Moving In & Getting Settled

We closed on the house on Friday, April 30, at a lawyer's office about two blocks from the house. So we came right over after signing the papers, just to be in the house that was now ours! 

Here's the better of two terrible selfies I took of us when we got to the house after closing (It's so bright out! I can't seem to look directly at the camera without making a weird face...): 

I did better in the kitchen:

As I mentioned, this was the end of BGSU's finals week, so I was still in the middle of grading portfolios for my writing class, but we also wanted to get moved in quickly. We had the U-Haul booked for Thursday, May 6, just less than a week after we closed. We were thrilled that the house didn't need anything done before moving in--it was even freshly painted! 

But we had quite a bit of packing still to do, along with finishing up the semester, and we took care of a few other things: ordered our washer/dryer/installation, had an appointment with Budget Blinds to get the window treatments figured out, got an electrician to stop by for an estimate on some work we needed, etc. We also started bringing stuff over--lots of Mark's percussion equipment and other things we didn't want to box up. And I did some cleaning--mostly vacuuming and wiping down cabinets/shelves/doors. 

On moving day, we were thrilled to have some helpers: two guys from the drumline along with a few of my friends. We ended up making 3 trips with the U-Haul, one with big furniture, one with mostly boxes, and a last round with odds-and-ends. In town moves are definitely less pressure--we just weren't that worried about packing everything in! (though there were definitely some things we could have packed better...I was out of practice). But we were SO thankful to have the extra help and not have to do all the heavy lifting ourselves (like we'd thought we'd need to do if we'd moved earlier in the pandemic. As it was, all of our helpers were vaccinated, and this was actually my first big in-person, no-masks interaction with people!). And, we managed to get everything done before the rain started mid-afternoon (well, we did have to get gas and return the truck in some light rain, but that was it!). 

Most things were unloaded roughly were they belonged, but the place was still pretty chaotic at the end of the day. And we were exhausted! 

Our view from the couch in the living room
(so many boxes!)

We did remember to pack a bag for the first night with our sheets, towels, etc, so it was fairly easy to get the bed set up and have a place to sleep, at least. 

The next day, Friday, my top priority was getting the kitchen unpacked, and I had another friend offer to come over and help with that. Mark kept busy getting his stuff set up in the game room and studio. 

the first meal I really cooked in the new kitchen
(sausage dip)

Best Buy also delivered the washer dryer that day, and Spectrum's technician came out to get us connected for internet (we didn't have a cable connection at the house!). All of these guys were great--super conscientious. Unfortunately, we also discovered we didn't have the right kind of plug for the dryer, but at least we already had an electrician on board, so we just added it to her list.

laundry room in progress

On Saturday, Mark had a drumline session all day, so he had to shift his focus back to work (by this time, my grades were all in, but he was in the process of virtual/in-person auditions to set the fall line!). 

And our next priority was getting the apartment all cleaned so we could turn in our keys (and they could get the unit leased to someone else...). That was quite a project, but we tackled it in sections over a few days. The last step was getting the carpets cleaned (an annoying clause in our lease), which I had scheduled for Wednesday, 5/12. So by noon on Wednesday, I'd turned in the keys and we were officially moved out of Stadium View! It was really a great place to live, for the most part, but by that point, I was definitely ready to close the door on the apartment and turn my full attention to the house. Happily, the complex was able to rent our unit to someone who moved in the last week of May, so we didn't have to pay both rent and mortgage in June! (Still waiting for our security deposit back in the mail...). 

empty and clean kitchen

empty living room

So since then, we've been chipping away at our list: ordering some new furniture, taking care of some smaller projects that we wanted to do, unpacking, organizing, and reorganizing. We've also been enjoying just living here! I've had some nice days working and/or relaxing out on the porch, we've taken tons of walks all over the neighborhood (and met quite a few neighbors, including some people I know from work!), and enjoying all of our space in the house. 

As far as projects and updates go, here's what we've done/bought (or paid someone to do!) so far:

• ordered blinds (we should get the call that they're in and ready to be installed any day now!)
• washer/dryer
• TVs and TV stands for game room and living room
• nightstand/dressers 
• ordered kitchen table & chairs (we'll have to wait a few more months for those to be delivered...)
• electrical work (labelling the panel, installing some new outlets, checking items from the inspection, etc.)
• under-sink water filter for the kitchen
• garage door opener
• some weeding in the garden (the front flower beds are lovely, but the weeds will get out of control if I don't stay on top of it; the back flower beds are a mess--I'm pulling everything up so we can start fresh...but it's taking a while). 
• treadmill
• window a/c (there's one room upstairs that doesn't have any vents for the central air, so it was getting too hot!)
• rug for our bedroom

Mark's game room w/new TV, stand, and chair

one of two nightstand/dressers

treadmill

garage w/garage door opener installed

Mark and his Dad did a ton of little projects during the visit, and Mom & Dad bought us some things we needed (like a ladder, hose, etc.). We really appreciated that!

And here's what we know we still want to do (some of these things will be soon, others will have to wait a while!):

• replace front door
• add hardware to kitchen cabinets/drawers
• figure out more organization/shelves for some closets (and eventually cabinets for the laundry room)
• buy headboard for our bed
• buy sofa bed for the office/guest room
• buy additional seating of some kind for Mark's game room
• look into getting a fence 
• decide what to do with the back yard
• and probably some things I'm forgetting at the moment! (not to mention the ones that will come up over time)

Nearly every day, at some point, it hits me that we actually bought this house, and I'm amazed and overwhelmed with gratitude all over again. And, sometimes, just a bit anxious--it's definitely a different level of responsibility. While the house does seem to be in good condition, with newer mechanicals and no obvious issues, I know things will go wrong, and the unknown of which things, when, and how much they'll cost is a bit tough for me to think about, but I'm trying not to borrow trouble! We've handled unexpected, stressful, and expensive issues before, if not house ones, so surely we can manage whatever might come up here as well. 

Well...I don't want to end on that note, so let me also list some of the things, big and small, that I already love about the house:

• location--it's very central in town, which makes it feel close to everything, including lots of places within a 20-30 minute walk (like my office on campus). Downtown is only a 5 minute walk! (The downside is that our street gets a fair amount of traffic--it doesn't have a quiet neighborhood feel).
• parking in the garage (especially now that we have the garage door opener--after a few weeks of opening/closing manually, I appreciate every time I push that button!)
• closets upstairs--so much storage up there!
• kitchen, which is compact but very functional (and actually has more counter/cabinet space than our apartment...the layout is really well done). Plus, there's a window over the sink, so I get lovely natural light in there (a big difference from the apartment).
• roomy walk-in shower stalls
• bathroom lights--there are three options: vanity, shower, and nightlight! (plus fans on timers)
• small yard, which Mark can mow in about 20 minutes with the snazzy (and quiet) electric mower he picked out. 
• flowers that were already here in the front (and which seem to be doing well despite my lack of gardening know-how)
• new appliances all around!
• front porch (we'd probably both prefer a private back patio, but the huge front porch is what we've got, so I'm making good use of it...and it's pretty fun people watching)
• big tree that shades our house in the afternoon/evening (but which is on our neighbor's property)

front porch and flower beds

So...we're so thankful to be here! We're getting more settled every day...and I'm getting used to the idea of a house always being a work in progress (even one with so much already done before we got here!). It's also been really fun to invite people over--our friends and family have been so supportive along the way. More visitors are welcome! :-)