Move-in Day Pictures

Time for a house tour!! I wanted to document how the house looked very soon after moving in so I can look back at them and keep track of our progress! It's going to take forever to decorate this house, mostly because things are expensive and our plan is to slowly buy nice, quality things we love as we save up rather then buy a bunch of filler stuff to that we'll want to replace down the line!

Here's the best picture I have from the front and it's raining right now so I'm not running out to take another one. See that tree on the right hand side with the bad hairdo? My dad diagnosed the tree with bagworms and cut off all the dead branches. Derrick cut off the rest last night and we've sprayed it down with insecticide so hopefully the tree can be salvaged by next year!

When you come into the house you have the dining room immediately on your left and the office immediately on the right. Derrick's Mom has offered to give us her dining room table, chairs, and hutch which will look fabulous! We pick them up in a couple weeks. For now, our old kitchen table is acting as place holder.

We don't have office furniture yet. My parents have a desk they are going to give us if we can get it up here...that's going to be the tricky part so we'll have to wait and see if we can make that happen. Without furniture, it means the room will look like this for a while.

At the back of the house is the kitchen and living room. The kitchen is HUGE and I love it! If you would have asked me before this house, I was looking for a white kitchen with lighter counter tops. This one is the complete opposite but it totally works for me!

This is the eat-in area next to the kitchen and pretty much looks exactly like this still. We don't have a kitchen table so this is going to be another space that stays empty for a while until we get one.

Living room!I love the huge windows! I'm currently on the hunt for a rug for this space but the size is giving me issues. I've taped out a couple options on the floor and I think we're going to end up with a 6x9...now I just need to find the right one! We're also going to replace that wing-back chair and probably the other chair as well cause it's small and will be a better accent somewhere else.

This is the downstairs guest room and is very bare but looks the cleanest and most finished at the moment. It has an attached bathroom that just got a shower curtain today...progress!

Down the hall from the guest room is the laundry room, half bathroom, and garage.

No joke, this is what the garage looked like on moving day. My dad came in and spent about an hour in here and created this. It was amazing. I was planning on taking all of that furniture to the dump. He didn't know that so came in with fresh eyes and created the most perfect work space and storage area.

Here's the master! I promised this was a candid tour...nothing pretty to see here. Since this photo was taken we've taken the bed back off the risers, moved the end tables closer, hidden the cords and gotten rid of the miscellaneous stuff on the floor. Far from complete but functional and pretty enough for now.

My favorite part!!! Excuse the picture, I stole it off of the listing because I've already made a change in there I want to share. Isn't is amazing though??? That's a custom closet organization system that blows my mind. I feel so fancy! And we have all of our clothes neatly stored in here and NOTHING in that dresser in the bedroom. It's crazy!

Here's our bathroom!  A lot has changed in here, but mostly just unpacking. Now there is just one small box that I've been too lazy to drag into the bedroom but other then that this appears to be a clean, functional bathroom. We are loving the space in here!

Outside our bedroom is what we've dubbed the super bowl room. When we first looked at the house they had it staged in such a way that the downstairs living room looked tiny. This was the space that made up for it. The original plan was to get a sectional but with the current set-up I think we're going to leave it like this for a while. This room has had a major change in the form of a gigantic TV.

This is the look-out area over the foyer from the super-bowl room.

The yellow room! It will most likely stay just like this until we need it for a kid down the road. This yellow is killing me though. The cover on the light makes the light really muted and dark and only having one window makes this room super dark. I will be ready to paint this one when we finally get to that point but it will sit with the door shut for a while.

This has been dubbed the puzzle loft. It's going to be a craft studio/game room! The kitchen table that is currently in the dining room is going to come up here for a large work surface and then we can really whip this room into shape!

Last but not least is the pink room! We were going to leave this room shut for a long time too but then Holly and Alexander said they were giving this bed and mattress set away so we jumped on it to make a second guest room for the time being. This room will also be getting a coat of paint at some point but for now it's not going to get much use so it'll sit just like this for now!

I don't have any pictures of the back deck and yard but I'll post some later! For now we're just slowly figuring out where to put all those knick knacks and pesky little things that need a spot and trying to remember to drive here instead of our apartment after work :)

House Thoughts

We've been in our house for four days now and we are loving every minute of it. Our families came up all weekend and were unpacking machines. We would still be completely buried if they hadn't come up. Dad had the garage organized in about 10 minutes and our Moms, Meemaw, and Leanna took over the kitchen.

A few highlights from our recently acquired homeowner status:

1. We had to mow the lawn on day 1. I think the previous owners stopped mowing it the second we went under contract because it was about 8 inches long. We had to borrow Alexander and Holly's mower and it kept cutting out because the long grass was jamming it. It's under control now though and our reel mower just came in the mail!

2. We have met some of the neighbors and they are all very nice and very welcoming. Funny story...we're standing in the cul-de-sac talking to the neighbors and her first grader is bouncing on his pogo stick. He just blurts out: "Are you going to make babies?" Derrick and I just stared at him and didn't know what to say. I think we've disappointed all the neighborhood kids by not bringing any kids for them to play with :)

3. The front porch is amazing!! A front porch was never anything that was important to me. I have always wanted at least a stoop or steps leading up the front door. I think this is because my dad and I used to sit on the front stoop and through the ball to our dog Bear and I always loved that. This house has steps to sit on to throw the ball for Crosby but also has a huge front porch! Our friend Holly texted me last week about some wicker furniture her neighbor was trying to get rid of for a steal so my Dad and Mom stopped and picked it up on their way up here on Friday. It is amazing! We were out on the front porch all weekend!

 
4. We've already had to call out the gas company for a gas leak. We shut off the pilot light to the gas fireplace and I could still smell gas. They came out within the hour and found a gas leak but he said it was a really easy fix. Right now it's just turned off and we just have to tighten a few nuts and we should be good to go!

5. Having a yard is awesome! I know yard work is going to be a pain sometimes but it is so great to be able to play with Crosby at our own house. No more having to make a plan on how to tire her out that day. We can just sit on our front porch or a back deck and throw with her. She loves it!

I've gone around and taken photos of all of our rooms as they look right now and intend to post them on here so we can see how they evolve over the years! We're heading to Lowe's and Best Buy tonight to do some house shopping....Derrick has his eye on a TV for the bonus room and we need some Lowes stuff for the yard. Should be fun!

We Bought a House!

Yep!! We took the plunge into home ownership! We have been gradually outgrowing our apartment. Near the start of summer I no longer cared as much about the clutter because there just wasn't anywhere better to put things.

Derrick and I had been casually looking at homes on my MLS app but we weren't in any rush to buy. Our lease ends in October and we told ourselves back in June if we saw something that we loved we'd jump on it but that we weren't going to move for just anything. Well, near the end of July we started looking a little more seriously. I say seriously, but since I'm a realtor I could just make appointments to check out houses whenever I wanted so it never felt like we were actually looking for us...it just felt like we were checking out what was out there and having a fun afternoon.

One evening I sent Derrick three houses that I wanted to look at. One of them didn't have any pictures online but I had driven by and liked the neighborhood. The other two had intriguing pictures and were in good areas. We made a date night out of it!  The first one we looked at was it. We looked at the other two but kept comparing it to the first one we had seen. Derrick was the one who initiated making the offer which totally caught me off guard. I was not going into the night thinking we'd be making an offer on a house....but when it's right, it's right :)

I'll post more info about the actual house later but we went under contract for it on July 25 and we closed on it this morning. The movers are getting here tomorrow morning and we'll be sleeping in our new home tomorrow night!! Here are a few pics I've been waiting to share until closing day. You'll see at trend :)

If you ever need boxes, go to Craigslist!! I got this entire carload of boxes and packing paper for $15! It also came with a funny story. The woman I bought them from emailed me later because she had told me they were clean and pet free. She was so sure she had offended me because I had a dog and could not let it go. I had to email her assuring her I wasn't offended by her comment.

I think we've only had one guest since we went under contract and it was Jack. He had to sleep among the boxes. In our new house we'll have 2 guest rooms which will be totally devoted to guest rooms! No double duty!

I sent this picture to Kurt on his birthday when we were petsitting Maya. He asked if we were closing the next day....it was a month ago :) I've been eagerly packing since we went under contract.

 The weekend after we went under contract Derrick and I went to Lowes just to walk around. Here I am with all of the paint supplies we had to buy to paint our dining room in our apartment back to neutral.

And FINALLY this morning it was closing day!! We had our final walk through, all repairs had been done, the house looked great, and we were closed by 9:30. Derrick went to work while I did last minute packing and we are ready to move in tomorrow! I've already been to the house 5 times today and we are still going back one more time tonight. We had dinner on the floor of our new bonus room and spun circles in our giant new bathroom. Our whole families come into town this weekend to see it! We can't wait!!!!

Rebecca is getting married!

On Saturday, after a full day of ultimate, I popped an Excedrin and hit the showers so I could go out with the girls for Rebecca's bachelorette night. It was dinner, drinks, and desert with Rebecca, Holly, and Meredith and it was so much fun.  Derrick has had the same three best friends through high school and their friendship is still going strong now. I am so glad that the four girls who married them (that would be us....this is a weird thing to word) get along so well! We spend a lot of time together and I love having them as friends.

Anyways, Rebecca had made reservations at Mozelle's in Winston Salem. We had fried pickles and brie and jam for the appetizer and then I had their famous fried chicken for dinner. It was all delicious! This picture came out really fuzzy unfortunately.

If you look closely at that picture you can see all THREE of my drinks :) Water..duh  Coke...after tournament must and a glass of wine....girls night must.  I was extremely well hydrated for the night.

After dinner we went somewhere for desert. I don't remember what it's called but Holly's peanut-butter pie was delicious and I probably owe her some money for it. I ate more than just the one bite I was intending on eating.

We ended the night with daiquiris and gifts back at the house and then I hit the sack when I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore...I think that was around 10 :)

Only a week and a half until the wedding!!! I can't wait! I love weddings and this one is going to be blending cultures which I'm excited to see!

Ugh...these pics turned out so blurry!

Raleighwood takes on NC

This past weekend was North Carolina mixed sectionals. This is the start of the championship series in which you have to qualify to move on to the next round. There were 7 mixed teams in North Carolina that all met in Advance, near Winston Salem, for a round robin into bracket play championship. Raleighwood came out strong on Saturday and won all of our 4 games, including the game against the #1 seed, and our biggest rival, Cahoots. 

On Sunday we won two more pool play games and were automatically in the championship game against Cahoots again. It was a very closely matched game but we ended up losing on double game point 12-11.  

I cannot be prouder of how our team played. Raleighwood has a history of being a little streaky and not always playing up to our potential. We come out slow on each tournament day and can easily get in our heads and stop playing well. I don't think we had any of that this weekend. Everybody came out strong in every game and everybody was happy and excited to be there. We left with a 2nd place finish and a ticket to Regionals in Atlanta in two weeks!

Since Raleighwood is so close to Winston Salem, Derrick's mom was able to come watch us on both days and my mom was able to come watch us on Sunday. I'm glad we were able to put on a good show for them!

Derrick and I won't be able to play at Regionals in a couple weeks. Michael and Rebecca are getting married that weekend and it's going to be fabulous! This is probably our last chance to play this competitively with Jack for a while. He is going to move on to men's for next club season but I am so happy he decided to share one more season with Derrick and I. I have loved watching him grow as a player and he is extremely talented on the frisbee field. He'll do the Marcey-Williams clan proud at regionals :)

A Lovely Weekend

This weekend has been a good and lazy one. Derrick and I have been extremely busy these past couple of weeks so it was nice to finally have a weekend without an agenda. Derrick was with his best friends all weekend having a bachelor weekend for Michael. Michael and Rebecca get married in just three weeks! While our guys were hanging out Holly, Rebecca, and I used the opportunity to have a girls weekend.

On Friday night we headed to Hillsborough Street and had dinner and drinks at David's Dumpling and Noodle Bar. You can always count on Rebecca to know the good restaurants and find new ones to try. It was delicious! After dinner we got cookout milkshakes and decided to walk around campus and check out all the new buildings our student fees had paid for. We felt extremely old walking around and seeing all the students who were 5-10 years younger then us. The new student center is extremely nice and we spent most of the time admiring the new furniture and getting directions from students who said we looked lost.

 

Yesterday we met at the Farmer's Market in Morrisville to check it out. I had Crosby with me and was sad to find out that she wasn't allowed, however, there is a stand at the very front that will hold your dog for you while you shop. It's  charity that purchases local food to feed children in need so in exchange for holding Crosby I was sure to donate. They said they were always happy to hold her so I think we'll still bring her in the future and drop a donation in each time.

The farmer's market is great! They have tons of vegetables and they also have bread, cheese, and meat stands. I stocked up on salad stuff for the week as well as bread and corn on the cob. Our apartment is not in any state right now to display flowers but I'll definitely be getting some next time I go because they were gorgeous!!

After the farmer's market I headed off to NC State again for Raleighwood practice where we had the best turn out of the year. Practice was great and ended in plenty of time to get back home, take a nap, and be up for the State game at 6:00. Holly came over for the State game and we even went out at half time to pick up dinner and a new NCSU jersey for me!

Crosby is obsessed with Holly. Crosby can take a while to warm up to people, which was the case with Holly at first, but now she has decided Holly is one of her favorites. She was whining and jumping up on her all night just wanting to be close to her. Hopefully Holly doesn't mind :) Oh, and State came out with the win! It's going to be another heart attack season if they keep up this trend of being down in the first half and winning in the 4th quarter.

Rebecca's Bridal Shower

Last Sunday I was able to stop by Winston Salem on my way home from Nikki's showers and celebrate Michael and Rebecca who are getting married THIS month!! That's so exciting to say and to finally reach that milestone! I was so happy to be able to celebrate with them and it was a beautiful shower hosted by Michael's sisters and Rebecca's sisters. I only took a few pictures unfortunately.

Michael was there which was a surprise to me. I don't think he knew he was coming until that day :)

They played a couple fun games including a mad libs game that told the story of their relationship and also the He-She game where they are asked a question like "who is better with money" and they each have to indicate either he or she. That game is always a hit because it's funny to see the answers they don't agree on.

I headed out shortly after presents because I was fried from the weekend but I was so happy to be able to celebrate with Rebecca and Michael. We're heading out on the town with Rebecca in a couple weeks and then it's wedding time!