Best. Birthday. Ever.

As I celebrate three amazing decades of life today, Chris and I are also raising our glasses to some very exciting news - We have a new home!

A while back, we came across a spectacular apartment. Private balcony, French doors, huuugge bathroom with a walk-in shower and room for a clawfoot tub! We put down an offer on the spot, and I immediately began daydreaming and decorating in my head.

Cue viscous bidding war. We went back and forth with another relentless buyer for days. The whole thing spiraled out of control, and we had to walk away. I was devastated, but our wonderful agents promised they had something truly special in store for us.

I started feeling weak in the knees the moment we stepped into Hampton Court. The courtyard's towering trees and gorgeous landscaping completely stole my heart, and the stunning pre-war buildings surrounding us took my breath away. The apartment was spacious, in excellent condition, and had fantastic potential. What really sealed the deal wasn't the wine fridge in the kitchen - it was the ridiculous 538-acre park we'd have as a backyard. This was it. It was meant to be. We made an offer, and several rounds of negotiations/panic attacks later, we got it!

Well, it wasn't exactly ours yet at that point, because then came board apps and interviews. For what felt like an eternity, we were so focused on wrangling paperwork that I actually started to forget what the apartment even looked like. It has been a crazy, and at times, terrifying few months. The more time, energy, emotion, and money we invested into this process, the more anxiety I had to battle. But all the insanity paid off... we've just received board approval, and we're going to be homeowners! Looking back, I can say with certainty that this has been an unforgettable lesson in faith, patience, and teamwork.

The icing on my cake is the fact that Chris is granting me carte blanche over all our renovations! I will be sharing peeks and snippets along the way as I explore the ups, downs, ins and outs of designing our new place. If you have any wisdom or advice to impart, I'd love to hear from you.

What a splendid way to kick off this new chapter in my life. This is going to be so much fun :)

Putting Down Roots

After years of “City vs. ‘Burbs” discussions, Chris and I have finally decided to stay in Queens. Although this may seem like a pretty straightforward decision, it’s actually a huge deal for me because:

A) I’ve moved around my entire life. My family lived in multiple cities throughout my childhood, and I’ve relocated plenty of times as an adult. In fact, the address on my driver’s license is from six moves ago! While I’ve picked up an invaluable set of adaptive skills along the way, this nomadic lifestyle has left me longing for permanence and stability. The concept of staying in one place for the next 5-10 years sort of blows my mind - in a really great way.

B) I’m a small town girl at heart. I love driving to the supermarket and having trees above my head and grass beneath my feet. Having grown up in suburbia, it’s also a bit difficult for me to imagine raising children in a buzzing metropolis. But for now, it’s just us two and Wonka, and I am slowly warming up to the possibility of eventually starting a family in an urban environment. After all, this is where the majority of our friends and family live, and having a supportive community is way more important than having a driveway and big backyard.

C) This means we finally get to purchase our first home together!!

We’ve been spending our free summer nights and weekends looming in and out of countless open houses. Peeking into strangers’ living spaces has been rather interesting, to say the least. We’ve seen everything from neon green living rooms to antique dumbwaiters to stained glass showers. While certain apartments have been downright “eccentric”, it's refreshing and inspirational to see the thought and care that some owners have placed into personalizing their homes.

As home buying noobs, the entire process seems quite daunting. A million things need to happen before we get to plunk down that 20%, sign on the dotted line(s), and jingle some new keys in our pockets. But for now, we’re taking things one step at a time and enjoying the thrill of the hunt. I really can’t wait to find our new home. Hopefully I will have an update for you guys soon!