While we're waiting.....

Since this blog is all about dreams...I also have huge travel dreams.  So much so that my husband told me we'll never get to go all the places on my list, lol.  It's not even that long!  Anyways, I figured I'd share...in order of when I'd like to do them

• Hawaii (no explanation necessary)
• Mexico (see previous blog entry here)
• Arizona (Navajo Falls-do yourself a favor and check it out, beautiful!)
• New Orleans, LA
• Italy/Greece (big time savings!)
• Egypt /safari elsewhere in Africa
•  Australia
• Paris (newly added today!)

See, it's only a little list, right?  ha ha!  Some are, of course, easier to obtain than others.  But, if I know about them, I'm more likely to save for them, right????  Oh, he just needs to sell a script, or two!  ha ha!  What travel destinations are on your bucket list?  Have you been to any of these locations? 

Sooo, sooo close!

     Latest news is......our inspection went fine (I may or may not have posted about this).  The biggest issue is an outlet which could probably use an electrician (he said 220V and death and it scared me, being clumsy and all) and the garage door opener needs replacing.  So, no deal breakers.
     The next step was the appraisal.  It came in 5K less than our offer soooooo, now we wait for the seller to agree (done!) and then the Bank (since it's a short sale!).  Ahhhhhh, again, I'm losing my mind, lol.  This is the last big hurdle (at least we hope so).  I have been "dreaming" endlessly about this house.  It didn't help that both the inspection and appraisal report had more pictures for me to look at, droll over, remodel in my mind, lol.  I am soooo much more in love with this house and sooooo ready to move in.  Please say some prayers, hope for us, wish on stars, whatever it is you believe in.  Me, I will be doing all of the above!!!!

In the mean time, here's my short list of things that we want to do semi-immediately or HAVE to do:

• purchase refrigerator (the only appliance not included) We like the french door but are def looking for a bargain, let us know if you have any suggestions!!!
• remove magenta (yes!) carpet from master and replace (bamboo floors? suggestions?)
• remove all wallpaper borders (almost every room)
• paint (bedrooms for the most part (but also a lavender bathroom that is connected to the pink master, lol)
• re-tile master shower/wall
• ENJOY COMPANY!!!!

So, any pointers, tips?????? Any good jokes to help me keep my mind off the fact we are waiting to hear???? anyone, someone?  ha ha!  Send me any good links that go along with my to do list too!!

Many many Dreams going on right now!

     So I guess you could say that I've been slacking.  I'm pretty good at procrastinating if I do say so myself.  I know I've done a few posts here and there, but they've been pretty much me whining, let's admit it, lol.  So, I figured it was time to finally sit down and write down some of my immediate life goals.

1. Start a home:  Most obviously, as anyone reading my blog could tell you, I want to have a home.  Of course, we know I already have chosen which home I want.  (Backstory here:here, and here, and here!)  So, in regards to this dream, the latest we have: we signed another addendum saying we agreed to close within 60 days of them(finally) agreeing to the deal.  We do think they are going to agree, but, we are worried the house is going to appraise for less than our offer and then our loan won't go through.  This could go two ways: they tell us they will accept the lower amount since that is all if appraised for OR they tell us they won't accept more and we lose the house.  Hopefully we will know soon...either way...
2. Be a Happier person: Don't get me wrong, I think I'm pretty happy, but there are some things in my life that need to change.  For one, I worry too much about what other people think.  I'm a people pleaser and sometimes I find myself putting myself, who I am, on the line just to make other people happy.  I also over-explain myself to try to make someone see why I did what I did.  I really need to shrug things off because I let it get to me too much. Also, I think I need to start doing more to make myself happy instead of waiting around for it. 
3. Get Healthy: I am the first person to tell you I simply can't diet.  I don't think I need to lose a ton of weight, a few pounds for sure and I'd love to tone up a bit.  I think it will help me with goals #2 as well.  I've also had a couple of blood pressure scares in the past couple of years (stress related I think).  With my Dad's history of heart disease and even my mom's history of diabetes, I need to get healthy either way.  
4. Keep in Better Contact with Friends/Family: I've kinda been slacking a bit with responding to emails and calling friends from home.  I have seriously been in a funk (see #2). I got to see my friends over last weekend for my "sister"- friend's bridal shower and realized just how much I miss them and how wonderful they are.  Even across the miles, I need to get better at calling and responding.  Good friends are too hard to find.  

I'm sure there are more things I want to work on....yea, there definitely are!  ha ha, but for now, this is my list.  A smaller list if easier to work on, and these are some pretty lofty goals!  we'll see how they go, I'd be happy with progress.  Do any of you have goals you are working on (I'm sure you do!)?  How are they going?  Anyone else a people pleaser?  

Today I'm Dreaming of....Mexico!

   Well today's post is a bit off the beaten path as that most of my blog will be dedicated to the fun world of home shopping/buying for the next few months.  There are just some of those dreams that I just can't keep out of my head even though the bank account is screaming, "Don't touch me, it will NOT be pretty!"  But wouldn't it be so nice to have one of these in your backyard?

 

      Anyhow, back to my current dream....a Mexican vacation!  I am a travel bug at heart.  This past year we weren't able to take a "vacation" since we used our time to move down here to Florida.  Luckily, Florida is packed with all types of wonderful day trips we've enjoyed.  The beauty of the Gulf is like none other.  There was not a single beach near our home outside of Philadelphia that could boast water or beaches as gorgeous as Clearwater, Florida:

Seriously?  Why did I wait so long to move????

     So, as I was sitting here looking at photos on Facebook, I came across a colleague's Mexican vacation....and the drooling began.  The only time I've ever been out of the country has been for our wedding in St. Lucia

 We definitely want to make use of our passport especially before we have little ones running around (?   :O   ?????...maybe one day, lol).  So I contacted a friend who is like a Mexico travel agent and has been numerous times herself and began my dream to reality plan.  So, it may not happen this year (best friends wedding back in PA PLUS hopefully buying a home) but, I can have my plans all ready for whenever we're ready to spend those extra dolares (yes, I spelled that in Spanish, lol)  Have any of you been on a beautiful Mexican vacation?  Any no-no places to keep off  my list?  I'd love to hear from you!  Where are you dreaming of visiting?

My Very First Post

   So I've finally done it, I've entered the world of blogging!  I've been hemming and hawing over it now for a few months.  There are so many exciting and interesting blogs out there in the world and I can only hope to live up to the interest they offer!  So, let's try this out!

   I decided to create a blog that will chronicle the next few months...years...decades... of dreams.  Who knows, I guess that will depend on a lot of different factors.  As I write this, I'm just hope I'm interesting enough for you to finish reading this post!  ha ha!  

   I guess today's post will be about the dream which is most present in my mind: finding a home!  My husband and I began the house hunting process in October and we are under contract for a short sale.  We love the place!  It's in a nice, neighborly area, has beautiful palm trees out front and an open living room/kitchen area I fell in love with.  I've been dreaming of all the decorating I can't wait to do. The house even has enough space for my hubby and I to have our own "rooms" (mine for scrapbooking, his as an office), PLUS a guest room for our friends and family that we can't wait to see!

   Now, if any of you are familiar, a short sale can take up to 5 months on average (and possibly more:Info on Short Sales). Soooooo, we are trying not to get our hopes up too much....and we're trying to be very patient, but AHHHHH I just want to know already!  ha ha!  Part of the problem is that we are living in a fairly small villa, dealing with a sketchy "remodel" (AKA, we made everything look pretty but don't pull on the blinds, flush that toilet or try to open the sliding glass door thankyouverymuch).  We also have a bunch of our things that make a place feel at home packed up.  

   Since we knew we were looking to buy a home, we decided not to unpack all the way...

Yes, this is the second bedroom AKA storage until we get a house!

Florida winter (so far) has been very friendly to us and we haven't had to dig that darn box (that you KNOW is at the bottom of the closet) out just yet to get sweaters.   We're hoping to find out about the house (*not calling it ours yet so I don't jinx myself!) in the next month or so.  Our Realtor seems pretty positive and he's a short sale master!

     Anyone else in the same boat?  Been there, done that?  Let me know!  I'm sure there are some horror stories too, they'll help keep me in reality!  Thanks for reading (if you made it this far!)