I'm BAAAACCCKKK (did you miss me?)

Well, I returned last night - safe and sound - from my mini-vacation to St. Louis. We had the house inspection on Saturday and it went really well. A few very minor things to be addressed, but nothing that gave us reason to want to back out of the deal. I took about 700 pictures of every nook and cranny in the house - so that Josh and the kids would have an idea of where they will be spending the next several years of their lives. Everyone was very excited by what they saw.

We are getting a steal of a deal on this house, but it is needing a bit of a face lift. The house is 13 years old and sporting the original, ever-so-lovely decor of 1994 (which means loads of mauve, forest green, and peach). Kind of reminds me of my wedding, actually. If only I had a bad perm, spiky bangs, and some tapered jeans, the flashback would be complete.

There is forest green linoleum throughout the kitchen and sun room. Pink carpeting adorns the dining and living rooms. The walls and counter tops of the kitchen are a bright, nauseating shade of mauve. Thankfully, the kitchen cabinets are fantastic and will stay as-is (white 42-inch beauties). We will be replacing the entire main level with hardwood floors; we'll be painting every room in the house; and replacing the counter tops in the kitchen. (I know, I know, we should keep the pepto-bismol counters, but really it would make Hannah far too happy. I am nothing, if not indifferent, to the happiness of my children).

The basement though is really great, with a family room, bedroom, full bath, sewing room, and two offices ("FINALLY, I'LL HAVE MY OWN WORK SPACE," says Chase), and the upstairs bedrooms will be like-new with a fresh coat of paint. The yard is beautifully landscaped, green grass and exquisite flowers and shrubs.

Best part? The homeowners association fee includes landscaping, snow removal, and use of the pool that is right across the street. Oh yeah, I am not at all sad to relinquish my post as yard/snow girl.

Otherwise, the trip was pretty uneventful. Got to relax, sleep in, eat bad food, and see a movie (The Hoax, which by the way, is fantastic!)

Josh had the home front well under control and the only complaint came from Hannah who said, "Daddy tried to do a pony-tail in my hair and it didn't look berry good." I give him props for even trying. I was sad to miss seeing their excitement on Easter morning, but had the good fortune to catch an early flight home on Sunday.

Anyway, thanks for all the well-wishes. We are excited to move forward on this new part of our lives. You will, no doubt, be hearing a play-by-play over the next few months of what will hopefully be our LAST move. Feel free to stop listening when you get sick of it.