We're Officially Homeowners!

Mr. Q signed all of the paperwork this morning and it has been filed with the Registry of Deeds. We are now officially homeowners! Mr. Q took this photo back in late November before the ice storm and before the snow. I'm anxious to see it.

Torn

In less than two weeks, we'll be sleeping in our new home in New Hampshire. I'm torn about whether I should be full of joy or mired in sadness. For the most part, my brain can't slow down enough to focus on saying good-bye, because it's too busy processing to-do lists and strategizing ways to get six people through the next month until we're unpacked.

Part of me is in denial about leaving the city we've called home for almost four years. It's been a grand adventure, but I feel like we haven't experienced the Southwest enough yet! I still have a long list of hikes that I want to tackle and so many places I'd like to see. I wanted to take my two youngest to the Pacific Ocean, I wanted to go to Mexico and I wanted to go to Utah again. I think that no matter how long I lived in a place, I would always have a list of things that were left undone; it's just part of my nature to want to experience things to the fullest. There's an ache in my heart for the friends that we will miss.

On the other hand, I am looking forward to returning to our roots in New England. I'm feeling overwhelmed by the house purchase and finances, but there are a lot of things I miss about the Northeast. I'm sure that we have many exciting adventures awaiting us, our families are anxious for us to return and I want my grandparents to meet my little ones. I can't wait to fall back into the rhythm of the seasons, especially having a real autumn, which I have missed terribly. I know that the coming years are going to be full of wonder as we introduce our little ones to gardening, deciduous forests and the Atlantic. My heart is bursting with the thought of being an hour from my ocean!

Las Vegas has been good to us and that makes it difficult for me to be completely at peace with how this new chapter of our life is unfolding. Our new home is big enough for our Southwest friends to come visit and hopefully we will be able to visit here, as well.

In With the New...

Out With the Old...

Solstice Blessings

Last night, I tried to stay awake all night long, waiting for the winter solstice to arrive. I "woke" up around 4:30 AM and bundled up to head out to Red Rock Canyon to watch the sunrise. When I arrived shortly before 6 AM, it was still completely dark. The snowy landscape was quite eerie, but I relished the rare moment of quiet. The sun finally broke the horizon around 6:51 AM. It amazes me how long "dawn" lasts, in contrast to the speed at which the sun climbs above the horizon once it first peeks over.

After the sun rose, I continued to enjoy the solitude of a peaceful Sunday morning in Red Rock. I marveled at the snow-covered desert and decided to go for a short hike. I chose the Willow Springs Loop Trail and it did wonders to soothe my soul. I was treated to the rare site of a pair of bighorn sheep high on White Rock Hills and the fluttering wings of a mountain blue bird. Part of the trail had not been disturbed since the recent snowfall, so I enjoyed forging my way through the knee high drifts.

I left the trail with a calmed spirit and clarity of thought. I felt renewed and exhilarated, despite my lack of sleep. My goal is to carry that through the coming weeks until we are settled in our new home. I am truly blessed to have partner that regularly gives me the gift of time and is an amazing father to our children. Other than his love, no other gift could make me feel so blessed.

Winter Wonderland

This afternoon, I took my three little ones out to Red Rock Canyon to explore the results of yesterday's storm. We played in out 8" of powdery snow. My spirits are noticeably lifted after spending a few hours communing with nature. We're expecting another storm tomorrow, so I'm already making plans for Thursday.

On the Hunt

November is more than half over, thanks to Election Day excitement and a whirlwind family trip to New England in search of our next home. We spent over a week looking at properties in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Over the course of three days, we looked at 29 houses and then we made second visits to a handful of houses. We chose the one we thought was best and put in an offer.

Our offer was for a typical suburban house on a cul-de-sac; a house we initially thought would work for our family. It had gorgeous hardwood floors and a stream running down the property line. The inspection came up with a lot of issues that we would be unable to correct quickly with our budget, so we signed a standard release form yesterday. We are now looking at a contemporary house in a more urban environment. The interior decorating is not my style, but I can work with it. Mr. Q will likely head back east in a few days to get the ball rolling on that one.

It was very overwhelming, but Mr. Q and I learned a lot about the home buying process. Touring all of those homes and towns helped me solidify my priorities for our next home and the community where we will likely spend the next 20 years. Trying to find the perfect home for a large family under so much pressure was a bad decision on our part. We should have gone with the idea that it was okay not to make an offer while we were there.

The stress level here is still quite high. The kids need a lot of attention, after missing too much mommy and daddy time last week. I'm trying to get back into our regular routine and take care of the mail and email that accumulated while we were away. At least the laundry is done!