Househunting in Florida

I had long been scheduled to attend a training in Orlando the week of March 18th. When we learned that we got the Florida jobs and Thomas' practice area was going to change, my boss mentioned that the training might be good for him as well. It didn't all come together until about a week before the trip, but it did come together. Summer held down the fort with the kids and Thomas and I headed to Florida.

We decided to do some house hunting while we were there. We wanted to get a feel for the neighborhoods and were even open to the possibility of putting in an offer if we found the perfect property.

We flew out on Sunday morning so that we could begin the search and settle in before the training started on Monday morning. Our plane landed in Orlando at 1:30 and we drove straight to the first house. We were supposed to meet the Realtor at 3:30 and it was 30 minutes from the airport, which I thought would be plenty of time. And, our plane was early. I was trying to figure out what we were going to do with all the extra time. However, I forgot the massiveness of MCO and it took us almost 2 hours just to get our luggage and rental car. There was a snafu with the rental car shuttle and they ended up upgrading us to a Cadillac, which was pretty fun. But, it was frustrating to already be behind schedule.

The first house was nice but not what we wanted. The second house was the one we were most excited to see. It had an amazing outdoor area and was super close to work. We would definitely spend all our time on the massive patio with the luxurious pool and outdoor kitchen. However, the floorplan just wasn't going to work. It wasn't really a 5-bedroom and we really wanted to find one where everyone could have their own room.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but it would be impossible to capture all the outdoor living space offered in one picture.

The next house was also amazing. You opened the front door and were in a courtyard with a beautiful pool. It was super cool. However, as much as we loved it, it also wasn't practical. It was super spacious, but didn't have a layout that would work. There were only 3 real bedrooms in the main house. There was a fourth in the pool house, but you had to walk through the courtyard (thus, around the pool) to move between houses. What they called the fifth bedroom was a circular office with no closet. The house was truly amazing and unique; living there would be like living in a resort, but it just wasn't right.

The gorgeous courtyard. Right underneath that arch is the front door. Imagine coming home to this everyday!

We saw two more houses in a neighborhood I hated. Then saw a house that was very inexpensive and in a perfect school district, but Thomas hated it. Seven houses and 5 hours later, we ended our search feeling a little defeated.

The next day we were in class from 8-3. Right after the class, we left to see more houses. This time, we were running early, so we texted Laura, our realtor, and she told us to meet her at the house in her neighborhood. We were not excited about this house. It was only 3248 square feet and needed some updating. I had told Laura we didn't want to see any houses less than 3200 (our house here is about 4500). She thought we would like this one and we added it to the list mainly to appease her. But, as we drove up, we loved the neighborhood. The houses are neo-classical and they don't all look the same. It is a slightly older neighborhood and there are lots of mature trees. The neighborhood is dotted with "pocket parks" and other green space. We just loved it! We found the house, which was a cute yellow color with a longer driveway.

It checked off all our must-haves: 5-bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, a pool, good school district and within 30-minutes (in rush hour) of work. And, it backs to a nice conservation area, so no rear neighbors! Because we loved the neighborhood, the house automatically was being held to a lower standard. But, we really liked it. It has a great layout. The master suite is on the first floor. The second floor has a bonus room that is flanked by 4-bedrooms. They are really small, but everybody gets their own.  The problem is it is outdated. It was top of the line in 2003, but now there are old speakers in the walls and an intercom system that only kind of works. So, lots of dollar signs ahead.

We drove through the neighborhood, which has a community YMCA attached to the elementary school--within walking distance of the house. We saw the tennis courts, community pool, YMCA, basketball courts and more green space and were sold. We saw the rest of the scheduled houses, but nothing really compared. There was a new construction house we really liked, but the neighborhood didn't seem nice. Just rows of houses, although it did have a new middle school and a great floor plan (plus, it was cheaper than the older house). After seeing all the houses of the day, we went back to the first house and put in an offer.

It took them two days to counter and in that time, we realized that the water heater and two heat pumps were both original to the house, which meant they would very likely need to be replaced soon. We were still okay with our offer, but didn't want to go much, if any, higher. They countered with 10k more than we had offered. We decided to take a look at the new construction again. We still liked the floor plan and decided we could live with the neighborhood. So, we let their offer expire, but they e-mailed our realtor asking if we had a response. We decided to counter their counter with our initial offer, giving in on the small areas where we differed (they wouldn't furnish a home warranty and wanted the home inspection within 10 days) but holding firm to our price. And, they accepted! So, we are now under contract. The inspection is tomorrow and we are hoping all goes well.

Maybe our future house?

After the others we'd seen, this pool was not very impressive, but it is big and there is lots of good outdoor space we can make our own.

Our house hits the market on Thursday. We had the pictures taken today. Fingers crossed we go under contract quickly because trying to keep it "for sale clean" is going to be a challenge!




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Lukey is Five!

On March 17, Luke turned 5! As I know I've written, our plan was to spend two nights at Kalahari to celebrate both his and Kara's birthday. However, with the move to Florida, everything is up in the air. Kara has said that as long as we go to a waterpark at some point, she will be happy. Luke hasn't mentioned it much, but we have definitely not forgotten that we owe him an experience.

Unfortunately, Thomas and I had to leave for Florida on the morning of his actual birthday. I felt pretty guilty/sad that we weren't going to be there to celebrate the whole day with him. But, we tried to make it special. We told him he was going to have four days of fun. The first came on Friday when they had a St. Patrick's Day party at school. Saturday, we made his requested cake, which was a "sparkly baseball." Sunday, his actual birthday, Summer made him cupcakes and got his requested dinner of Little Caesars pizza and noodles (Pasta Roni Fettucine Alfredo is his favorite) and then on Monday, he had his party at school. So, he did not feel deprived.

It is also funny to think that Luke is the same age Kara was when he was born. We are finally back where we started! I remember thinking how crazy it was to be having another child when we were finally getting to the point of having all three in school. Kara was just months away from starting kindergarten. Now, she is in fourth grade and Luke is just months away from starting.

Now, all about Luke! He is still very sweet and cuddly. He loves to sit with me or Thomas and be close to us. He also LOVES balls. That has not waned a bit. He would rather be playing catch or baseball than doing anything else. It has been super wet this year and we haven't been able to play outside in the yard as much as he would like, which is a consistent source of frustration. He starts t-ball on Monday, so hopefully that will satisfy him, but likely, it will just remind him to keep asking us to go outside and play baseball. I am excited to see if he enjoys it as much as we think he will.

Luke is also very smart. He seems to really enjoy math and numbers. We found some old workbooks and he likes to do "homework". He is able to see patterns with numbers and can do basic addition facts easily. The workbook he is currently using is a 1st grade one, so we know he will be well-prepared for Kindergarten. He can also sound out simple words, but isn't as concerned about learning to read, which is fine. We have seen with our older kids that they all get to the same place, the pace and interest just varies. I remember Jack being a fluent reader in Kindergarten and Anna being so upset that she wasn't getting it. It was second grade before she reached the point that Jack was at in Kindergarten, however, now they score within a few points of each other on the standardized language tests and she is in the gifted program for English. So, I know not to worry or to try and push (not that I would be worried at this point anyway--he hasn't even started Kindergarten!). Regardless, we think he is very smart and he is definitely interested in learning. I am sure it helps that he has the advantage of having three older siblings to emulate.

Our "gift" for Luke was to get the old dune buggy up and running. He seemed happy with that. We are holding firm to not bringing any additional stuff into the house.

Possessions & Another DC Trip

This move has led to us doing some serious decluttering. For the past several weeks, we have spent a lot of time going through our belongings. This has led me to a couple of conclusions. First, we have way too much stuff. Second, the stuff does not bring happiness. Things that we just had to have, in reality have a very short shelf-life. It is surprisingly easy to sell and give stuff away and it is nice to look around and see fewer things. The process kind of stinks, but the end result is pretty nice. We still have a long way to go, but I am finally seeing definite progress.

But, wait! Bonus! There is a third conclusion--we are saving a lot of money. And, there is a nice freedom that comes from knowing that you are not going to buy anything that is nonessential. No "stuff" has entered our house in over a month and I LOVE IT! I haven't made a single Target run. Yes, you read that right, I haven't browsed at Target in about 6 weeks. In fact, I think I have only been to Target once. For my weekly shopping, I have been using Walmart's pick-up service and I totally love it. It is the greatest thing ever. I am not exaggerating when I say it is a game changer. I am saving so much time and money (the money is saved because I am not buying non-essentials as I browse looking for the items on my list. Plus I can easily compare items and prices on their website). Love, love, love!

So, we have been saving lots of time and lots of money and in our spare time, we are decluttering. It is a work in progress, but we're getting there and the process has been a learning experience. I am hoping I can carry this over beyond the move. I would love to reach the point where I don't buy anything I don't truly need, but I am not sure that is realistic and I am also pretty sure my family would not be on board. I have visions of experiences for gifts and no presents under the tree. But, again, likely not realistic.

In other news, Jack made the Math Team. He is very excited. Anna had quit the Math Club several weeks ago so she was out of the running. There is so much to fight about, we decided it was not worth the battle and let her make the decision. The Fourth Grade team has not been announced, but we shall see for Kara. (note, between starting and finishing my blog we learned that Kara made the team as an alternate)

We went back to DC a couple of weeks ago. We started with the Air and Space Museum and saw the IMAX movie "Carrier". It actually made me feel a little motion sick, but it was good and I am glad we saw it. The kids all really enjoyed it, Luke kept exclaiming, "this is so cool!"  From there, we went to the National Archives. It was the first time we've gone and not had to wait in any line. We were able to browse the documents and it was a pretty cool experience. We ended with the Museum of Natural History. It was a good day, the kind of day that makes me feel sad to leave it all behind.

Kara on the simulators

Obligatory photo with the Capitol in the background

And in final catch-up, we went to the annual Spring Fling at the kids' school, although this year it was held in winter and they called it Mardi Gras something or other. But, it was the same type of event we've gone to every year. We don't go to all the school functions, but I think we have made this one every year. They have games and crafts and some snack foods. There is also a silent auction. But, since we aren't bringing anything into the house, we didn't bid on anything except "Be Principal for a Day," which we lost.

Moving News

On Friday, (22 February), we got the long-awaited news--our transfer to the Orlando office was approved! Thomas and I had actually been considering withdrawing our names. The uncertainty was killing me! But, minutes after we discussed it, my boss called me into her office to tell me the move was happening. I had just told the kids to stop asking for updates. "Did you hear anything about Florida," was the first thing the girls would say every day when I walked in the door. For weeks this went on, until finally I asked them to stop. It was frustrating to wait for news. We were told on January 17, that it would take a week or two to figure out. We were told a week or two again around January 31 and then again on February 21. Since I had just told them the day before it was going to be another week or two, no one asked when I came home on the 22nd. Which was good, because I don't think I could have kept it a secret if they had asked!

But, I wanted to tell them as a family. So, we waited for Thomas to come home. Fortunately, it was a Friday, which means he came home slightly earlier than a regular day. Anna, Kara, and Luke were thrilled. They promptly started jumping around and planning out a video for their YouTube Channel. They were literally screaming in the streets. At the other end of the spectrum, Jack ran up to his room crying. I felt terrible! I moved to Florida around their age and still remember feeling so sad and upset, and those feelings lasted for years. I definitely preferred Massachusetts to Florida and now I am forcing the same move on Jack. However, the factors are significantly different. We were moving from family when I was a kid, now we are moving to family. I think that is the important distinction. Hopefully, I am setting the example for my kids that if given the chance, you live near your aging parents :)

While we knew we were going to Florida, the timeline was still up in the air. The kids (well, three of them) really wanted to move in the middle of the school year, but since school gets out in May in Orlando, that was going to be difficult. Anna wanted to try and make a few friends before middle school and I think Kara just wanted to be the new kid in the class. But, at a minimum, we felt they needed a month in the new school. So, we needed to go by the end of April to make that work. Fortunately, Thomas' boss alleviated some of the pressure by asking him to stay until mid-May. With that news, we asked to stay until school here got out. I think the timeline is approved, but we still have to meet on Monday to have a final discussion. The folks in Orlando are very short-handed and we told them we would move as soon as we could, but that was in January when we had an extra 5 weeks to plan. And, we don't think moving in May makes sense. We can't enroll the kids in school for 2 weeks. And, if we have to stay here, it makes sense to let them finish the school year in Maryland.  Hopefully, everyone understands. I think it is a good thing. It gives us time to get everything together and J & A will get to participate in their 5th grade graduation.

We met with a Realtor and will be listing the house at the end of March. In the meantime, we have lots to do. We have already donated bags of clothes, games, movies and books. We are taking it in small pieces, otherwise it is just too overwhelming.

And to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. Here is the second load of books we dropped off to the library for their annual book sale. There was one previous load and we still have at least one box still to go.

So, that's where we stand. We are moving to Florida. Hopefully in June.