Happy to be a...Homeowner!

Dear new house that I love very, very much,

From the minute we laid eyes on your cousin (the model unit down the road) in late May (a mere two months after we got engaged!), we knew we wanted to own you. And hearing you were the last one left AND you were in our price range really had us feeling like Someone was smiling on us. So we signed the contract, patted ourselves on the back for negotiating in lots of fun upgrades like vaulted ceilings, a backsplash, surround sound, crown molding, a two-tiered deck, and EVEN a fancy new washer and dryer (who knew?) and ever so slowly watched you go up before our very eyes. We've seen you when you were just a little plot of land, then a foundation and a few 2 x 4's, then an actual structure covered in sawdust and insullation, and we've loved you a little more with every step.

We had to push back our expected move-in date two weeks, but that was okay - we wanted you to be perfect and not rushed to completion. We drove by several times a week just to check on your progress, and especially loved seeing our neighbors playing guitar one night on their front door step, which I like to think was keeping you company. (We also were excited that we had cool neighbors who were musically-inclined)! Yet another reason I absolutely love Nashville.

Then we got to do the walk-through on Monday, September 14. What a day. We hope you didn't get your feelings hurt by all the blue tape we put on your walls, windows, nooks and crannies, but we wanted you to be as perfect as possible before we moved in. We never thought they would get everything done in time but somehow they managed and our closing date was all set for September 17.

Now I'm a good sleeper, dear house, but I couldn't sleep all week just thinking about how we would decorate you, where our furniture would be placed, and where on earth all the things that had fit in my one-bedroom apartment would go! But Closing Day came and we signed lots of papers to make you officially ours. When Hunter (the developer, who we love) handed over the keys, we couldn't stop smiling. I think I even squealed. And of course, I insisted we take pictures to document the special occasion!


The Proud Owners. Done with closing, and smiling with the keys!



With Hunter Connelly of Core Development. Can't believe he's still smiling after all the questions we asked during the building process.



With Allen Perry, our awesome realtor who found you!

Now on to the really fun stuff...


Kitchen view from stairwell


Living Room - love all that natural light!


Hallway to the back door


Stairwell - still trying to figure out how to hang some cool art on those high walls...



Master Bath - love that oversized tile!



One of my favorite features - "his and hers" sinks. Also digging the little backsplash I selected at the last minute from Ceramic Tile Distributors - aka my new best friends. The colors were too perfectly coordinated NOT to do it!



Master Bedroom - that color is oh-so-soothing. And the French Doors lead to our own private balcony!


More Master Bedroom - showcasing vaulted ceilings and fan we hand-selected.

Our brand new washer and dryer - woot!

Guest Bathroom - see how the mosaic tile detail blends beautifully with our paint color? It's called Balsam. I heart it.

More Guest Bath - I'm tickled with the modern feel of those vessel sinks!

Guest Bedroom - I stuck with a neutral (this is called Summer Suede) because I couldn't decide which colors to go with on bedding, drapes, etc. I'm thinking something that really pops!

Stairwell - a teensy part of me wishes I'd thought to ask for wrought iron spindles, but this works for now. The white paint is semi-gloss - so clean and shiny.

So this is Mr. T opening our celebratory bottle of champagne from our awesome friends Melissa and Jevin. They were so sweet to give us a bunch of goodies when we got engaged, and we decided to save the bottle for our next "something special." Yesterday was that day! I won't mention that he almost busted out our new window when he popped the cork off. Had to laugh at that point - wouldn't that have been our luck?

Kitchen - love how the glass mosaic tiles reflect off the granite countertops. Note the wine glasses ready and waiting. They sit above our built-in wine refrigerator! Another one of my favorite features...

The Media Room! We were calling it the Man Room but I decided I would be watching some football games in there too. Please note the color is only slightly suggestive of my Crimson Tide. Hehe.

A view of our new Samsung refrigerator, wisely purchased during the Labor Day Sale at hhGregg. I'm only slightly obsessed with the Samsung brand - my flatscreen is one and the picture is so great it shows people's pores! It is being wall-mounted in the living room as we speak, along with surround sound in every room of the house. That is Mr. T's dream come true.

Our precious back porch. The media room windows actually overlook this, so people can watch the game from inside or out. Genius!

Another one of our selections for the back deck - the "Tommy Bahama" fan. Love it.

And finally, our two-tier deck! This was another part of the negotiation - we're the only house that has one with two tiers. For now anyway. Our neighbors said they plan to copy! We like being the trendsetters. :)

So there you have it, little house. We're in love with every square foot of you, and I can't wait to start our new life together within your walls. My cup is just overflowing right now with gratefulness that we now have a place to call home. I promise to take great care of you, clean you regularly, and decorate you in style. And most of all, to share the hospitality of our home with all who visit us.

Let the moving begin!