Thursday, June 27, 2013

Pikachu. I Do. Sign on the Dotted Line






When you are little, you want to grow up and be a doctor or a firefighter and save the world. You want to buy a little house with a little white picket fence and a row of rose bushes and potted chrysanthemums on your porch and a cute little fodder shock in the yard in the fall, wrapped in a festive ribbon of course. You want the best of domestication, of having your own little home to fill with pictures, and timeless furniture and all of the love you can fit in the confines of those four walls.


When I was a child, despite my “tomboy” ways and my quest to be a firefighter like my dad (and about 50 other careers of course), I did enjoy “playing house”. My cousin Jon and I transformed our parents sheds behind our trailer into a his and hers of happy homes. His was most often decorated with matchbox cars, power rangers and pretty much every Pokémon card you could ever buy. Mine had a stray car or two, but it also had a vase of fake flowers, beanie babies and even the occasional Barbie doll. Some days we would go for hours without so much as a sour note and some days we would fight tooth and nail until one of us would run off and “tattle”. Despite our disagreements, those little “houses” were filled with the most important thing… Love.

In the past couple of months, my husband and I have been on the quest of home ownership. A place to call our own. A place for wedding pictures and duvets. A place for antique quilts and Christmas lights and all of the goodness of seasonal decorating. A place for Wrigley to roam and play and for my husband and me to come home to after a long day. Most importantly, a place to fill with happiness and laughter and all of the great things that come with sharing your life with the one whom your soul loves. I expected this past month to be one of the most joyful experiences one can have. Boy was I wrong.

Don’t get me wrong. I am elated that my husband and I have the ways and means to purchase our first home together. I am thrilled to have room for my furniture and for my dog to play. I am so excited to hang pictures of our happy memories on the wall and make my husband’s breakfast in a kitchen that rivals the size of the entire apartment in which we currently reside. I’ve definitely spent my fair share of time on Pinterest looking for ideas for my future home and scrolling through pages of comforters at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

So, with this being such an exciting time, where on earth did I go and why didn’t I share my good news with you?! Let me tell you something… I know a thing or two about stress. I am working on degree number 3. I’ve been in some sort of school for 22 years and have been attending some form of post-secondary institution for over 7 years. I’ve juggled study groups, mid-terms and finals, group projects, part-time, full-time and two jobs at the same time. I’ve juggled my home life, my school life and everything in between. I’ve done all of that and still managed to eat right, exercise and manage my stress levels very well. You would think that this home buying experience would be no different, right?

Wrong. The housing market in Tampa Bay is one of the greatest examples of supply and demand I’ve come upon in my short life. There are so many people wanting to buy homes while the market is favorable and there are only so many homes available for sale. Our first offer was over the asking price of the home and we were not the highest bidder. No worries. We look again. One Saturday my husband and I along with our Keller Williams realtor viewed a string of 5 homes in a matter of a couple of hours. The last one was the one we had to have. A cute 3/2/1 nestled on a golf course. We put in our offer and sat back and waited. And waited. And then we waited some more. We knew the owner was waiting for more offers and for most of the time frame it looked like we were going to get our “dream home”. At the 11th hour, someone agreed to pay cash for that home. I was heartbroken. I was a little angry. I was probably more emotional than I should have been. After all, it’s just four walls and a roof. It’s just a house.

My husband and I found another home and we put in our offer. It turned out to be a better house than the one I had my heart set. Everything happens for a reason, right? We secured a contract and had it appraised. Everything was going so well. Until the home inspection…

I came home from work the day of the inspection to find my husband sitting on the couch. No dinner had been cooked and he was half watching ESPN. He’s a man of few words (remember?), so I waited for him to tell me how it went. “The home inspection did not go well” he said. We got in the car and started driving while he recounted the inspector’s report on the roof that was well beyond its life and would in no way, shape or form be approved for homeowner’s insurance until it was remedied. As we were driving, I realized I had no idea where we were going. When I asked the husband, he replied sheepishly that he couldn’t tell me.

We ended up eating pizza. And garlic breadsticks. And Cam even enjoyed a couple of adult beverages. We drowned our sorrows in carbs, and grease and cheese. Which happens every once in a while, right? So, we waited to hear from our realtor as to whether the seller would agree to fix the roof. And we waited. And we waited some more. It’s been a week and a half and finally we have received word that the seller will be fixing the roof and we should be able to close in the middle of July. It looks like we will finally have those four walls, and a roof and a fenced backyard. We will have our own space to paint, and decorate and fill with happiness and laughter and most importantly, Love. That’s what makes a house a home.

So where have I been? Honestly, I haven’t wanted to blog. I haven’t wanted you to know my struggles with stress management and even my eating. I have had so many things this past month and a half that were in no way good for me. I’ve been downhearted, sad, angry, happy, excited, and everything in between. My roller coaster of emotions has gotten the best of me and I haven’t made the best of food choices. I strive everyday to be a role model in all aspects of my lifestyle, both exercise and diet. This past couple of months have not been my best.

I’ve noshed on Kilwin’s fudge covered rice crispy treats and Paciugo gelato. I’ve had pizza, french fries, ice cream, lasagna, and a plethora of other foods that were not paleo and generally not good for me. At all. I definitely am not proud. The few moments of feel good food turn into several hours or days of discomfort, an ulcer and a couple of extra pounds around my middle. I hope you will bear with me my dear blog readers. Bear with me as I “reset” myself. My parents will be visiting next week and I will probably indulge on a few of those days. After that, I will be getting back to eating paleo and continuing to workout. Everyone falls down. It’s just a matter of whether or not you get back up. I’m not just getting back up; I’m going to spring back up. I am taking back my health, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I can’t hit rewind but I will push play. It’s time to move forward and get back into my happy and healthy groove.

I can’t imagine doing this without my husband by my side. He’s been there to balance out my range of emotions. His attitude that everything happens for a reason and there’s no use stressing over things we can’t control has been what I’ve needed to keep me from ending up inside the confines of four walls and a straight jacket. He’s had his share of bad food choices too but together we are getting back on track. If you are struggling, find a friend or loved one to take the journey with you. Sometimes you need that shoulder to cry on and that spot for the bench press. Sometimes you need some encouraging words and some genuine competition. Whatever it takes to get you back into your groove, do it. I’ve learned to stop stressing the things I can’t control and that exercise, more than anything else, is the true stress reliever.

Oh and one more thing…



We bought a house!!!!!