Pinch Me. I Must Be Dreaming.

Eureka! A home without wheels. I am still wandering around in a cloud of sheer disbelief. As I amble about from room to room I am overwhelmed with the feeling that it is all an illusion. There’s a dreamlike quality to everything that has transpired in the past month. Pinch Me. On second thought, don’t pinch me. If this is a dream I don’t want to awake from it.

We were scheduled to close on June 29th at 4:00. We knew that the house passed final inspection, but it was up to the county to issue our occupancy permit. We could not close without it. By 3:00 the permit had not been issued. The builder’s representative told us that she was leaving her office to come to the closing, and would be checking her phone to see if the permit was issued. We had until 5:00 p.m. Two hours of sheer hell awaited us. I was gnashing my teeth and ripping my hair out, when at 4:50 the permit was issued. Somehow we managed to close at 6:30. Good thing, too, because we had an 18-wheeler full of furniture that was scheduled to arrive early the next morning. Time to uncork the champagne. Hallelujah!

Let’s call it chaotic. Our truck appeared at roughly the same time 20 or so relatives arrived for the annual family reunion. Our clan had rented the house next to ours, so the festivities were held there while I frantically unpacked boxes, hoping to find useful things like silverware, glasses and cookware. Instead I found Christmas china, Stangl pottery, a bust of Mozart and a chess set. I just kept digging and digging until the practical items showed up. What a Herculean effort, I was nearly too pooped to party!

We have managed to get everything unpacked and put away while entertaining family, friends from Europe, and dear friends from our old stomping grounds. We have assembled accent tables, benches, outdoor furniture, and a shuffleboard table. We have managed a trip to the DMV and now have Virginia plates and driver’s licenses. Landscapers are hard at work, building a firepit and making the lake more accessible via a straight pathway. We are busy but are filled to the brim with gratitude. We never thought we would get here, but we did, and are overjoyed to be creating our dream place.

We do, however, have one family member who is thoroughly perplexed. Our Gypsy girl is content when she is boating, but does not know what to make of a house with actual square footage. She seems a little sad, and is most content hanging out in the walk-in-closet. She, after so much time in an RV, seems to prefer confined spaces. I’m hoping she will adjust, and become Queen of this castle.

More company tomorrow! Tired but tickled pink.

Stay tuned….