The Condo!

Many of you have asked to see the pictures of the condo, so I'm posting them! I don't have very many, but you can get a general idea of the place.

It's a 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom flat in a quiet neighborhood. I'm on the top floor (stairs are a good way for me to exercise daily!).

If you have decorating ideas, let me know! My style tends to be contemporary-world-chic (if that's actually a style!). Most of my current decor fits into the black/ red/ sage green color palettes. My bedroom will probably continue to be taupe & chocolate brown, but the complementary color is up for discussion. =)




The living room is the first room through the front door. It connects the sun room, the dining room, and the kitchen. I am excited about the fireplace!



My favorite room is the sun room. It is painted a soft yellow color and will be a lovely place to sit and read! I plan to put my bookshelves and a big comfy chair in there. The porch is off the sun room and connects to the storage closet.






The kitchen is... um... orange! =) It is even a little intense for me, though. I'm considering painting it a light yellow. I like the flooring. It's different. I'll need to replace the refrigerator, but the other appliances are in decent shape.












There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Each bedroom has a huge walk-in closet. The bathrooms are tiny, but functional. While the master bedroom might be a little bigger, I think I prefer the second bedroom (not pictured). It has more windows and is on the corner of the house next to the green space.




I'm excited about my new place! I can't wait to have you all come visit! =)

The Steps

Forward, march!

Here are the steps I've taken so far towards becoming a "big girl":
1. Made an offer on the condo! (yikes!)

2. Filled out all the paperwork for a loan by myself

Let's pause for a moment to consider the loan application. Under the section labeled "who will inhabit this dwelling," the loan officer wrote "Single Woman." So now even my LOAN OFFICER is rubbing it in. Good grief. =) I did wonder about that section... why does it matter that I am a single woman? Should it make any difference in the loan? I'm well-educated. I've got a great job. I am a responsible citizen. When I asked my loan officer about it, he chuckled and said lots of women want to know about that label, but he puts "single man" for the single men, too. It's just a label, he said. I told him I thought we should change the label to "Amazing, Independent Woman Who Just Happens to be Single for Now". I think he thinks I'm crazy. =)

3. Accepted the counter-offer (it was VERY reasonable)

When my Realtor called me with the counter-offer, I was at the KMHS football game to cheer on the team (unfortunately, they didn't do so well). My friends Chester and Julie were in town from Athens and they were cheering ME on in the process, as was my co-worker and friend, Sky. Each of them was so encouraging that I got even more excited about the process.















So now I'm well on the way to being a homeowner! It's hard to believe, but it's really happening. (Incroyable, mais vrais!)



To celebrate my steps towards big-girl-dom and to escape the reality for a while, I went to the Clemson University football game yesterday with my best friend Elizabeth. We drove up in the morning and spent the day hanging out at Clemson's Homecoming. It was a beautiful day for a game and we had great seats (thanks, Eric!!) While I was glad that Clemson won the game (70-14, ouch!) and that I got to see the homecoming floats and festivities, I particularly enjoyed spending time with Elizabeth. She encouraged me about the home-buying process - and we even discussed property law! =) (she's in law school) It was a great way to take a few steps backward to look at the situation from a few hours away and recognize that I'm doing a good thing. This is an important move for me, and I'm grateful for all of the people who are supporting me in my endeavors.

Pumpkins and Condos

Fall has always been my favorite season of the year. Part of that must stem from my self-acknowledged nerd-ism since autumn brings the start of school. Another part probably comes from my positive memories of marching band in high school and college. And yet another part connects to the beauty I see in the fiery-toned foliage and my memories of raking leaves in Ohio (all one can really rake in Georgia is pine straw!). To celebrate the arrival of fall, my family annually goes to North Georgia to pick out pumpkins, buy apples, and consume fried apple pies, cider, and boiled peanuts. The yearly trip is one of my favorite family traditions. My goal each year is to find the perfect pumpkin. It's a time-consuming process, but I always end up with a great looking pumpkin.

Our trip this year (a.k.a. The Great Pumpkin Chase) came the day after I took my family to see the short list of condos I'd chosen. I've been house-hunting for several weeks now and had finally narrowed the list to a few options. Each time I've been out looking with my Realtor, though, I ask to return to a particular neighborhood on the way back. I keep going back to the same location... and I think there is a reason for that.

I realized this weekend that I approach the selection of houses much like I approach the selection of pumpkins. I see the pumpkin I want after a short perusal of the options, but then I have to compare my selected pumpkin against the other pumpkins that might be better. Of course, none of them are better because I knew what I wanted from the beginning. For some reason, though, I still have to cart my chosen pumpkin around and hold it next to the others so I can see how it measures up against the other choices out there. Though the pumpkin I originally picked out is never truly "perfect," it is the one that I am most satisfied with - and I rarely change my mind once I've picked it out. Even so, I must compare it against all the other possibilities - just in case.

The same goes for my potential condo. I have driven through the same neighborhood consistently over the past year and a half, just to see if I still like the area. When visiting condos with my Realtor, I kept comparing them to the one I saw first in the neighborhood I liked. If pumpkins truly are like condos, then I know which condo I want. My pumpkin is a beautiful, fat orange globe with a thick stem, and it looks just lovely on my coffee table (it's the round one with the dark stem next to the cash register in the picture). It may have some minor flaws, but they are ones I chose to ignore when I first picked it up. I think I selected the right pumpkin... maybe I've picked the right condo, too.

Remembering Aunt Mary

I haven't been on the blog for a few months, but I recently wrote something that made me want to share.

Mary J. Yarbrough died March 19, 2007. She had been married to Ben for over 60 years. My siblings and I call them Aunt Mary and Uncle Ben. Though we are not related through blood, they have been dear friends of our family since we moved to Georgia. This week I wrote a card to Uncle Ben at his request. He is collecting people's memories of Aunt Mary. The following is what I wrote as my tribute to Aunt Mary:

It is from Aunt Mary that I learned the important traits of a Southern lady. First, one must always be presentable in public. Aunt Mary was a sharp dresser. She clothed her petite frame in outfits that were quite becoming. Her clothes were always neatly pressed, carefully matching, and nicely accessorized. Accessories are important, too. My favorite accessory of hers was the light blue hat she placed smartly on her always-coiffed hair. She was a beautiful woman and her adornment added to her charm, but it was her inner light I admired most. Of course, a lady must put her best face forward (and a daily application of olive oil was her secret to that!) but she must also shine with inner grace. Aunt Mary’s beautiful soul shined brightly to all who knew her. Even those who happened to pass by her as she was out somewhere must have noticed the sharply dressed petite woman with the blue hat perched smartly on her head and thought, “Now that is a lady!”

I was blessed to know Aunt Mary and I will be blessed each time I remember her.