Good friends are hard to come by....

Throughout this whole first-time home buying experience I have really been humbled by how many truly great friends I have. Buying a house for the first time is a milestone in one's life.

This is such a SPECIAL moment in my life and it means the WORLD to me that my friend's want to share this milestone with me. I am so truly blessed to have such amazing people who are exited for me. When I look back on this time in my life, I will never forget those who shared this with me. Good friends are hard to come by and through this experience I really understand this. Thank you to all of my amazing friends.

On a side note: I wrote this a LONG time ago... I guess I forgot to hit the publish post button. Opppsss :)

The JOYS of being a homeowner!

So, I closed on my house last Wednesday and since have been a busy busy lady. I knew that I was in for some work, seeing how I purchased a foreclosed home that had not been occupied for over a year, but I don't think I really understood what I was truly getting into. Needless to say, it's a lot of hard work. It is exciting to see it coming along. Here are a few pics to see the progress.....

Step-dad & Tito fixing the guttering.

My bro using a caulking gun to touch up grout in the kitchen.

Dad rebuilding my front deck.

Nicci rolling the ceiling in the basement.

My nephew attempting to assit Papa with hooking up the icemaker waterline.

Joyce painting the sitting room ceilings.

Mom & Mark ripping up the carpet in the basement.

This is NOT an episode of HOARDERS!!

"Hoarding is a compulsive issue in which a person continues to obtain belongings and is unable to get rid of useless items. Even the most useless items that most people would describe as junk, is unable to be thrown away for the fear that it would be needed in the future. The compulsion can seriously affect a person's standard of living, with the home sometimes becoming unable to be traversed because it is extremely full of clutter." -Hoarders

This my friends, is NOT and episode of the show HOARDERS on A&E TV!! Although, if you were to walk into my apartment at this very moment you may think that were witnessing an episode first hand.

The disclaimer: I have never claimed to NOT be a pack-rat.

The past three days I have loaded box after box to be moved from my apartment to my new house. The sad part of this whole process is that I am not even close to being done. The kitchen, the closets, and the office have all been packed up and I am finding it is so hard to get rid of things! Can't it all go with me?

One day, I am going to be able to fit into my size 6 jeans and so therefore I need to keep them. It's the financially responsible thing for me to do so that I will not have to purchase new ones. Ohhh, and the size 4 jeans? Well, I need to keep them for inspiration to lose more weight, so of course they'll need to make the journey to the new house as well. Books from my college years. They are making the trip in case I need to make a reference. Tupperware, seriously, Can one really have enough tupperware? It is ALL making the trip. Non-matching lids and all.

This is NOT an episode of HOARDERS. Truth be told, I am getting rid of a lot of things. Seriously, I am tossing and trashing, Craigslisting & ebaying away. The things I am keeping, most of them, are with good cause. Tomorrow, I will pack up the belongings in the bathroom and I will not be keeping bottles of shampoo that are a less than a fourth full even though it's still be good for a few good washes!

Finally.

So, buying a house has become the biggest pain in my arse to date. After a billion mistakes made by Bank of America. *cough* *morons* I am finally going to be a homeowner. I'm not going to lie. It's pretty flippin exciting!!!