You are the Peanut to My Butter

Our meeting at Potomac Overlook on Friday went perfectly!  An hour, $5k, and a bajillion signatures later, we are under contract for our new home!  At this point, the only thing complete is the foundation.  I think they’re going to start framing it this week, and Chris and I will probably stop by each weekend to check on the progress and take pictures.  The next steps for us are to submit Chris’s final loan application and set up appointments with the design center and wiring contractor.  We need to choose everything from  the flooring throughout the house to the granite counters to the cabinets finishes.  We’re also going to have the living room and loft pre-wired for surround sound and the entire house wired with ethernet.  Since they have already started on the house, we’ll need to make those decisions soon, so I’m hoping to hear from the consultants within the next couple of days.

This is all so exciting!  Chris and I have already set up a shared Pinterest board where we’re keeping up with all of the things we need and want for our new home.  It ranges from blinds and window treatments to artwork to large appliances like a new washer and dryer set.  We’re talking about heading out west this weekend to shop antique and thrift stores for some interesting furniture pieces that we can refinish.  I’ve also been using Autodesk’s Homestyler to build a 3D model of our home and test out paint colors and furniture placement.  I’m like a kid in a damn candy store.

Placing the ‘SOLD’ sticker on the site plan board in the sales office!  It was an exciting moment for us.

The earnest money check.  You should’ve seen the sales dude’s face when he read the memo.

Having a celebratory Guinness (well, mine’s a black and tan) at Harrington’s Pub, which will be our new local hang out.  Chris is still pouting over handing over a $5k check.

Nothing but foundation right now, but that slab on the left will be our new home in about four months.

And our new address will be on Sprintsail Way!  I don’t know, but finding out your new address is always so exciting… even more so when you’re going to own the place!

Stopped in one of the kitschy little shops in the Harbor, and Chris felt it was important to bring home this metal replica of Bruce.

And Christy bought a cat.

We also found this.  If you’ll remember, when Chris proposed, he shouted, "You are the Billy to my Idol, the peanut to my butter!"  So when we saw this hanging on the wall at ArtCraft it was most definitely coming home with us.  It’s literally the first thing we have purchased for our new house!

We had a fun day on Saturday, too.  Chris, Christy went for a two-hour, 13 mile, mid-morning bike ride down Mount Vernon Trail.  I had never been down the trail before, so I surprised at how nice a ride it was.  Lots of scenic overlooks over the Potomac and picnic areas.  We could even see National Harbor and our future home during most of the ride.  Best part is, the trail is still bike accessible from our new place.  In fact, I think it may even be easier to get to it.
 

Biking along Mount Vernon Trail.  This was actually on a bridge crossing a marshy area.

Me and Christy on the bridge.

View of the Potomac from one of the rest areas.  We stopped here for a snack.

After the morning bike ride, we grabbed our swimsuits and biked down to Great Waves Water Park, which is literally just a mile down the street from where we live now.  It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere (for a water park anyway) and it only has two slides and a wave pool, but for just being down the street, kind of cool.  We hit both the slides once, ate a funnel cake and spent about an hour in the pool, then headed home.  The rest of the afternoon was spent grilling, putting back some brews and watching movies.
 

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Prepping corn for the grill.  Soaked the corn for about 15 minutes and pulled back the husks.  Brushed it with a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and various herbs (I used parsley, basil, thyme, and cilantro), tied the husks back in place, and grilled.

Shrimp and andouille skewers; stuffed, twice-grilled potatoes; grilled herbed corn on the cob; and a tasty Shiraz to boot!

And here’s a random picture of me using Bruce as a pillow.

That’s all folks!  Cheers!
Felina