Welcome Home

10 hours, 2 truck loads, and 8 family members and friends later…we are in the new house!

Thank you all so much for hangin’ in there with me while we’re getting settled in. I don’t think I’ve ever been more exhausted in my entire life, though I’m sure it’s nothing compared to how Ben et al. are still feeling after the marathon box and furniture moving sesh that started bright and early on Saturday morning with coffee and sustenance from The Dunk!

We fueled up then moved…and moved, and moved (and moved, and moved, and moved!)

10 hours later every item we own had been taken out of our old place, and put into the new one. After our last move I said we would never do it again without professional movers. Ben, who “likes” moving, now agrees. We’re getting too old for this much heavy lifting! ; )

At the end of the day, and after a much-needed round of showers (it did end up being the hottest day of the year so far!) we celebrated with Chipotle for dinner and fireball shots for the men…which they took then promptly passed out. ; )

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Welcome to the new crib!

The two features of this house that really sold us are the kitchen (show ya’ in a sec) and the outdoor living area, complete with a serene koi pond with waterfalls and fountains, and a lushly landscaped yard.

We came from a house with virtually zero landscaping, to a house with maintenance-requiring plants on all 4 sides of the house. I know, what have we gotten ourselves into, but gosh, it sure is calming and pleasant.

We’ll probably have to scale back some of the plants, but that’s a decision for another day.

Oh, Mr. Bullfrog says hello!

The other part of the house that immediately spoke to me was the immaculate kitchen.

Every finish was something I’d pick out myself if I were to build my own kitchen from scratch, and I could not be happier with it. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and SO functional.

Check out my lid drawer – WHEE!

The outdoor space also has a wonderful kitchen, complete with an all-season fridge for quick beer access, a sink with disposal for easy cleanup, and a gas line-fed grill, which means no propane tanks to mess around with.

Last night Ben and I broke ‘er in and grilled steaks and asparagus for our first real home-cooked dinner. I used this steak marinade recipe > on a couple of shoulder tenders.

And tossed fresh asparagus with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, then rolled them around on the hot grates for a few minutes.

Enjoyed under the evening sun, with the birds and crickets, it was just bliss. I cannot wait for a thousand more nights spent just like this. Nursery tour to come after the baby arrives! : )