Movin' On Up

To....

A new home!!! 

That's right--we bought a house!!!

We settle and move in less than a month from now! I feel like it all happened so fast, but also so slow. We've been browsing the internet for 6+ months, then found a real estate agent and looked at several homes over the course of a month or two. Then there are contracts, counter-offers, inspections, loan applications, home insurance quotes, and the list goes on. I knew buying a house was complicated, but I didn't realize just how complicated--and stressful--it would be.

Either way, it is all worth it. We are moving back to the town where I grew up. We will be about 15 minutes from my parents (about an hour from Sean's mom, which will be an adjustment since we used to be close to her house) and 5 minutes from my best friend's house! I am very very excited to start our life together in our very first home! (Well, Sean owns a rental house in Baltimore City, but this is my first home purchase and our first major joint purchase, so it's exciting nonetheless).

The house is a bit outdated in terms of fixtures and appliances, but it's in great shape, is spacious, and has an awesome covered deck and yard out back. We love the neighborhood and can picture living there for years to come with our children (if we are blessed with children, that is). And maybe a puppy first...just to see how it goes.

In other news, my best friend since birth is HAVING A BABY today. Talk about things coming full circle. I'll be sure to post an update once the baby is born (and of course, not without her permission!).

Have a fantastic weekend, friends!

Disappearing Act

Hello?....

....Is anybody out there?....

So, I have to apologize for disappearing for, oh, FOUR MONTHS.

Yikes.

Although I doubt anyone still reads this blog, as there isn't much to read lately, I wanted to come back and give an update on my life.

It's been BUSY. Really, super, incredibly busy.

This winter in Baltimore has been horrible. It snowed on April 15th. Can we just take a moment of silence???

I got a new job at work (somewhat of a promotion) that has me simultaneously thanking my lucky stars and pulling my hair out with stress all at the same time!

Wedding planning quite honestly came to a halt the past month or two--Sean & I have been hit with some HUGE unexpected costs (let's just say CAR, medical bills, wedding expenses, things at our house breaking, etc) and we have been a little "down" lately. We really wanted to be able to move into a new house before our wedding--which is less than 6 months away, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN OMG--but it is looking more and more like that isn't going to be feasible.

Also, my brother is currently deployed...again. He may not be back in time for the wedding, which has me even more upset, on top of the fact that I worry about his safety over there every day.

Our secret handshake, the night before he left 

But, along with the bad comes the good. I wake up every day next to my best friend who also happens to be a huge hunk, so I can't complain. I have a loving and caring family, and wonderful friends. In fact, my best friend/maid of honor is PREGNANT!! She is having a little one in July (sex is a surprise!) and I couldn't be more excited for her and her husband.

We have some exciting events coming up: weddings, baby showers, weekend festivals, and Orioles games! We got season tickets this year with my parents, and it has been awesome!

Also, we booked our honeymoon!!!

We are heading to MAUI, HAWAII!!! 

We also have a one-night layover in Seattle, so if anyone has recommendations for either location, let us know :)

And now, I'll leave you with some engagement photos my friend from high school took for us for free, which was so sweet of her:

I think she did a great job. Don't you?

In my next post: A sangria review, just in time for Spring!