A houseful of...information...

After yet another dee-lightful (picture that in boldface "sarcasm font") drive back to Maryland, followed by a restful night in my own bed, you'd think I'd be refreshed and ready to tackle the week. But I'm suffering from what can only be described as a "house-hunting hangover", and my head is spinning, and I'm having trouble putting coherent thoughts together. It won't stop me from trying, though...just be aware as I make a valiant effort to sum up the last 2 days, that I might make less sense...than usual...

So, Saturday morning we met Agent C for one more mission--to tour 3 houses we hadn't gotten to the previous day, and to revisit our favorite. As we wandered through the first two (which were across the street from each other, oddly enough), the crew was still in full-on Critique Mode. They commented on the features, they listed pros and cons, they compared and contrasted...whereas pretty much the moment I walked in the door, I knew these were not the droids--um "homes"--we were looking for. Finally, to get them to focus and cut to the chase, I asked them point-blank: "Do you like it better than 123?" (That's the nickname we gave Frontrunner House, based on its street number...isn't it adorable?) They immediately shook their heads "no". Great! Moving on!

I was picking up on a little bit of a weird vibe from Husband, though, as we finished up the new offerings and headed back to 123 to finalize our decision. It took a while, but he was finally able to verbalize his misgivings....in a nutshell, the house reminded him of the one he grew up in, back in the 70s. However, returning for another look reassured him that it was only the style and layout (Colonial, that is) that was triggering his memory. The way he explained it, he just needed a moment to reconcile himself to the fact that the house we fell in love with was so very...traditional! (But without the formica countertops, linoleum flooring, or--heaven forbid--"harvest meadow" appliances so prevalent in the Disco Decade....thank goodness!) The second viewing confirmed for all of us that this was, indeed, The One We Wanted. (Yaaaayyy!)

After that, of course, it was back to the office to draw up the necessary paperwork for an offer. (Not...yay...) Agent C led us through the process and promised to contact us the moment she heard anything from her counterpart on behalf of the sellers. Thus--exhausted yet exhilarated--we were free to go forward with our next activity: Derek's Belated Birthday Lunch. He had chosen Lime, since we'd all enjoyed it so much the first time we'd eaten there, in December. When ordering, I sneakily managed to work into conversation that we were celebrating someone's "special day". (It's a patented Mom Trick, what can I say?) So a few minutes later, at the salsa bar, the cashier sidled up to me and whispered out of the corner of her mouth, in very super-secret-spy fashion, "Does he like key lime pie?" I had to think about that for a minute, because I honestly can't remember him ever trying it, but I had to go with, "Um, I think so..." (I figured, it's dessert, what could go wrong? The boy has never yet turned down a sugar...product....) And sure enough, as we finished up our (delicious) meals, she snuck up on him with a beautiful slice of pie, complete with lit candle. If you're keeping score, that makes 2 visits to Lime...2 free desserts. That's the kind of math I can totally get behind, yeah? (Bonus: Derek was both surprised AND embarrassed, so it was a complete success as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and the pie? OMG-awesome!)

From there, it was back to Husband's cousin's house to relax and regroup....and wait. However, some of our brains were working in overdrive...for instance, Riley's...as he suddenly decided to quiz us on the particulars of the deal: "How much did we offer?" (in a thoughtful tone). Then, concerned, "Are you sure that's enough? Shouldn't we bid higher?" (Dude, you're 10--chill out and let the grownups worry about it!) But as it turned out, we didn't have to suffer through too much pins-and-needles anticipating, as Agent C called me a few hours later to announce that our offer had been accepted, with all of the provisions intact and no negotiation required. WHOO HOO! It was super-exciting news, of course...and almost too much to process, at that point.

At least for the rest of the weekend we could just enjoy some downtime...including takeout pizza for dinner, watching televised sports for the kids, dyeing eggs for Easter...not to mention the beloved custom of "chocolate overload" (Hey, if there was ever a year that we actually earned it, this would be the one...) And just how much has this whole crazy ride consumed all of us over the past few weeks? I found Derek and Riley sitting in front of an episode of House Hunters International...actually paying attention...and Riley said, "You know, before I never would have known what they were talking about with all the details of a house...but now, I notice everything and I understand what they mean!" Oh, good grief...

So it seemed like the hard part was behind us...except today I spent hours on the phone and computer with North Carolina (not the entire state...but it sure felt like it...) responding to "I need this document" and "What's the dollar amount on this?" and "What kind of mortgage do you want?" and "Can you get me a quote for homeowner's insurance?" and "How's this for inspection date/time?" and "Shall I recommend an attorney for you?" AY YI YI! To quote an old Far Side cartoon: '"May I be excused? My brain is full." Speaking of which, it may be time to go for a head-clearing, stress-reducing run...before dipping into the Easter chocolate...