Officially Official

Well, it's officially official! We close on our new house on July 6! (Assuming that financing goes smoothly and that the inspection doesn't turn up anything bad!)

I am so excited to move. The Conklin House has been a great transition for us, but there could really never be any permanency here. It's just too small for us and definitely too small for a family. So the idea of moving into a bigger space that is officially "ours" is very exciting. I'm looking forward to mornings on the balcony overlooking the city. Sure, we'll miss the beautiful view we have here, but let's face it--we live in Estes Park! Everywhere is a beautiful view. I'm also very glad that this is happening now and not later on in the year. It means that we will be completely moved and settled well before the wedding, which will dramatically reduce my stress once we get closer to it. Now we can invite family over for holidays and not be cramped into a too-small space. Now we can have a yard for the dog to run around and chase birds at his leisure in. Now we will not have to worry about not having enough space when we start a family.

Of course, I must mention the reason we're buying this house, because in actuality it's kind of bittersweet. We had originally planned on saving this year so that we would have a 5% or maybe even 10% down payment within the next year or 18 months. However, in March Cameron's mother, Ginger, passed away. She had a large inheritance saved for Cameron and his two brothers, and what we received from that was well more than enough for us to put down a full 20% or more as a down payment. We knew that it would have made her very happy to be able to put the money toward a house and a future for us and our family and so we decided to move as quickly as we could while the market was definitively in our favor. So the fact that we are moving into this great house at this time is definitely bittersweet, but more sweet, I think. I know that she would appreciate how we are using those funds, and I definitely appreciate the amazing opportunity we have, even if it is coming from a sad place.

I'll continue to update this blog of course, although it will be undergoing a name change sometime this summer. And I'll be sure to share photos and news as the move gets closer!