Home Sweet Home?

Exciting news to share from the APT! Hopefully it won't be KP from the APT much longer...

As many of you know we've been on the hunt for a house that is just right for us for almost three years. After looking at many, MANY houses, without luck, we have decided new construction might be the way to go. We have been working with a builder, and engineer over the last couple of months to perfect our plans and drum roll please....Friday we signed the paperwork to start construction!

With interest rates really low, a builder with a great lot already, and all the tax perks for first time home buyers ($8,000 rebate sounds really good), I think the stars have finally aligned and it is finally the right time for us to finally get out of the APT and have our own home! Yeah!

Our builder said he could start work really soon, so we're hoping for this coming week or next. Jacob wanted to drive by and see if they had done anything today! (Are we eager or what?!) He says it will take about 3 months with good weather to build, and then we'll be moving in! We are so excited! To have a garage, a spacious kitchen, and not be surrounded on all sides by neighbors will be wonderful.

We have a ton of decisions to make as the process continues, we've been looking at flooring today, brick, and cabinet choices will also probably be made this week before we leave for our trip. Don't be surprised if I ask for your input on things! Hopefully I'll be better at making decisions after all of this!

Last but not least, some photos. I'd like to keep a "photo diary" of the experience, so we can see the house completed. The pictures aren't too exciting yet, but I can't wait to see them progress!

The Plans (click to see a bigger version)

A Corner View

A Front View (exciting huh!)
A Side/Back View

Check back for more updates! We can't wait to have you over to our new home!

Almost There!

Well, it's only been three weeks since my last post, I'm getting better! (I think!) Hopefully everyone has had a good long Memorial Day weekend. We've been going about our normal routine here, and enjoyed sleeping in this morning!

I am anxiously awaiting the end of the school year. Only two more days with students! Tomorrow we will have field day all day (pray for no rain!), and Wednesday will be the last day of school. I am so excited. This year has been challenging, and I'm ready for a break!

My newest Master's class started a week ago, but hasn't been to bad yet. I'm almost wishing I had taken another this semester, but of course you never know how much work its going to be until it gets started.

Yesterday we had a meeting with the other people going to Spain. The trip is right around the corner. We leave June 11. It'd hard to believe it's finally here!

Have a good week, hopefully the next time you hear from me I'll be on summer vacation!

Hallelujah!

I just finished two more graduate classes, and it feels oh, so good! I feel like a gigantic weight has been taken off of my shoulders (until the next class starts in two weeks). Sorry about my absence from the blogging world for the past few months, but my world has revolved around school, homework, sleep, and repeat. It feels like every waking moment I have been working on some assignment, project (need a five week, fifty page long unit on the economy for first graders-let me know!), video taping myself teaching and then reflecting on it, doing all of the other assignments, or thinking about the assignments I should be working on. And oh yeah, actually planning for my own class. If you can't tell, I'm a little burnt out on school, but I'm finished with part of it now. Yeah!

As far as other happening since my last post on March 1 (yikes!), nothing too exciting has been happening.

We're still on the hunt for a house, hopefully we'll come up with something soon. I'm really antsy to get out of the APT.

Our Spain trip is right around the corner. We leave on June 11. We are finally getting excited about it, even though I really don't know what we're doing or where we're going. I'm trusting Jacob to care of all that, and communicate for me once we get there!

Two weeks ago we got to have dinner with Laura and her boyfriend, Travis. He was home on leave from Iraq, and had to go back this past weekend until October. I know she was glad to see him. He seems like a really nice guy.

The other Shively's (all of them except us) have gotten into the coffeehouse business. Ashley was working at one in Franklin, and the owner wanted to sell it. She and Ben bought it last week, and are running it with Jay's business help. If you're in Franklin, stop at Benjamin's (ironically it was already named that before they bought it), on the square and have a cup of joe.

I'm counting down to the final day of school. This semester has been challenging with all of the work I've done outside of school, combined with the day-to-day challenges I've faced. I'm definitely ready for break. Only 16 school days to go!

Those are all of the updates I can think of at the moment. I promise to be more prompt in my postings from now on!