*** New Home ***

A lot of time has transpired since the last entry (sorry to those who follow.) For the past few months, we have been busy with getting documents together qualifying for a home mortgage, shopping, making offers and dealing with the disappointment when we didn't succeed.

When we toured the 18th home and made our 5th offer, magic struck. Benjamin now has a new place to call home! We closed on the home in early April, then moved in the following week. Since then, we have been settling in and getting used to the fact that we're homeowners instead of renters.

It was literally a madhouse when we moved. We rented a U-Haul and made an attempt to keep things organized as we moved in. Then, the piano mover arrived at the same time the local furniture store to deliver and install the washer and dryer. All that Dad could do was tell them where to move them, sign invoices, write checks and scratch his head as he wondered what he got himself into.

Benjamin is thrilled by the fact that he has his own room with a firetruck bed. He also has a toy room to keep all of his toys. This could end up being a little brother or sister's room at some point, but until then, he loves being able to spread out and play.

Benjamin also has a great backyard with plenty of grass to stain the knees of his jeans. Mom keeps hinting at the prospects of Benjamin getting a dog now, but at this point, Dad has resisted enough to keep the idea at bay. Perhaps in a couple of years when Benjamin is a little older and learning to be responsible.

Mom is very proud of the space she can call her own, like the kitchen, dining room, the garden in the backyard and the living room. After most of our belongings were unpacked, this is what the living room looks like. The piano was a gift from Dad to Mom to celebrate our new home. It was amazing that the giant Koi fish also survived the move, they were very happy to be in the new home as well.

This is looking at the kitchen from the dining room. As you can see, we still had boxes to unpack, even down the hallway.

From the dining room window, there is a great view of the mountains to the east and southeast. Benjamin reminds us that this is called Mount Olympus when we pull out of the driveway.

Most of all, this is a place where Benjamin will remember growing up and will always call home.