The Sweetest Surprise

As I continue to celebrate my husband's birthday, I thought I'd stop by the blog for a quick post about the sweetest video I've seen in a while:




I tear up every time. =)

Movin' On Up...

My husband and I got married more than two years ago. We started off living with roommates (a family of four). It was nice, and we had a small part of the house to ourselves. It was kind of like living on our own. After seven months, my parents convinced us to move in with them so we could start saving up to buy a house. Keep in mind I have three siblings. We knew it would be difficult, but saving for a house was important to us. So we packed up our stuff and moved back home. Since November 2009, husb and I have lived in a four bedroom house with my dad, mom, two sisters and brother. It's been...interesting. I love my family so very much. But as a 25 year old married woman living at home, I became enveloped in some sort of identity crisis. I was treated as "wife," "daughter" and "big sister" all under the same roof. I am -- of course -- all of those things. But there's something tremendously challenging about answering to all of these labels at once.

Now here we are, May 2011:

We're moving!! That's why I've been MIA from the blog. =)

Did we save enough for a house? No. In a nutshell, we managed to save a lot. But not enough for the 20% down payment and a 15-year mortgage. We decided to rent. "But houses are so cheap right now!" you say. We know, but here's why we decided not to buy after all:

1) We have debt. Some credit cards, a car, etc. Not a ton. But it's there. We're following Dave Ramsey's financial plan -- so we will absolutely not buy a home until we're debt free with an emergency fund in place + a 20+% down payment, etc. Not everyone gets this -- including my parents.

2) We're not too keen on living in this town long term. So why would we buy a home here? This market can make it difficult to sell a home. We don't want to get stuck. We're young. No kids. Let's travel! =)

Have you ever moved back home?
What are your packing/organizational tips?
Any ideas on accent colors for navy blue leather couches? 

Checklist of Champions

Birthday Nails?

  Check.

Mickey Bracelet?

Check.

The happiest t-shirt on Earth?

Check.

See you in Disneyland!