Falling in Love (and signing the contract)

Most people save for a long time when they're coming up with the downpayment for a house. Not so for us. The house itself caught us off guard. We've been watching the market closely for a good three years and have watched some stellar houses come and go. None ever really struck and inspired us to action. The sensible thing to do would have been to save money all along so when the right house did present itself, we'd be ready for it.

But I think Mack and I genuinely didn't expect to find "The House" so soon. Or so unexpectedly. Silly -- that kind of discovery is not exactly a process.

No, for us, finding the house was like slipping yet another old, random key into the mysterious lock of our future and finding... it turned. And clicked. And opened the door. The House we've prayed and pined for, year after year.

We poured over the listing photos again and again, fawning over the amenities and details.

Oh, love the portico. 
Look at those railings! 
Hardwood trees?!
Oh my...3.5 acres! 
Jacuzzi tub?!

It was a constellation of all our little "I wish"es, together formed at one address. But could the reality truthfully reflect the vision?

We drove to Leesville the very same weekend and made an appointment for a viewing. Reality not only reflected the vision -- it surpassed it.

We turned up the long, wide driveway, and what we saw took my breath away. Trees all over the property, both new and mature. The shady porch and front double doors invited us to imagine this house as our home, our land, our piece of the earth.

Inside, the owner guided us from room to room, and it took great effort for me to restrain my awe and excitement. I saw glimpses of our family occupying those bedrooms, passing each other in the halls, meeting in the kitchen for breakfast.

It's one thing to love a house for its features and character. It's quite another to look at the building and the grounds and actually see your family living there. I didn't just see our family living there -- I felt it, in my bones, in my heart, in my spirit that acknowledges the future and dusk of my life.

We would've put the house under contract that day, but the responsible thing to do was to cool off over the weekend, review our finances (which were none), and evaluate the change we'd really be accepting if we decided to purchase.

On Monday, we arranged to sign the contract, and we accepted the responsibility of coming up with a downpayment from scratch.

It's been almost 30 days since we toured the new house. We have 30% of our downpayment. We have 2.5 months to save the remaining 70%, but I'm confident we'll meet our goal in time.

Most days, practical aims like saving money and sorting through our belongings distracts me from spending too much time daydreaming about what it will be like for me to brew my first cup of coffee in that kitchen, or take my first bath in that tub. The eventuality feels real, but the dream is still mist and fog.

Looking at the photos of the house, I admire it as a suitor may admire a sweetheart he intends to make his bride. He is ever in love and imagines how her hand will finally feel in his, but the thought of belonging to her, and she to him...almost too wonderful for his heart to contain. What he knows for certain is, she is The One.