We think we found our dream home

So, Jon and I have looked in two new areas of town since last weekend. When Jon and I went looking for homes last Sunday, we found a neighborhood in Duluth that we loved. So, Tuesday evening, Jon and I went with our realtor and checked a few homes out. We nixed a few as soon as we walked in the front door - pictures really can be deceiving! But, we did find one that we really liked. While we liked it, neither Jon or I were raving about it. And, the commute for me to work would definitely be one that I would have to get used to. So, we put that one on the back burner and decided to look in Alpharetta and Roswell. We found a lot of homes that were in our price range and looked really cute. So, we decided that we would devote Saturday afternoon to looking in that area.

Friday night, Jon and I went through some of the neighborhoods and nixed five homes right off the bat. Really, power lines in my back yard!! I don't think so. Jon is weird enough as it is - let's add power lines and what happens. And, we don't want our children to develop some sort of weird reaction. I don't know - growing a third eye, etc. While I think it's a theory it's definitely not one that I would put to the test. Anyway, we found three neighborhoods that had multiple houses in them. So, we were excited and feeling good about Saturday. So, our Saturday started off with a baby shower for me and then we were off at 2 p.m. Our poor real estate agent - her car broke down as we were meeting her. No problem - her and her little sister hopped in our car and we were off. First house - uhh, I think Jon was immediately turned off with the multitude of naked Barbie dolls with their heads ripped off at the foot of the stairs. We were in and out in record time without even bothering to step over the Barabie dolls and check out the upstairs.

The next few neighborhoods were really nice and we were getting excited. The next house we saw I really liked but Jon was a no-go. While this should be a joint decision, I was about to kill him. He was even pickier than I was and I was getting annoyed, to say the least. We saw another house that we both really liked AND it had a finished basement. However, I was still a little hesitatent. The backyard was not exactly what I envisioned and it backed up to the swim and tennis. Just what I was hoping - the sound of screaming kids at the pool OR John McEnroe wanna-bes slamming a tennis back and forth. Of course, Jon was all over it. We were really not agreeing on anything at this point. Shocker!!!

Then, Amanda took us to some houses she found. We drove into Ashland (neighborhood) and there it was. The house of our dreams!!!! Okay, before we go crazy over it, it would be a good idea to actually go in and check it out. I was a little nervous since Jon and I had not been agreeing on much when it came to taste in homes so I was hesitant. We walk in and I immediately fell in love. Then, it happened. I walked into the kitchen and screamed....out of joy!!!! The kitchen is beautiful and has a big long island in the middle which I always wanted. The window over the sink is bayed and looks out into the great backyard. Hardwood floors throughout the ENTIRE house - I am talking upstairs and downstairs. Jon and kept walking through and with each room, we were even more in love. The laster bedroom has a fireplace with a beautiful sitting room off of it that has french doors separating them. The master bathroom has this crazy new shower that Jon equated to Augustus being sucked through the tube in Willy Wonka. Beautiful plantation shutters throughout the entire house in EVERY room - upstairs, downstairs, front of house and back of house. The bonus room upstairs is huge and has large bookshelves built-in and a floor-to-ceiling window. WOW! The great room off the kitchen has TONS of windows and nice fireplace. The formal living room and dining room are huge and have these gorgeous white columns as a 'separation' between them. The house sits on a hill and overlooks a nice cul-de-sac with other beautiful homes. The backyard has a nice brick patio and even a fountain!!! Its private with a nice fence around it! WOW - we couldn't even believe that we could afford this house - but we can unless the list price is wrong!!

We had more houses to look at but Jon and I went into the next house in another neighborhood and as soon as we pulled up, we said forget it - nothing seemed to compare to our dream home. We even went back and went in again and I whipped out the camera. I wanted to move in right then and there. It's got a top-rated school system and the neighborhood is immaculate. So, we are thinking this house is 'the one.' So, we're waiting to hear from our realtor today to get the disclosure on the house, find out how long it's been on the market, etc. Barring nothing is wrong with the house, we feel confident that we will put an offer on the house. I just keep wondering - 'what's wrong with the house?' I am praying that the answer to that is nothing.

So, stay tuned to hear how things turn out. I'll be sure post later today after I talk to our realtor and get more information. Fingers crossed......

Be sure to check out the slideshow of pics I took last night!