Me? Self restraint? Never.

I must start this entry by saying I'm a reformed shopper, seriously. But I may have to clarify this statement- buying a house isn't shopping right??! It's an investment...that will withstand the test of time, unlike the "super cute" wide leg seersucker pants I found at Anthropologie only a year ago and already seem so outdated (really, I only wore them once. tragic.)

It all started with a little cabin fever. The hubby & I returned from our wedding/honeymoon extravaganza, only to realize how truly small our place seemed. The solution? Decorate! Sure it helped, but there's nothing like the feeling of space. Especially when you have neighbors oh-so-kindly blaring music at 2 a.m., you have to truck groceries up 3 flights of stairs after navigating city traffic, and you never really get to know anyone in the revolving door rental market these days. Just to name a few things.

So take this cabin fever, sprinkle in a little bit of "I'm going to be 30 soon"(ahem, not me of course), add a dash of sympathy for our dogs' lack of happiness living in a box, and you bring us to about last Tuesday. On Wednesday, the adventure began. An innocent "peek" at a model in our friends' neighborhood turned to a follow-up email to a realtor, hours of research, calls to lenders, checks & balances of bank statements, and many discussions in our household. Which brings us to yesterday. Ah, Saturday. The idle day that can lead to so much trouble.

We set up another innocent appointment, this time with the realtor of the property development. Oh wait- I forgot to mention- we didn't start looking at starter homes, fixer-uppers, or houses to later trade in- no we started with the Big Kahuna. A whopping 3200 sq foot, shiny, brand new, build to suit special. "Completely practical" we reassured one another! "A deal we can't pass up!" "Just the way we want it..." After spending 2 1/2 hours with the "kind", "honest" realtor I (not we) abruptly agreed to drop off a check the following morning. Oops. I thought we both agreed on that??

Fast forward 24 more hours: I have in hand an intent-to-purchase agreement, a cloud overhead hoping all of the magic set to happen before our final appointment this Friday does in fact happen, and a now happy husband that's on the same page. After sorting through a stack of home magazines, paint swatches, and a few hours at Home Depot, I'm hoping soon I can just enjoy the massive case of butterflies I have for Lot #105. However, as the dear hubby would say, "This may kill you before our house is done". HA!
We'll see about that, my love...I hope you're wrong.