatic open staircase leads to the upper level that features a guest room with private bath and two additional sunny bedrooms connected by a convenient Jack-and-Jill bath. The huge lower level offers a family/media room with wet bar, additional full bath with tiled shower and a 2nd finished area, perfect for a workout room or additional bedroom.

Additional features include a first floor laundry, new a/c unit, newer roof and wonderful location.

The location is really amazing... established neighborhood with tons of trees, walking paths and parks.  It's so beautiful.

Here are some more pics of the house... honestly though they don't do it justice.

Foyer (very important to me that the stairs aren't right at the door) and open staircase

Really pretty clean kitchen

With a massive fridge and double oven

Lots of light in breakfast nook

Nice fireplace and lots of light here too

First floor master actually makes me happy.  You can't see the long hallway that leads to it with the awesome laundry room off of it (utility tub - booyah!).  Also, these windows and high ceilings are to die for and the window treatments on these windows are awesome.

Fab. What you can't see is the walk in closet with awesome built in organizers.

This was one of the biggest things for me, I really wanted the boys to have their own Jack and Jill bathroom that they didn't have to share with a guest.

Additional living space that we have been craving.  Now 2 people can watch TV at once and not in a bed!

Nice feature.  This area is right off of the full bath.

This will be the boys playroom.  And maybe my jigsaw puzzle area too.

This big space has a lot of potential... I'm thinking outdoor living

The yard has a sprinkler system (booyah!) and I love this tree.

The fence is a nice touch.  And we don't look into the neighbors kitchen from ours like we do now.

Dream House

I have a secret for you guys.  We bought our dream house!!!!!!!!  (pending inspection and appraisal)

Here it is!!!!!!   We are so ridiculously excited!!!!

I didn't tell you about it because I didn't want to jinx it.  But here is the story:

Wednesday 4/25:  In the middle of my despair over there being nothing on the market BFF convinces me that we might be able to afford this house (even though it is priced above Mr. Molly's original "acceptable range").  Also on this day Mr. Molly leaves for a business trip.

Thursday 4/26:  I convince RL to take me on a secret trip to see the house.  I know it will be perfect (from online pictures) but I want to make sure there are no deal breakers before I even approach the subject with Mr. Molly.  It is perfect.

Friday 4/27:  Still having not done due dilligence on the numbers, Mr. Molly agrees to see the house when he gets back in town.  Driving forces were 1) the house is perfect, 2) there is nothing else on the market, 3) we have nothing to lose, and 4) interest rates will never be this low.   He loved it, but he still wants to number crunch to make sure we can make it work.

Saturday 4/28:  We go and look at houses that are in the original "acceptable range" and they are all horrible.  Good houses on bad lots, or bad houses on good lots.  It makes Dream House look even better.  Mr. Molly spends 5hrs crunching numbers.  We make an offer Sat. evening with an idea of what our maximum amount would be that we can be comfortable paying.  We offer $35k below asking price.

Sunday 4/29:  They counter.  They only come down 5K.  We are sad but forage on closer to our max cap.  We counter to them and come up $10k.  Now we are $20k apart. I spend considerable time internet stalking the sellers.  I find out that they are moving out West, that their daughter is graduating this year and going to school out West, and what they do for a living including the company he currently works for and his new position out West.  The internet is amazing.

Monday 4/30:  They counter.  They only come down 5k.  I am starting to get discouraged.  We are still $15k apart and we are very close to our max cap.  We counter with a "best and final" offer and we are willing to walk away if they don't take it.  I can not breathe or sleep.

Tuesday 5/1:  They accept our best and final!!!!!!!  I am shocked and amazed.  I really thought we were going to lose it. 

Closing is set for 6/30 and we can take possession on 7/5.  Happy Independence Day!!!