It all started one day last summer...

Isn't that how all great tales start?

M. and I weren't seriously considering buying, but we were seriously considering how much money we'd spent in two summers renting little shore shacks in what Realtors would call a "desirable seaside community." So, we started poking around at open houses. (Who am I kidding? I became totally O.C.D. -- I knew every house that was listed in town, before real estate agents even did.)

I was out for a morning (OK, early afternoon) walk for coffee, and happened upon an open house unknown to me. It was listed by an out-of-town agency I'd not heard of (thus, was not yet stalking), and while it was out of our imaginary price range (remember: we weren't "really" looking), it was big, it was old, and it was intriguing. So I got the man and we went inside.

And it had me at pocket doors.

To make a LONG story short...As much as we liked it (we visited, and revisited), we found out the sellers turned down offers higher than we were willing to go (based largely on my aforementioned stalking of local listings). The house was eventually “sold,” and while we looked around at other open houses nothing said “home” to us. And we couldn’t stop comparing others to “the house the got away.”

Fast forward two months (to November) – I got an email from the Realtor asking if we’re still interested. The original sale fell through. Now it was winter and a shore house was a harder sell. And the sellers were motivated because their kids were in school. And the price had dropped.

Four short weeks later, we were sleeping on an air mattress in our new home. You know when people say, "it was meant to be" and you think it's crap? Well, I don't think that way any more.

And our lives have been a paint swatching, thrift storing, furniture hunting, cabinet scrubbing, electrical working whirlwind. And we couldn’t love it more.

That was a week before Christmas, so I have four months to catch up on. Stand by for power posting by this Blogging newbie...and thanks for stopping by.