Home.Sweet.Home

Hello readers!

(Let's be honest - Hi Mom and a handful of really bored people!)

So if you haven't heard, I bought a house! Just about 10 days ago, I signed my name a couple dozen times and received the keys to my very own home.  I still have a hard time believing it and may have turned down the wrong street to go home to my apartment a time or two. It truly is a surreal experience but one that I am really enjoying. I'm sure it will add to the hijinx I can share here on the blog as I will be the first to admit that there will numerous occasions that I will have no idea what I'm doing with this homeowner thing.

So in honor of the 10 days that I have been a homeowner, I thought I would share the Top Ten things that I have learned so far as a new homeowner.

1) House neighbors are about as awesome as apartment neighbors are terrible.  The couple next door baked me cookies, the neighbor lady on the other side cleared my sidewalk the first day it snowed (more on that later) and thanks to social media I found out that an old friend from college lives three houses down on the same street with her husband and new baby. God is good, let me tell you.

2) Speaking of social media, holy cow, I mean I know "life events" get a lot of Likes but I never knew that a picture of a key could garner so much interest. And it was posting a picture of myself in front of the new digs that sparked the above mentioned old friend/neighbor to message me and ask if it happened to be the house on her street that was just for sale! Say what you want about Facebook, but that was cool.

3) Speaking of awesome people, I have awesome friends. Just like top notch (I knew this already but hear me out). Between saving boxes and packing material to helping me move or paint or just entertaining me while I was packing or brining food by after I moved in. I have the greatest bunch of friends and coworkers anyone could ever ask for and don't even get me started in how much work my mother put in helping me move in and get my house ready! This girl is blessed for certain.

4) Movers are not always right.  Like when they tell you that your old couch won't fit down the stairs at your new house. False.  When you have good family friends who are willing to lend a hand, the know-how to take the railing off and bring the couch in the sliding door, you can pretty much do anything! So there, movers.

5) Target is even more dangerous as a homeowner. So very tempting all the time.

6) Sometimes a light switch will do nothing, sometimes it will not make any sense why it is all the way across the room, and sometimes the light switch will control the only outlet in the room.  Even if that room is the bathroom.

7) Scooping snow is a great workout, even if it's just two inches of light and fluffy stuff. And while it seems fun, talk to me after tomorrow when we're supposedly getting up to 8 inches of snow while I'm at work…..

8) Being in possession of a fenced-in backyard makes you an excellent candidate for dog sitting, not to mention everyone will think you need to immediately get a dog of your own. Baby steps friends, baby steps.

9) As a new homeowner you will get way excited about weird things, like putting your garbage at the curb for the first time, or looking at paint samples, or shopping for rugs, or just having a doorbell.  A DOORBELL!!!

10) Change. Change becomes the word of the day, week, year! Besides the obvious huge change of owning a home, things are constantly changing.  Home chores become important, where you want to put things changes everyday, and your perspective on money and time and so many other things changes.  But oh my goodness is it exciting!

So there you have it! 10 things I've learned, but I'm sure there will be many, MANY more lessons to follow!  Stay tuned! Until then, I can't wait to see how God uses this blessing of a roof over my head to reach others.  I can't wait to welcome friends and family into my home and fill it with love and joy!