So Friday, July 29, 2011 I officially became an adult. You may be asking yourself, “Aren’t you already an adult? You have a full-time job that makes you miserable like every other adult, you are in your mid-20s and you’re happily married. You are not only pre-approved but you certainly qualify as a full-fledged adult.” I never really consider myself an adult, just a grown child that is having a lot of fun playing with adult toys and money. But Friday, K and I signed the papers that made us official home owners. They gave us keys and let us go on our way.

The words cannot describe the excitement, relief and the joy that I was feeling in that moment. I kind of wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. This will be the place that I help make a home. The place that I will raise my future children. This will be the place that K and I will grow old together in. It was a really emotional moment. And then it quickly passed as I realized that we will be paying a mortgage that doubles our current rent, that we will be our own repair team and that Chandler will be so excited to be in a new place he will pee on the new, pretty carpet. Awesome.

As scary as all that may seem, I am truly happy. And with all that said here is some advice I give to others looking into purchasing a home for the first time:

1. My advise to first time home buyers it to perceive because it can be a long and exhausting journey and some days you will want to just give up.
2. As a couple that hates the moving process (trust me, K and I had to make the trek across the country) think ahead. You might not have the big family you dream of now, but if that is something you want, think ahead. Look for a house that will be a home to you and the family you want.
3. Have a list of must-haves and deal breakers. If you want your dream home, stick to the list. But be reasonable and realistic.
4. Make sure all of your finances are in order. Trust me, you want to be prepared with what credit scores will come up with, which is EVERYTHING. Be prepared to dispute and/or have an explanation for the mistakes of your past.

Now my weekends will consist of thrifting for furniture and working on DIY home decor projects. Stay tuned for what I will be working on for the next couple of weeks (or months) and just you wait till I post the finishing products. This will be fun!

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this queued post, I’m starting the move as we speak read:)

P.S.S. This was the big news I mentioned all week if you haven’t figured that out already;)