The Search Begins!

First, I would like to wish a very Happy New Year to my friends and family! I know hat 2012 has a lot of exciting changes in store, and I am looking forward to sharing all of them with you!!

Christmas was as wonderful as I could have hoped for. Everyone was together and the love at every event was tangible.

I have (almost) officially accepted the job at Brookwood Animal Hospital. I have verbally committed, and I will sign the contract mid-January. We have discussed the contract and pay etc. etc. The official contract just needs to be written up, and then we have the signing day! It sorta feels like I am in the process of beginning a pro-sport... Matt thinks I should get a signing bonus ;) I am excited because I will only be working 3.5 days/week! It will be SUCH a change from what I have been doing for the past year (working 24/7), it probably wont feel like I am working at all. The hours are stable, and it will give me time to begin working on other parts of my life (house, family, and actually getting to spend time with my husband).

SPEAKING OF HOUSE... Matt and I have begun the intense process of house-hunting. He was not as enthusiastic as I was about it (as goes most things), but he is coming around. We sat down and wrote out a "house must haves" list that was basically this:
- Under 300K (thats what we were approved for) in Grayson, GA
- 4-5BR/3+BA
- Open floor plan
- Big kitchen (lots of counter tops and cabinet space, large pantry)
- Formal dining room that can hold a table for 12
- LARGE master bathroom with tub and extra large shower
- Swim/tennis community preferably with sidewalks through the neighborhood
- (Matt's request) Driveway good for basketball... always thinking of the future, he has decided our children will be professional basketball players :)
- (my and Levi's request) Large backyard that is either fenced in, or easily fence-able to be done RIGHT when we move in
We have just been looking online, but when I find one that meets most of our criteria I will show him, and he will start deciding where he would put the furniture that we have. It is getting pretty exciting! Ideally, I would love to be able to move in around April to whatever we can find since my last two rotations are not in Athens, and my last one is in Grayson, there is no reason to stay living in Athens. The problem is that a lot of banks will not give you a loan on a house until you have worked at your job for at least a month... that means we wouldn't be able to move in until July. That is a lot of driving, and as you all know my Jeep is NOT the most fuel efficient car. So we are going to try and see if there are any smaller banks that will accept a contract to work, or if Matt can get approved for the houses we want on his salary alone. Grown-up stuff is complicated... but exciting! I can't wait to start looking at houses in person!!

Pending my NAVLE results (TBA end of Jan, beginning of Feb... unless I failed), graduation is May 5 at 10:30AM (118 days away, but who is counting??). I. CANT. WAIT. Everything that I have worked for since I was 6 years old will finally be a reality. A life-long goal achieved. 4 years of torture finally ending. I might ACTUALLY cry (which is saying something considering I didn't even cry at my wedding).

Until next time!