Hi all, finally popping in for a long-overdue update!! Hopefully you all eventually find your way back over here.....for some reason, I have been moved to the Universal trip report board, even though my upcoming trip has absolutely no Universal components whatsoever
. I have requested this thread be moved to a more suitable space, but as you know, that's up to the mods....so be aware that I may (or may not) be in this same location the next time you check in.
First, in countdown news........we're officially in
68 days, to be exact
. From a trip planning perspective, there's been little change to the plans as of late. Car rental rates have been stable and with flights, accommodations, and park tickets all taken care of (and dining planned out, for the most part), we're in a bit of a lull. Once we get under 60 days to departure, I'll start stalking Groupon and Travelzoo a little more regularly to see if I'm inspired to add on a few little extras. I would love to snag a deal on some mini golf, especially.
Time rather feels like its flying these days, but then again, we've had quite a big week. Those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook got the update yesterday, but for the rest of you, I'm happy to share..........
WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!
And this time, I kept it under wraps until all the potential deal-killing hurdles were all successfully cleared
. Once bitten, twice shy.
My apologies for being a terrible trip reporter over the last two weeks, but we were initially knee deep in house hunting (after our offer on the condo fell through) and then in fulfilling appraisals, inspections, and all the good stuff that came after the negotiations of price. Like all of you so kindly and gently reminded me, sometimes the bad stuff happens for a reason and you were all right on the mark with your advice: the home we found afterward is superior in SO many ways. Not only is it a single family home, but it's fully redone from top to bottom: it features new siding, a new roof, a new furnace, new flooring, a gorgeous new kitchen, new stainless steel appliances, new light fixtures, two stunning new bathrooms (the tile work in the main bathroom is AMAZING!!) and new drywall. It's larger than the condo (2113 square feet versus 1730), has an additional bedroom, has a 2 car garage versus 1, and offers a fabulous family room in the lower level so Steve can finally have his coveted "man cave". It's a shorter commute for Steve, too, and in a quieter neighborhood. It even has a 14 x 13 Florida room on the back which hopefully will have a hot tub within the next year (budget permitting). We are so excited to have found a home that checks SO many boxes (honestly, pretty much all of them!!) on our wish list. Of course now, the pandemonium REALLY begins as we will be packing and moving sometime within the next month. The official moving date is still to be determined, as the sellers are interested in accelerating the closing date (and we are totally agreeable....we can't wait to get settled in) but it will definitely be in March. I am going to have to rely on
@dancin Disney style to tell bad puns and share some extra cat memes during that transitional period where I'm MIA here on the boards.
So, I guess I'm extra grateful right now that most of our trip is pretty much all ready to go, so I can focus on getting us as settled in as possible during that 5-week period between the move and our vacation. Other than arranging for a town car to and from the airport (here in MI) that's pretty much my last major to-do. I'm also super glad that we have a fairly low-key week in the plans, so we can rest and recharge after the chaos of this winter and the upcoming early spring. Pretty sure some relaxation will be MUCH needed by then.
I still have all your posts from this week to go back through and respond to, but know I at least read them all daily even though I haven't been replying as regularly as I should
. I hope to get caught up by tomorrow night!
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We actually saw some sunshine in Southeast Michigan today!
Talk about being good for the soul.