It's official...my home is on Holmes

What an amazing day!  I have so many things to do this evening (including grading midterms now that I have put them off until the very last minute), but I had to share my highlights of closing day.  The closing itself was over in the blink of an eye - without any fan fair from my lawyer.  I didn't even realize I had signed the last paper until he got up to leave the room in order to make copies.  All I could think of was...that's it...you aren't even going to let me know that I just officially purchased my first home?!?!  I guess when you do three or four of these each day, the significance of the process is lost.  Here are my four favorite photos of the day - certainly more to come as the week progresses.

According to my sister - I haven't smiled like this in a long time.  I am so happy!

The official hand-over of the keys.

The sellers left me a special surprise inside the house.  

And my personal favorite - leaving my notice to my landlord :)

Squeaky clean

You have probably seen the commercial that shows a man and a woman coming up with numerous reasons why they didn't workout.  I forgot my sneakers; I forgot my pony-tail holder; Wednesday's are weird; I missed the cat and my personal favorite - I don't think I need it today.  Every time I see this commercial I laugh, not because I use these excuses for the gym, but because I use these excuses for reasons why I shouldn't go to the laundromat.  Tonight, however, I jumped at the chance to wash my clothes at the small, semi-clean, unheated bane of my existence for one reason - it was my LAST regular visit.  An hour and a half and one very long conversation with Señorita Loco later and my clothes are squeaky clean.  As I drove away from the building with my various piles, I couldn't help but shed a tear - of pure JOY!

Watching my clothes get beat up by the commercial strength washer for the last time.

Let the countdown begin

This will be a year of many firsts: first home and first blog.  With only a few days left until the official closing, I figured I should start sharing some of my thoughts about the whole process.  While excitement is certainly a major emotion, the nerves have started to rear their ugly head, so I probably won't eat much all weekend until the deal is done.

Not sure how good I will be at this whole blog thing, but I will do my best to share the ups and downs of first-time-SOLO-home ownership with you and maybe by sharing my thoughts I will keep myself somewhat sane.  Thanks to Erin for the idea and the cute play on words for the title (if you watch HGTV, you know what I mean).

As the day gets closer and I have a chance to upload more photos (including the finished bathroom), here is a sneak peak at the property.  You can also join me in the: http://mapmike.com/cara.html.  My great friend Mike made this for me so that I will always know exactly how much time I have until I am a POOR, but HAPPY homeowner.