officially home owners!

It is official! Obviously - from previous posts. We moved into our home the first weekend in December. I was determined to get in the house before Christmas (my favorite holiday and time of year). Let me back track a little though!

 Matt and I had walked away from the house we offered on and decided that the other houses in the mix were not worth offering on. We were out on a Sunday not specifically to go to open houses, but we had just gotten into the routine of taking a Sunday drive and ending up wherever. We drove over near my parents neighborhood and kept driving out further near an outdoor shopping center here in town and happened to see that there was a Five Guys hamburger place in the shopping center. I had no idea that Five Guys was even here in town - I had only had it with Matt in Cincinnati when visiting his family. We both love Five Guys so we immediately pulled in and decided to eat there. We must have had a late breakfast because it was around 1:15 when we ate. We got our food and talked about our game plan for the house hunt. We talked about the area we were in and both agreed that it was a nice area (a little further away from what we were familiar with) but we wondered why we had not considered that area in our house hunt. As we are finishing our burgers and fries I got on my phone to look if there were any open houses in the area that day. There was one that started at 2pm not far from where we were eating.

We hopped in the Jeep and made our way there. We showed up to the house at about 2:05 and it did not seem like there was any open house happening. I looked on my phone again and it said there was an open house on that date. I read the description and looked at the pictures again and was somewhat disappointed. The outside of the house was nothing like I had imagined us living in. In fact it was extremely similar to the house my dad grew up in and that I spent much time in visiting my grandma. The pictures made it seem so great on the inside so I was willing to look past the exterior, after all things can be changed cosmetically. After drinking a large diet coke at the burger place I really had to use the restroom (TMI? sorry!) so I told Matt we couldn't wait around or I would pee my pants! He reluctantly pulled away from the house and took me a mile or 2 down the road to a Dairy Queen.

Once I got back in the car Matt said he wanted to go back and see if the realtor had showed up. I was kind of over it and annoyed that no one was there at the said time. After some coaxing Matt got me to agree to go back to the house. The house is on the way out of the city - it is not in the country by any means but it is about 3/4 of a mile to the next county from our neighborhood. I was never familiar with this area growing up - I guess I kind of stayed in a little bubble around my parent's house and my school. Matt and I had discussed eventually moving to that county (they supposedly have better schools) and building a house and having some land, so the fact that we were getting pretty close to that county was a good thing to us.

Back to the open house!

Matt and I pulled up to see the realtor putting a sign in the yard and unlocking the front door. I wasn't so sure since she was running late that this would go down well - I was prepared to be disappointed. We were the first and only ones in the house. We walked through pretty quickly - we were pleased and pretty surprised at how good of shape it was in. It was somewhat "flipped" I guess you could say. We did not ever see the before pictures, but the man selling it had obviously done some work to the home. The kitchen was all new except the flooring. All new carpet throughout (which we have learned now is cheap cheap cheap carpet!). Neutral paint throughout and pretty much a blank slate for us. The bedrooms were not very big, but there was a basement, living room and eat in kitchen area. Plenty of living area for the two of us and a small child in the future.

We chatted with the realtor about the area and the history of the home and told her we would be in touch. I don't know if we truly meant we would be in touch, but turns out - we were being honest!  Everything that happened from then on was a blur. I wasn't sold on the exterior, but knew that the interior was too good to pass up for the price. We both thought that it would be nice to be in a part of town neither of us were super familiar with - that way we could discover it together. With me being from here and Matt not, I often forget that I am the only one who knows where things are. Now that we are further out than I am used to, we get to learn our surroundings and neighborhood together.

We brought our realtor to the house that same week to look again and made an offer that night. The owner accepted the offer and we began the process. Everything went pretty smooth. Our inspection came back good with just some minor fixes that the owner agreed to make and we closed on our house at the end of November and moved in the first Saturday of December.

Celebrating our first night in the house with a bottle of champagne from our wedding

I was so pleased to be in the house before Christmas and did some decorating on the outside of the house before unpacking any boxes. The house had sat empty for quite some time so I wanted the neighbors to know that we were there and that we took pride in our home. There was an older gentleman walking his dog not that long after we moved in and I was outside doing something. The gentleman looked at the house and looked at me and gave me a "thumbs up". That made me feel good, I want our home to reflect us and to be welcoming to those around us.

the first snow in our new home

handy man Matt putting on new locks

We have lots of plans for the house and have already begun painting, decorating and doing some handy work (Matt is my awesome handy man). There are big plans for the outside of the house once warmer weather hits. I am sure you have noticed the lack of landscaping - there is absolutely nothing planted in the yard! I also have plans to paint or get new shutters, a new front door, at least some landscaping, and rip out the chain length fence in the backyard and install a nice wooden one ourselves. Matt would like to build a deck.  Right now we have a concrete slab. I would love to have a deck as well, but around here we do everything ourselves and I am not sure if I will have it in me after we do the fence (which I am already dreading).

bringing home our Christmas tree

Next up: a feature wall in our basement! It involves 100 yr old reclaimed barn wood. Stay tuned!

First Offer

not our first offer, but a top contender

source 

Back to the house hunt postings!

 After going to about 20 open houses we found a house that we wanted to offer on. It had lots of charm and was owned by an older couple. They kept it up well, but had not done much updating. There were arched doorways, original hardwood floors and some crown molding. I loved the exterior - almost entirely brick, well maintained yard, and a fairly new wooden fence in the back. The street was very nice as well. The neighborhood is in an older part of town and sits between two busy roadways. I was worried about some riff raff coming off of those roads on foot, but not worried enough to not buy the place.

We took my parents to see the house and they liked it enough to give us the go ahead. I think we would have offered regardless of their opinion as long as there were no red flags. The home needed work - in our opinion. The kitchen was closed off and small with no dishwasher. It sat next to the dining room and small living area. We had planned to knock out the kitchen wall and make a large open concept kitchen and living area. The full bath and the half bath (both on the first floor) needed help as well. There were 4 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, a large unfinished basement, and a shed.

We offered the day that we brought my parents to see it. We had seen it twice before. We put in our offer under the asking price, but not ridiculously under. We gave the owners til the next evening to respond. As we were going through the offer process our real estate agent said that the house is in a flood plain and that if we do purchase the house, we must have flood insurance. We figured that was normal and turned in the offer.

Matt and I go home and look into flood insurance and found out that it is not cheap. Not to mention another bill to add to the pile. We decided if we could get the house for what we wanted that it would not be a huge deal. WELL, the owners did not respond within the time frame we gave them and when they did respond they counter offered at the asking price. They did not budge at all! The house had been on the market for quite some time and did not have any other activity. We were stumped. We thought that we would maybe go back and forth and finally settle on an agreement.

 Matt and I ultimately decided to walk away. I told myself in the beginning of all of this that I would not get emotional or attached. Well, I got a little sad. The house had character and a lot of potential. After some time I realized that it was not meant to be and it would have taken quite some time (and major budgeting) for us to get the house the way we wanted.

Our first offer

source

Matt and I took about a week or two off from house hunting and thought about waiting a little longer and saving up some more money to put down.  Well, we did not waste too much time considering that we made our first offer in mid October and found, offered and moved into our new home by the first week of December.  We were very pleased with the way everything went with the purchasing of our new home and have already been busy making it ours.  

 Since the first offer the owners reduced the price to what we offered and from what I have researched, I believe that they have taken it off the market.  We are happy with our decision regardless!

Stay tuned for pictures, projects and some hiccups along the way!

life update

Things have been interesting around here lately! We are settling into our new home and starting some projects around here, which is exciting! Every project always seems to take longer and cost more money than you think it is going to, but we are getting used to that. I blogged about my new job in September, but did not reveal what I was doing. I was taking a leap of faith by accepting a job that was not high paying and not something I was used to. I was working at a handbag and accessories boutique. We sold some really nice handbags like: Kate Spade, Zac Posen, Brahmin, and Hobo. We also carried jewelry, gifts, housewares and some baby stuff. I was really enjoying interacting with our customers and being around pretty things. I was also really looking forward to Derby time at the store. The owner sold Derby hats in the previous years and it is always a fun time of year in Kentucky.

 In mid Novemeber the owner sat me down and told me that she had decided to close the store. I was shocked! We had a great customer following and we were actually planning to move to another shopping center at the beginning of the year. She decided that it was time to let it go and take time for herself and her family. I was definitely not expecting the store to close, I had just been hired in late August! At first I was sad and then my gears started turning and I realized that we just bought a house!!!

 Fortunately Matt has a job he loves.   He is quickly moving up and gaining much respect within his company and I am so incredibly proud of him. We are able to cover all of our bills and mortgage with Matt's job, but I pray and ask you to pray that I find something quickly. I know that everything happens for a reason and there is something else out there for me! The boutiques last day was this past Saturday. I can't believe it came so quickly. I am hopeful that I find something that is fulfilling and a good fit for me.

 I have big dreams for our future, we are hopeful to have our own business someday and to acquire some land and property to do this. Right now I need to stay focused on the bigger goal and land myself a job!! I have had some small leads for jobs, but no offers yet. I have been pretty picky about the job search, but I am trusting that I can find something unexpectedly, even if it is unfamiliar.

 I have written drafts for SEVERAL other posts about the house hunt and finding our humble abode we now call home, as well as some projects we have already completed! Stay tuned!

The House Hunt

I am back!  Hoping to make some changes around here!  I know I have probably said that before BUT it is one of my resolutions this year to blog more and document our life.  So often I forget the little details and get going in our everyday life and forget about all the small wonderful things that happen throughout the week.  Hopefully by blogging more I can cherish those moments a little bit more!

Onto the house hunting.  I feel like it has been a while since we have done this since we are now officially homeowners!!!  We got to spend Christmas in our first home and it was great!  Very rushed, but still great to be in our home for our 2nd married Christmas.

We moved to Louisville in May for Matt's job and moved into an apartment not too far from my brother and his family and not too far from my parent's house.  The apartment was a good size but lacked character and nice finishes.  We were spoiled in Bowling Green, our apartment there had great appliances, crown molding, ceiling fans and vaulted ceilings AND a much better price!  I knew we would be paying more in Louisville with it being a bigger city, but it was a struggle to spend so much on rent when we knew we would be staying pretty long term.  SO, we started house hunting earlier than I think we both planned.  We wanted something that we could call our own and do weekend projects and actually hang stuff on the walls!

I guess we started looking in late August early September.  The first open house we ever went to was about 3 blocks over from my brother and sister in law.  They live in a really convenient area with some really cute brick cape cods.  I was really interested in cape cods and ranch style houses.  I also love the craftsmen style.  We knew that we either had to have a basement OR a garage - both would have been great!  We were looking for 3 bedrooms and at least 1 1/2 bath.  There was not a particular part of town we wanted to be in - just some parts of town we did not want to be in.

Love this home!  Not for sale, but I was getting inspiration!

That first open house did not have a basement or a garage and was more than we wanted to spend.  We continued to drive around and get a feel for what we wanted and figure out our price range.

Once we found some good contenders we went ahead and got pre approved.  We were surprised at how much they pre approved us for because we were not really comfortable paying that much!  We crunched some numbers and figured out what would be a good number for us.  That helped the house hunt go a lot smoother.  We didn't want to look at anything that we could not afford.

We found a brick ranch house that we both really liked that was freshly painted, all new appliances, vaulted ceilings, brand new fence in the backyard - but it did not have a basement or a garage.  The price was in our price range but not really what we wanted to pay for the space and lack of basement and garage.  We went back and forth about that house as we continued to look. 

Another one of our requirements were that we could make it our own.  We wanted to have projects and to make the house ours.  We did not want to have to completely redo a house.  We were willing to move some walls around or take some down and redo some bathroom work, but I did not want to live in a construction zone.

We kept the brick ranch house we both liked in the back of our heads as we continued to look September - November.  After about 20 open houses we found 1 that we wanted to make an offer on.  We went back to the original brick ranch before making an offer on a different house thinking we would make an offer on that one first, but finally decided it was just not enough space and not practical.

I will fill you in on our first offer next time!  Follow along with us as we make our house a home!

Cheers!

Back to Work I Go

Today is the day! The day that I go back to work! I am excited for this new venture - not something I have a ton of experience in, but I will be learning and in a fun and fashionable environment! I am so appreciative to Matt for letting me take my time to find a new job in our new (old) city. It is funny how things fall in to place - well not really. I know God has control and is writing our story long before we are aware. I have had several interviews and even another interview opportunity after I accepted my new job. I will reveal more later once I have experienced my first couple of days. I hope it is great, now I just have to find some comfortable and fashionable shoes - as I will be on my feet most of the day...eek!

 I am really taking a leap of faith. My new job is not a high paying job (but it is better than no money at all), I won't be sitting at a desk with my own computer, but I believe it will be a breath of fresh air and hopefully lead to more opportunities and some new friendships. It has nothing to do with my degree (sorry mom and dad!), but I am okay with that - I think. My new boss said that she has worked there for 7 years and that everyday she gets in the car and still enjoys coming to work. I hope this is true!

 So here is to a new adventure and hopefully a great start at my new job!

throw some glitter, make it rain

I saw this quote on Pinterest and knew immediately I had to have it somewhere in my home!  I changed the wording a little, but you get the message.  I wish I knew where the quote originally came from, I was not able to track it to the original posting on Pinterest.

(My pictures are off of the Ipad so don't judge - I am asking for a nice fancy camera for Christmas!)

I used a canvas that I had and painted it with a glossy black then used leftover stickers from Easter for the quote.  I would have liked a different font, but this works and I didn't have to buy anymore stickers.

Then I taped off a pattern with painters tape.  This was the easiest pattern to do - I am impatient so I didn't do anything too tricksy. 

I purchased Martha Stewart gold paint and some basic silver glitter at Michaels.  I used the paint as my sticky for the glitter - but you have to be quick before it dries.

I have a lot of gold and silver in my house  ( I refer to it as "gilver") so I thought I would continue the trend with gold paint and silver glitter.

After a little dry time, which doesn't take long - remove the stickers ( I got up under them with my fingernails) and the tape and you have this beauty.  I sprayed a little hairspray on it so the glitter wouldn't fall off everywhere and outrage my husband.   It is nothing fancy, but I love it!  I am thinking of putting it near the front door or maybe in the bathroom just as a reminder!

I obviously am a glitter fan, what projects have you done with glitter?  I would love to see, I am always up for a new project!

what do you know about that!

I am gathering up some blog posts for y'all, but for now I am going to share a little something that I saw over at Wifestyles.

If you really knew me you would know...

- not many people call me by my first name (Hannah)
my dad and brother: boo or boo boo
my high school friends and my mom: Han
my college friends and sorority sisters: Hannah Neal
my last job (wedding and events florist): fluffy -I prefer my floral arrangements full, lush and fluffy!
my 2 year old niece: something that sounds like Aunt Hannie
and my husband: shim or shimmy (don't know where it came from, but it has stuck!)

truthfully it sounds so weird when someone does call me by my first name only

-I DVR every show that sounds interesting to me and don't always watch the show later on (my husband does not care for that habit of mine)

- I rarely ever buy a piece of home decor or furniture and leave it be, I like to give it my own touch

- I have an obsession with all things weddings and would do my wedding over (to the same man) in a heartbeat

- I had a different major for every year I was in college, but it only took me 1 extra semester to finish

- I am a slight germ a phobe - the bottom of shoes and jeans gross me out the most, as well as any uncooked meat or eggs

- I am messy but clean

- I love bling, crystals, feathers and big hair - I believe that I belong in Texas!

- I have a pretty colorful personality, but hardly any color in my home. Our apartment consists of brown, black, silver, gold, white and a little red.  I would like more color but I am...

- very indecisive. BUT when I do know what I want - you will know it!

- a crier, it does not take much to get the tears flowing.  I am quite sensitive.

- one of my most prized possessions are the cowboy boots my mom gave me in high school - they were hers in her early twenties.  I have worn them during some of my most memorable moments, including our wedding.

- I don't like ground beef or really beef in general and I don't eat much chicken either.  I stick to turkey and pork - I think it is a texture thing or something??

- I could craft for a living.  Give me some glitter and paint and I am set for hours.

- I would do anything for my nieces and nephew - they bring me such JOY!

- my husband is my best friend - if he is by my side I can do anything!

- I don't enjoy the outdoors during the summer - bugs, sweating, my allergies and more sweating.  I do love the fall and winter!

- I love sleep, but have problems sleeping at night.  A friend once told me that it is called FOMO: fear of missing out or INSOMNIA! 

- I love CHRISTMAS, it is such a magical time of year and makes me so happy!  I love celebrating the birth of Christ as well as listening to and singing Christmas songs, decorating and being with ones you love!  I even have a countdown on my phone, right now there are 158 days, 6 hours, 49 minutes and 56 seconds til Christmas!

There are so many more things, but that is just a glimpse!

What are some things people would say they knew about you? 

Jeeeeep!

 We have inherited Matt's dad's Jeep since the move to Thailand and have been having so much fun taking the doors off for the first time and cruising down River Road here in Louisville.  We also took a road trip with the top off to Indianapolis and got quite the sun burn!  It has been record breaking hot here lately so we have put the doors back on and the soft top on for now, just too miserably hot to ride around with no air (spoiled much?).  

Matt's new toy

 Gracie girl (our crazy cool and adorable niece) LOVES the Jeep and ALWAYS wants to ride in Unc Matt's Jeep.  We took Gracie to see her new baby sister in the jeep and got to cross the river over to Indiana where she was born.  Grace loved going over the bridge with the wind blowing her hair.  So much fun!

Gracie is too cool!

This video cracks me up!  We watched Gracie for several days while my brother and sister in law were at the hospital and getting acquainted with new baby, Ruthie.  Gracie was "eating" the wind/catching flies and yelling "JEEEEEEEP" and I gather that she is saying "SMILE" towards the end because I guess she thought I was taking a picture with my phone.

Gracie kicked back

We are so fortunate to have such an awesome "new" car!  Matt loves it and can't wait to get a new water toy to pull behind it (someday!).  It is so fun seeing what joy this machine brings to our sweet 2 year old niece - we are blessed!

Needing to post some pics of our new niece, Ruthie and our handsome nephew Teddy!  On my to do list!

custom (Pottery Barn knock off) door mat

I believe that I registered for a monogrammed door mat for our wedding at Pottery Barn, but did not receive - which I do not blame anyone for not getting it for us because they can cost between $60-$100 - absurd for something you wipe your dirty feet on! SO, I thought I would make my own! I got our door mat at Wal Mart I believe for like 6 bucks. I used my stencil from our custom bar that we ordered on etsy as a custom wall decal  that we ending up not using as a decal and turned it into a stencil instead that can/will be used many many times.  I got the stencil paper from Hobby Lobby and my handy hubby traced the decal and cut out the stencil with an x acto knife.  I have now used this stencil at least 3 times and I am sure will use it more in the future.  You could also do a saying or monogram or whatever on the computer and print it out and trace onto the stencil paper.

I used fabric pant for this project because that is what I had, it would have been a lot easier to do with spray paint, but I did not have any on hand so I just did it by hand with the fabric paint and a foam brush.

This project took me about 20 minutes tops, but would be quicker with spray paint!  The fabric paint took a while to dry, but besides that it worked great!

I think that my rug looks pretty good for about $15 instead of around $100! Let me know if you do one yourself, I would love to see it!

source: Pottery Barn

Thailand or bust!

Both of Matt's parents are officially gone to Thailand for 3+ years.  It is crazy to think that we can no longer take a little road trip up to see them.  I cried, of course!  Twice!  They left at 2 different times so twice the tears!  Matt's parents have been so generous and welcoming to me ever since we started dating and I just can't believe that we will not get to see them on a regular basis and the fact that they are across the world!  Matt's dad left first to start his job and get acquainted and his mom left on Monday morning with his younger sister, Haley.  Haley is going for about a month which is so awesome, I know she will have a great time with her parents and get to do so much - I am quite jealous!  Matt and I will get to go next year most likely.  The trip over there is right about 24 hours not including lay overs and delays!!! I am going to need to not sleep for like 2 days before we go so I can sleep through all that traveling!

source: topworldcities.net

You are probably wondering why his parents have moved to Thailand!?  Well Matt's dad works for Formica as a plant manager and was asked if he would like to go to Thailand to run their plant there while their plant manager goes to China to open a new plant (I am pretty sure that is how it went down).  Of course his dad had to ask his mom because that is not like going across the country for a couple of years, it is a complete lifestyle change!  After some thought and consideration Matt's parents decided that they would embark on this new adventure!  All of us kids were shocked!  I can't imagine going to a country so different than ours for over a year.  They decided to not sell their house and to let Sarah, Matt's older sister stay there, so they pretty much just packed their clothes and a few other things and moved into a HUGE high rise apartment with amazing views right in the heart of Bangkok.  I can't wait to get some pictures from them to post on here!  I believe that Matt's mom and sister should be arriving late tonight which is Wednesday morning there.  They are 11 hours ahead of us here EST.  It is crazy how life can change so quickly, we were all completely surprised by the opportunity to go over there!  It is so neat to see his parents be so open to change and a new adventure.  I would have a hard time with it, but it just shows that sometimes you just have to let go and jump on amazing opportunities.  I hope to post some pictures in the near future of their trips around Thailand and neighboring areas.

In other news... we are still settling in at our apartment and I am still applying for jobs.  I have a pretty good lead on one at an event company here in Louisville, hope it is promising!

the move to Louisville: part 2

back to where I left off... Part 2

Matt comes downstairs and tells me that he is headed to another interview!  I am in shock!  thinking to myself "OK, just another opportunity to see what is out there." by the time Matt has made it to the interview an email arrives in his inbox from the Nashville company... ANOTHER offer! oh my goodness I could barely contain myself and my mom could not contain herself at all!

now I am nervously waiting to hear about the spontaneous interview that he is in.  time went by so slowly!  FINALLY Matt calls and says that they offered him the job and that he thinks that it is the best fit for him and for us!!!!  I could not believe what I was hearing!  The Lord seriously works in mysterious ways because I surely thought that Matt would be taking the original job offer that we had banked on.

there was a catch though... the Nashville offer was a considerable increase in salary than any of the other offers but that did not sway Matt's decision and I did not say a word!  I knew that he would make the right decision for himself and our family.  after a couple hours of letting all this craziness sink in - Matt accepted the job from the spontaneous interview and is now a Project Manager for a commercial construction contracting company in Louisville!  I am so proud to be his wife and knew that his hard work and perseverance would pay off!

we immediately and frantically began searching for apartments so we did not have to shack up at my parent's house.  the original plan was just to pack our stuff up if we did not have a firm job offer and just move to my parents - I am so thankful that we did not have to do that!  not that I don't love my parents, but we just operate on different schedules and lifestyle preferences.  within a day and a half we had found an apartment that will suffice (until we begin house hunting) and headed to "The Ville" with all our stuff!

in the midst of moving we got stuck on I65 because of a major accident with a caravan of 3 cars and a Uhaul - the trip that normally would have taken about 2 hours took us 7 hours!  I am not complaining because it was a fatal accident and I am just so glad that we were not involved!  thanks to my handy mom and an actual paper map we made it to our new home after several failed detour attempts.  we are so thankful for our family who helped us move and for all the prayers that have been prayed!  it feels good to be home after leaving here 6 years ago for college - now I get to bring my husband back with me!

oh yes, I almost forgot!  after being here for about a week Matt got a call about another job offer  and another call for an interview!!! so blessed... I am so proud of him!

we have been here about a month now and still settling in.  Matt is busy with work and just started his first big project and I am hanging out with my niece as much as I can, making this apartment our home, spending time with family and job hunting!  the whole job hunting has been rough, probably cause I really don't know exactly what I want to do... I love the wedding business, but it has been so nice to do stuff on the weekends.  we were able to take a mini road trip to Indianapolis for our anniversary, drive around town in the jeep with the top and doors off, go boating with my parents, and enjoy each other's company.

stay tuned for some diy projects and more of our happenings in our "new" city!
also - Matt's parents move to Thailand!

the move to Louisville: part 1

to blog or not to blog? that is the question... I have gone over this in my head a lot. Matt is always encouraging me to start up again, but I always just shrug it off. I am thinking of changing the layout and look maybe to freshen it up a bit! besides not blogging I have been somewhat busy lately - I will give you an update on our life happenings as of lately...

we moved to Louisville! after about 6 months of Matt applying for jobs he finally got 3 official job offers within TWO days! it was craziness! the Lord was so good to us and I just remember praying on my knees literally and asking him to place us where we needed to be and show us the right path. I really struggled with where I wanted to be ultimately. I knew I didn't want to stay in Bowling Green, after being out of school for a year and a half I was ready to move out of the somewhat college town. I had a great job in Nashville that I really enjoyed, but with working in the wedding business I worked basically every weekend and the husband did not care for that and we missed out on a lot of social things. I was also commuting an hour each way, which was not very fun. our niece was almost 2 years old and I got to see her somewhat frequently but not as much as I would have liked to and our 1 year old nephew was even farther away than our niece, so we had barely even gotten to spend any length of time with him. family is so important to me, but I knew that Matt and I had started our own family so if that meant that we would move to Nashville or clear across the country  I was going to be ok with that.

 so Matt applied to jobs in Nashville and Louisville and Cincinnati (where his family is from) and everywhere else in between! we waited and waited and all of the sudden it was March and I was starting to slightly freak out. I knew that if someone would just give him a face to face interview that he would impress them and be hired! around the beginning of April he had a phone interview and one face to face interview, he thought they went well but no offers yet. a few weeks went by and the face to face interview company wanted him but did not have a specific position for him so it just became a waiting game... we were pretty confident that the face to face interview (in Louisville) was going to offer and they basically did without the paper work so we put our trust in God and planned to move to Louisville. I put in my notice at work (which was so hard, I had learned SOOOO much working there and loved the wedding business - my co workers and boss were like a 2nd family to me - a crazy nutty family, but it was a great job that lead me to a ton of awesome opportunities!)

anyways, I put my notice in at work after quite a few tears and started packing for Louisville... fast forward to the second week of May - less than a week before Matt's graduation... He gets a call from a company in Nashville!! OH MY GOSH I just quit my job in Nashville! so we go to the interview (I tag along for a free nights stay in a hotel) and it goes well and they seem to really want Matt, but no offer yet. the next day or so he gets a call from the same company that my mom works for, a custom home builder. I am crying tears of Joy thanking the Lord for blessing us with more than one interview!!! we head to Louisville for the interview just DAYS before graduation and in the midst of packing for who knows where at this moment! the interview is ok, but the offer not so great. as Matt is leaving that interview somewhat discouraged he gets a call from the ORIGINAL company that we were very confident with the offer saying that it was a done deal!!! he had 24 hours to discuss with me and call the other companies he had interviewed with. we went to sleep that night (in Louisville) thinking that he was going to accept the offer from the original company. I woke up early to greet my niece at the door around 715 am to watch her while my sister in law went to work. a couple hours later Matt comes down stairs and says he got a call from a commercial contractor in Louisville that he had applied for at the beginning of the year. they wanted to know if he had a job yet and if he was still interested. Matt said that he had an offer that he was getting ready to accept. they said come on down if we feel it is the right fit we can also give you an offer today!!! God has been so good to us! Going to wrap it up there for tonight but our story is not finished yet!  stay tuned...

my V-Day gift...a custom bar!

so lately I was obsessing over bar carts and was really really wanting to purchase one, but could not find one that I LOVED that was anywhere near our price range. Hubby decided he would make me one, but I quickly decided that I would be settling and did not want one made out of wood and did not want him to go through all that and me not like it. SOOOO we decided instead to build a bar - since we have sooo much room for all that in our tiny apartment and all. (sarcasm, people). Well Matt started drawing and sketching and I just rattled off some ideas of what I wanted it to look like. That was the beginning. Turns out we totally went over budget and changed quite a few things from the initial drawing that my handy husband drew up. BUT I LOVE it and it is one of a kind and my sweet, handy, intelligent, hard working husband made it for me (I mean us!?). I took pictures along they way thinking that I would blog step by step how to make a bar in a baby apartment on your baby 2nd story patio BUT so many things went differently and I am not really sure how we even got to the point it is today HA - so sorry if you wanted to make one just like ours! You should want to though, cause its amazing! Now all we need to do is get a bigger place and have parties! I really enjoy entertaining so that was one of my reasons for wanting this bar and I needed a place to store all of our bar ware so why not? Well here ya go! Lots of pics and a little commentary...

I ordered a stencil online of our wedding logo that we designed together for the wedding and stenciled it on the top of the bar with glitter (yes, glitter - spray glitter) and sealed it.

I was given the fleur de lis lamp for Christmas from my boss but never had a spot for it - FINALLY a spot! The lamp was originally more rustic and traditional and of course I had to glam it up with the same glossy black paint as the bar, some spray glitter (gilver - or silver and gold)and some black blingy ribbon on the shade.

And before you judge our weirdo 80's looking kitchen chairs that is because they are 80's - our kitchen set was my parents first kitchen set. Next up on Matt's handy man to do list is a new kitchen table - we will probably just purchase the chairs.

We plan to maybe eventually get bar stools so if we want we can sit at the bar - originally we were going to do 2 shelves but decided if we ever wanted to sit at the bar it would be much more comfortable to slide in a chair with just one shelf.

Be My Valentine - late

We are celebrating V-Day today so even though I am late on my post - really it is right on time! We are making a nice dinner - romaine salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges and a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, ribs (hubby's thing), roasted potatoes, baby carrots and asparagus, fudge brownies topped with strawberries and champagne! Can't wait! I think we might go bowling (which includes adult beverages) or go see the new Reese Witherspoon movie - This Means War. Big night planned! I was also thinking of going to get a shampoo and style/blowout. I need to get my brows waxed BAD and I never seem to be able to get any curl to hold in my thick, heavy hair so I was thinking of getting some sassy curls and body for my date night! This post is FULL of Valentine decor pics - so enjoy! What did you expect? This IS my first Valentine's Day as Mrs. Valentine - can't help it.

side note: My wreath on the front door got a little beat up and raggedy in the weather, so excuse her lack of perkiness. AND my mantle is not ideal and got changed around several times but I only got a picture of her once. The picture is not how she ultimately ended up, but you get the idea. The "Kiss Me" ribbon hung on the back of our front door - I had leftover ribbon and letters so I just whipped it up last minute.