Moving On

This past weekend was the big weekend and we are finally in the house! Everything is in, but definitely not organized. Our carport is 1/4 full of boxes, trash, and old light fixtures- quite a lovely sight :).
Work...
We immediately took down all of the old, frosty glass and brass fixtures and installed new fans and lights, along with new toilets. You could say our priorities are off, since my clothes are still in suitcases from moving, but that for some reason just made us feel more accomplished. We also got to buy a refrigerator and dishwasher last night! Considering the old refrigerator has shelves taped to stay up and it took me about ten minutes to figure out how to rig the dishwasher door to stay shut, I am really excited about those purchases. I also have torn down most of the wallpaper, and I will just say, that I never realized how much fun that could be! We are having an electrician come do some work so we can actually plug in the tv and the dryer, the painters come paint, and the appliances delivered all this week, so soon it will feel more like progress.
Neighborhood...
Sunday, the neighbors across the street had a fish fry, so we got to meet a few neighbors and hang out with them more. One couple, in particular, (both Auburn grads!!) have been great reaching out to us- and Will and I really enjoy them, so we are excited about those new friends. Everyone else is really sweet and welcoming, informing us on the inside scoop of our nieghborhood. So far, there is a chiropractor, a homemade candy lady, a landscape designer, and a couple jack of all trades in the mix... and apparently there is a garden club and bible study that girls do, so I can't wait to meet even more people.

The move and actually being in the house now all seems somewhat surreal. I am so thankful for a great house to make our home. Looking back to this time 5 months ago, Will's house was still up for sale and I was dreading what would be my hour and 15 minute commute to work. Now, it takes me about 20 minutes to get to work and I really can tell my whole attitude is different. Our quality of life has changed, in a sense, because we are so much closer to friends, church, and work and it is such a refreshing feeling. God was so good to allow us to sale Will's house and now be where we are- what a blessing!

*** A note on the appliances: We have been looking at refrigerators for the past month at many different places- Lowe's had the best price on the Kitchen Aid that we got.- and that was compared to two different "deep discount" stores. It was the floor model on clearance and has some scratches on the handles, but we are going to replace those and with that replacement the refrigerator still ended up being a good $200 less than the "best discount" scratch and dent store and about $850 off the original price. Also, we will get a rebate from Kitchen Aid itself- all of this making it an extremely great deal. Same with the dishwasher, there were discounts from Kitchen Aid set in the purchase- about $200 off, plus mail in rebates, so it was a great deal too. All that to say, if you need appliances, I really do think Lowe's has the best prices and options- definitely better than Home Depot. You have to hit the sales right, but it is worth waiting on the sales- plus, they have the ability to throw in those extra 10% offs and the manufacturers rebates- and not to mention the delivery and install fees are all rebated too. I know I am later in the remodel/upgrade game, but if any of you are looking, I figured I would give my two cents.