a REAL housewife of Loudoun County... : August 2014

So here were are, summer is coming to an end, the kids are anxiously awaiting teacher letters (which is kind of strange since we don't have a clue about any teacher at our new school), and we're about to embark on the hustle and bustle of fall sports- Yep, two practices starting at 6pm on Thursdays- one in Leesburg, one in Ashburn with a traveling hubby= fun times. And dare I say it- living in this apartment, crammed to the gill, way too close for comfort- and yet, it's been the best summer ever. I'm not ready to ship my children off- instead, we've enjoyed being adventurous, not having housework, a yard to take care of, and kind of being gypsies bouncing from one park to another. Maybe the saying is true- We may not have it all together, but together, we have it all.

After hearing about how there are many of you that have considered building or think that may be an option in the future, I've decided to blog about our experience... Well, and let's face it, when the kids go to bed, the hubster is out of town, and I'm stuck in a family room because I can't go to my room because the baby is sleeping there and if I want my kids to fall asleep I can't watch t.v. because they are in the loft opening to the family room, my options to kill time are limited... and I would bet that my hubby would appreciate me blogging over online shopping.:)

This blog will just be a hodge podge... everything from design choices, choosing our builder, financing a new construction, the process, interior decorating, blah, blah, blah... and I won't be sharing every post on Facebook to drive people crazy (come one, ya'll know I post enough as it is) so make sure you bookmark this page if you might be interested. :)

Let's just say we are still learning and anxiously awaiting the start of our home. We've come to realize there are two words you will hate hearing when building... overbudget and two weeks- ooops, I guess that's three.

Going into this process we knew that getting a building permit would take forever... but we thought forever would be 30 days... We closed on the lot on May 30th, we thought we'd be breaking ground at the end of June, and things would be on their way. Yesterday we spoke to our builder and he hopes to be breaking ground in a week or so... We'll believe it when we see it. Come to find out there are so many other permits you need other than the actual building permit- Although our lot had a well, we had to have engineering work done for our drainfield- The county wanted us to install an alternative drainfield and our builders went to battle for a conventional one since it had previously been approved for that... They got it and that was a win for us... but also a lengthy delay. We now have the health permit, the building permit, and are waiting on the grading permit so they can start... While extremely frustrated, we've just decided to sit back and try to remain calm because it is what it is... And we know there will be things in the future we're sure are worth complaining about so there's no use getting our panties ruffled this early.

So here she is... our field of dreams. Ya'll know it was so hard for our entire family to leave our last house. It was home, the neighborhood was perfect, and we were so happy and content... and it simply came down to financial reasons and what was best for our family. It was extremely hard and we still miss it so much... But we're moving on... and yep, she may be just a field as of yet, but when I look at her, I see a field where my daughters can get married, where Brendan and I can throw down with our friends sitting on hay bales around a bonfire and completely scare off our new neighbors, and most of all, I see our forever home.

For now, meet our lot...

Lot 1D- the only remaining lot on our court- that was never built on because the housing market crashed and the builder stopped building...

This is looking out from our court and might be my saving grace... A new KHOV neighborhood is going in- and while many move to the country to be in the country- that part scares me...I need people... so I totally see me and the kids walking over there for our nightly walk and maybe just pretending our court is a part of the neighborhood and joining in on their happenings.:)