LIFE'S LITTLE DETAILS

"THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN." — CHARLES EAMES

Now that I got all of that Terrain goodness off my chest (SWOON!), I should probably update you because a lot has transpired since we last touched base (almost two weeks ago?). Buckle up, m' dears! There's a healthy dose of chaotic rambling straight ahead...

After dropping both cars off at one of the Volkswagen dealerships in San Antonio (oil changes for both cars, and a window replacement for the Touareg—ARGH!) on October 7th, the three of us boarded a plane later that afternoon and arrived in Washington DC around 10 PM on Saturday night. My parents picked us up and we went straight to bed. A full day of house-hunting in the Dover area was on the itinerary the next day and we needed to get as much rest as possible. We were equal parts exhausted and excited.

Because we're the world's okayest parents, we spent Sunday "celebrating" Max's 3rd birthday by trying to figure out if we were leaning more towards a new-build or an older home that might require some tweaking. We visited several properties, talked to a handful of locals, and got a better understanding of what our priorities are when we're searching for our first home. It felt overwhelming at times, but it was nice to have my dad around to entertain Max and my mom close by to get input and advice.

Since that Monday was also Columbus Day, my mom, Flyboy, and I opted to leave my dad and Max behind so we could head back to Delaware (approximately two hours away) and continue our search without subjecting the resident toddler to any more traveling. We'd arranged to meet with a realtor and had appointments to visit two more houses. As we listened to the agent rattle on about the specs of the homes visited and offer suggestions regarding other listings, we knew there was a clear front runner in the mix and there was no use in looking at anything else. I'm hesitant to say much about the place we're actively pursuing because I know A LOT of things can go wrong before a key is in our possession, but the prospect of settling down there makes me giddy.

After a whirlwind 72 hours, we spent Tuesday crunching numbers, discussing potential house projects, and asking my parents for the occasional nugget of reassurance. Ha! After learning Flyboy's training in Oklahoma was pushed back a week or two (date still TBD), we had the opportunity to map out a rough game plan as to what the next few months might look like logistically.

When we weren't freaking out about the process and cost of home buying, we delighted in visiting a local plant nursery with my mom, meeting my parents' new pup Fergus (the sweetest Bouvier), and eating/drinking our feelings with lots of really great food and beer. On Wednesday I got the chance to visit my mom's school (always a treat!) while the boys stayed home and had fun with a power washer. Thursday was special for a handful of reasons (museums, our inaugural trip to Jeni's, farmer's market flowers, etc.) as Flyboy and I ventured into the city for a day date. Five hours alone was just as incredible as the flight of ice cream we devoured!

Since we were in the company of a THREE YEAR OLD (How can this be??), a small celebration for Max at the local pumpkin patch that Friday was inevitable—even if we were five days late! Oops! As evident from the photos, our day at Cox Farm was an absolute riot. The games and assortment of slides, along with the hayrides and animals, are still a source of discussion almost a week later. Success! Despite the fact that we couldn't bring a goat or tractor home with us, I'm positive it was a hit with the birthday boy and my fingers are crossed he won't remember the year we went house-hunting on his actual birthday. #PARENTINGFAIL??    

Over the course of ten days, my mom's side of the family lost both an uncle and aunt to cancer at the beginning of October. Having just said good-bye to her brother, my grandma flew down to Florida to visit her sister-in-law one last time. My mom's sister (also lives in the DC area) drove to be with my grandma and brought her back to Virginia while we were visiting last week. The circumstances for which our trips overlapped are incredibly unfortunate, but it was so nice to get to spend some quality time together. It had been almost NINE years since Flyboy and my grandmother got to visit, so I was especially proud and grateful to watch them reconnect. Seeing her race ducks alongside Max and sing along to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle" on a tractor ride are moments I didn't expect would happen when we boarded our plane from Texas, but they turned out to be memorable highlights.

There's no telling what will happen now through February (tentative Dover arrival pending official orders—don't ask!), but we got a taste of what life might be like at our next assignment and we feel very blessed to be afforded this opportunity. The fear that comes with change and the unknown is very much alive and real on this end, but our next chapter looks bright. Thanks for following along!   

SaveSave