Let the house hunt begin

After 2.5 years in our awful apartment, Jeff and I decided it was a good time to buy a house. We had considered buying a house about 2 years ago, viewed several properties and weren't really "wowed" by anything. Now with the extension of the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and the hatred toward apartment living we thought we'd start looking again.

We met with Amber, our realtor, about two weeks ago. I know Amber through an internet board I frequent but had yet to meet her in person. However, after our meeting both Jeff and I were well at-ease with Amber and her competence and confidence to find us a house. We've narrowed down our search to Gahanna and Blacklick. We've been east-siders since we moved to Columbus and have really grown to love Gahanna. Blacklick is the next suburb over so it's still in the same area. Plus we can't move any farther than 10 miles from Mr. Sushi. :)

Jeff and I are looking for the most bang for our buck. The real estate market is on the upswing but there are still deals to be had! We're hoping that we can take advantage of one of these deals. Tonight is the first night we're actually looking at houses. I can't wait to see what Amber has picked out for us! We've been looking at a ton online but it's never the same as actually stepping foot into the house and picturing yourself there. Hopefully we'll find a house that speaks "home" to us.

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Jeff and I will be doing the usual "Triangle of Travel" meaning we'll be driving from Columbus to Toledo (my parents) then to Lorain (his parents) then back to Columbus. Luckily neither of us works in retail anymore so we don't have to rush to get back for someone to be to work the day after Christmas. Yay!

Here's hoping you and yours have a very happy, safe and purrfect holiday!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This year is the first year that I feel like I can really enjoy Christmas. Neither Jeff or I are working a second job allowing us to actually spend more than 48 hours with family before having to quickly return home to get to a retail job. I've spent many evenings baking cookies. I even bought a cookie press! I feel like I'm ahead of the game on my Christmas shopping and sending out my Christmas cards. And for a girl who never really liked Christmas (thanks to working retail for 5 years) I feel like I'm actually getting into the spirit.

The tiny apartment isn't exactly the ideal environment for a "Christmas Scenery Spectacular" but I think we've done well with our few decorations.

This is our small but full Christmas tree. I cram as many ornaments as I can on it every year. It's only about 2 feet tall but it's perfect for our small space.

Notice Jeff's Homer nutcracker. He's very proud of it. We had to take the zombies off of this shelf to make room for our decorations.

This is my Dollar Store wreath. No joke! I bought all the materials, including the wreath, from the Dollar Store. Total cost = $6.00. Perfect for the person who's thrifty and crafty.

This weekend was also "Christmas Party" weekend for us. I had a party on Friday night with some girls I know online. It was a lot of fun and even Santa made an appearance. I sat on his lap and asked for a house. We'll see if he can fit it under the tree Christmas morning....

Last night we had Jeff's work party. He works with some amazing people and they're a lot of fun. His boss hosted the party at their drop dead gorgeous home in Powell. They even had it catered from Whole Foods. Yummy! They did a White Elephant gift exchange. You wouldn't believe some of the gifts that went around! Some of the best gifts included a Potty Putter, a belly dancing kit, and capsules that help deodorize your dog's poo. It was an interesting night, to say the least!

Today was my Christmas party for all of our BDSRA families. We had 13 families and their affected children come to the party and it wasn't just families from central Ohio either. We had 3 families from Michigan, one from Pittsburgh and another from Indiana. Santa Claus also made an appearance at this party and the kids were so excited to see him! It made my day, week, and year. I don't get to see my families often enough so it was nice to catch up and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Here's hoping your holiday season is filled with fun, family, and happiness. I hope Santa brings you everything you want. If you happen to see him, please remind him of my wish for a house ;)

Until next time....

Amy