Soft revival

Much like a restaurant's soft opening, a soft revival is order here to gradually resume a stride.

Obviously it's been a while. Based on repeated requests from more people than we imagined interested, it's time for some new posts.

Baby steps...

It's been a busy 7 months since the last informative post in March.

Seems we've been consumed with the "house" topic. After officially deciding against the attic master suite remodel, we continued the house search at a casual pace. We completed the final touches on all remaining projects and prepared our finances to be ready to pounce when the right one came along.

After over 54 tours and 4 unsuccessful offers in 6 different neighborhoods (but still closeby where we wanted to stay), we were convinced we would never find anything that seemed just right. Even Brian was exhausted.

Paw-shade.

However, one Saturday morning in August while running errands in the neighborhood, we stumbled upon signs for an estate garage sale. It was in a lovely old brick Tudor - the perfect size and location. We asked inside and discovered they were clearing out to sell aging Mom & Dad's house, originally built by the grandparents and whereupon all grown children were raised. They were helping out Mom & Dad with the daunting task to bottle up & cart out all those memories and possessions to prepare to sell in the next few weeks.

Search perfection.

We knew that day it was exactly for what we had been searching. Still weeks before it would be ready to list, I marveled over the property while explaining our case to the agent and family. I detailed how long we had been searching, even outside the neighborhood, and this was a perfect fit while still staying within where we want to be. We knew how much work they faced preparing it for sale, so part of our negotiation was relieving them the bulk that burden. Besides, we already envisioned what we felt was necessary, and it was mostly the old systems that needed immediate attention (refinished hardwoods, electrical system, functional appliances, and simple cosmetics). Simply put - we did not want to change much of that amazing original character. Since we're the do-it-yourself type, we didn't mind, and we got a lot of practice with our last house.

We were thrilled they appreciated our story, and were willing to work with us. We will forever be grateful to carry on the torch by making theirs our home for many years to come.

Since closing in July, we've already completed most of these updates, including the systems updates mentioned above and an entire new kitchen. Details of each will be gradually written about in future posts. We were also able to sell our old house fairly quickly, even in this difficult market, after some aggressive pricing and negotiation.

Sold!

But houses weren't everything. Fortunately we were able to enjoy the summer enjoying great food and times with great friends. We joined fun birthday celebrations and late night karaoke. We cheered on the Blue Angels from the yard and the flight line at Boeing Field. We are excited about our huge new neighborhood park that finally opened up by the golf course. Allison completed her first (half) marathon, and then it was off to Vegas. Rob even wedged in his first triathlon (with veteran Allison). Just to name a few.... Stay tuned!

Record time!