Moving Out!!

So, the one thing that has been incredibly stressful so far about this building process is that we need to sell our house!  We also went the more exciting route and decided to Sell by Owner! 

So, if you know of anyone that is looking for a great home in south Norman, please send them our way!  And we are offering a cash incentive to anyone who refers someone to us that ends up closing on the house!

You can check out the home listing at the following sites:

• ForSaleByOwner.com
•  Zillow
• Yahoo Real Estate

Moving On!!

While there hasn't been a whole lot going on in our day-to-day lives, there is one big change that is brewing.  We're moving!  And by moving, I mean we're building a beautiful, custom home in Norman!  J and I are beyond excited!

After plenty of deliberation, nearly a year, in fact, we decided to stay long-term in Norman, and also stay near our families and Jason's job.  And while we love our home where we first started our lives together and have made so many memories, we decided we should move while the housing market was still not strong and while interest rates are at an all-time low.  We are also hoping to expand our family sometime in the future and, since I work full-time from home, we currently don't have the space to grow.

We decided to build because we both have a really clear vision of what we want in a house and there's not much in Norman that fits our bill.  So, for months, I researched neighborhoods and builders while still looking at pre-existing homes.  I also worked on our list of needs, wants, and likes for a new house so that we wouldn't regret any decisions we make.  This is serious stuff!!

We initially were going to work with Landmark Fine Homes and build in Carrington Lakes, on the west side of Norman, but that ended up being a little too pricey for us.  So, we switched to Muirfield Homes and decided to build in Hallbrooke!  And, boy, are we glad we switched!  Scott at Muirfield Homes has been so incredibly helpful with the whole process and we absolutely fell in love with the Hallbrooke community.  So, stay posted for sneak peeks on the new house and the building process! 

London and Paris, Oui Oui!

A month and a half later, here's the post.  Can you blame me though?  I had hundreds of pictures to go through and it's a little tough to whittle them down to just enough so that you don't get bored out of your mind.

Anyways, my parents love traveling and have tried to maintain the tradition of our family going on a yearly, or bi-yearly trip.  Two years ago it was Spain and Portugal.  This year it was England and France, and it was a blast!

Our first stop was London.  After a long first day wandering the streets in search of our hotel, we hit the ground running the next day and took the sightseeing bus around town to check out the sights.  It was a a typical rainy day, but we got to see see everything we wanted.  We saw Big Ben, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Harrods, and the London Bridge.  Then, on Saturday we took a day tour to Windsor Castle, Stone Henge and the town of Bath.  It was so cool to see Stone Henge, and J was super excited to check that off his list.

On Sunday we took the train to Paris.  It was so pretty getting to see the countryside.  In France, we tried to take it a little easier.  For Lessye's and my birthday, my parents sent Michael, Lessye, Jason and I dinner at the Eiffel Tower.  Not sure why the boys got to join in on our gift, but, it was an amazing evening.  We walked around the first floor of the Eiffel Tower and then ate a wonderful three-course meal with one, or two, fine, maybe three glasses of champagne.  We also go to visit the Louvre and made a trip out to the Palace of Versailles.

But, for me, I think the true highlight was the food.  In London, we found a great pub the last night we were there where we had a lot of fun and the ambiance was great.  But the French food was divine!  Everything tasted great and they have beautiful presentation.  Jason found a restaurant where we had lunch one day.  It was the number one ranked restaurant, at the time, in Paris on TripAdvisor, and it was certainly our number one meal.  We also found several other great restaurants.  And I would love to go back to Paris again, just to enjoy all their food.  We tried so many new things; tuna tartare, foie gras, duck pate, crepes, macaroons, and so much more!  I could write a whole blog post about the food!  But, I'll spare you.  So, here are some pictures instead! I seriously can't stop dreaming about their food!