House Hunting: Harmony House

Well the day has finally come... we've put an offer on a house!!! I can hardly believe it myself! This whole process has gone much quicker and smoother than I anticipated! I think a lot of that has to do with our AMAZING Realtor - Bobby Lyerly! (Shameless plug for Bobby :) ) But seriously - he's been so helpful and has really only shown us houses that fit what we're looking for! I didn't know we were that easy to read...

But without any further delay -- here's a look our potential first home!!!

The Specs:

- Age: 2009
- House size: 2,295
- Lot: 1/4 acre
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 2 1/2

The Pros:

- Great kitchen that opens up to family room
- All new carpets and paint
- Backyard that has definite potential
- Incredible neighborhood amenities: pool, playground, tennis, walking/hiking trails, lakes
- Too many others to list here (hence the offer we put on it...)

The Cons:

- The exterior needs a new coat of paint
- Not much yard (but as mentioned above - has great potential w/ what yard does exist)
- Nothing else major or that can't be changed down the road

So there you have it... our fingers are crossed as we wait to hear back from the bank. They seem to be in no rush, but we have a great feeling about this home and the neighborhood! Ultimately we know that it will work out if it's where God wants us. Having been in a similar situation only a couple weeks ago, and to have the offer fall through -- we are trying not to get too excited/attached just yet.

So until next time...

House Hunting: Update

Here's a quick look at the past week or so of our house hunting adventures:

Last week, with Ashley out of town, Bobby and I looked at several houses. One of which I posted on here. I absolutely loved the house! It was pretty much the perfect house for us -- great yard, plenty of room, wonderful neighborhood, etc. Prior to walking in the home, Bobby informed me that there was actually an offer already on the table so if we liked it, we'd need to act fast. Well, I loved it. I knew Ash would love it!

Soooooooo... we put an offer on the house!! CRAZY, I know! Needless to say I was nervous/stressed beyond belief. Knowing that there was another offer on the table, we had to go in with our best and highest offer right off the bat - not my ideal situation... I'd like the ability to negotiate a little bit more. Surprisingly, the bank (foreclosure) responded very quickly to our offer -- they countered at full asking price w/ only a small amount of closing costs to be paid by the seller. Needless to say, we were bummed. And a little bit annoyed... But, hearing that the bank wasn't willing to budge, we pulled our offer off the table and got back on the hunt!!

Following our Epic Move, we went out with Bobby again this past Saturday. Once again we saw some GREAT homes!! We've pretty much fallen in love with a certain neighborhood in Canton, GA - Harmony on the Lakes. Fortunately there are some great homes currently on the market out there - one of which we saw on Saturday! And we love it! So we put an offer in on Monday. Much to our dismay, there was already another offer on the table again, so ours was basically a "back up" offer. We were not excited to hear this again, but knew that if the house is right for us, it'd work out. The latest update from today -- the other offer fell through, so ours is on the table!! Woohoo!! But now we WAIT... the tough part about foreclosures is that they can take time. So we get to work on our patience... But we are very excited to see how this plays out! Our fingers are crossed and our hopes are high! I'll get the specs on the house up in the next post -- and hopefully an update on our offer!!

Here's some pics from Harmony on the Lakes - you can probably see why we love it soooooo much!!

The Epic Move

Just a quick update from the Jones household. We've recently made the official move from Nashville to Atlanta! And it was EPIC!!  With the amazing help of Ashley's parents, we managed to load the Uhaul, clean the duplex, and drive back to Atlanta all in one day -- albeit a LONG day!! We originally planned to stick around Friday night, but the emotions of moving were a bit too overwhelming for Ash and we needed to just get on out of town.

It was definitely hard to leave the close friendships we'd made with the people in our small group, family, other college friends, and co-workers. But I am confident that many of those relationships run deep and that we made many lifelong friends that we can look forward to visiting in Nashville, and inviting down to Atlanta once we get settled in!

The past couple weeks have been crazy and the next few are shaping up to be pretty intense as well. But Ashley and I are both so excited to see what God has in store for us! And we're thrilled that you have chosen to join us in this Great Adventure!

House Hunting: Craftsman with a Fabulous Yard

Our house hunting is moving forward this week! With Ashley back in Nashville, Bobby and I took a trip out to see eight more homes out in the Canton area -- talk about pressure!! It is definitely VERY difficult to look at these homes knowing that our first place may be a home that Ashley doesn't even see until after a contract is in place!! We've pretty much settled on the Canton area of metro Atlanta. It offers all that we need to establish our own roots apart from our parents, but is close enough to my office that the commute is no more than 45 minutes on a bad day. There are also a lot of great opportunities to get in the great outdoors in Canton with mountain biking, fishing, and hiking. So here is the top choice from my time out with Bobby this week:

 

The Stats:

- Age: 2003
- House size: 2121sq. ft.
- Lot: 1/4 acre
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 3


The Pros:


- Craftsman style home (our favorite!)
- Amazing back yard - already fenced in w/ tons of space for throwing a ball or grilling out
- 2-story family room w/ stone fireplace
- Great neighborhood/community
- Bedroom on main floor that will make a great playroom for kiddo(s)


The Cons:


- Exterior needs a fresh coat of paint
- Kitchen needs some work, but is definitely move-in ready
- Whoa, I guess that's really all that I can think of....


I can't wait for Ashley to see this place and get her feedback!! I'm headed up to Nashville tomorrow after work to get things packed up and moved down here. That promises to be loads of fun! (read previous sentence w/ lots of sarcasm)


But until next time, we just the Joneses trying to keep up...

House Hunting: Large Development, Great Curb-Appeal

In the spirit of one of my FAVORITE blogs, Young House Love, I've decided to go ahead and start posting some updates on the homes we check out and the ones that make it to the top of our list. Here is where I am getting my inspiration (okay, so I may be copying their format - but who can blame me, they're pretty awesome). So without further ado...

I will provide a doctored photo of the home followed by our pros and cons for the house. This first home is located in a sprawling development out in Canton, GA called Harmony on the Lakes (yes, that is "lakes" plural -- lots of great fishing potential!!). It's just far enough from our parents so that we won't  run into them at the grocery store, but is close enough for us to drop off the (future) baby at their house as we head out for a date night :)

The Stats:

- Age: 2006
- House size: 2,092 square feet
- Lot size: ~1/2 acre
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 2 1/2

The Pros:

- Great curb appeal - distressed brick exterior w/ small front porch
- Kitchen with granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and center island
- All 3 bedrooms upstairs
- Master suite w/ walk in closet
- Great potential for outdoor space in backyard once we install a privacy fence
- Neighborhood amenities including swim/tennis, multiple park areas w/ playgrounds, sidewalks throughout, and 3 lakes stocked w/ fish

The Cons:

- Small yard/lot (probably the biggest con for us)
- Awkward formal living/dining space
- Neighborhood is not fully developed - house backs up to a vacant lot
- Carpet needs to be replaced throughout (foreclosure)

Well, I had trouble coming up with an equal amount of cons... That's probably because overall we really like this house!! It's a fantastic neighborhood. Lot's of young families. Great opportunity to build community with neighbors. Overall the home is GREAT condition considering it's a foreclosure! Who knows...

So after our first weekend of looking at homes (16 total), we are exhausted and have so much to process and think about. In real estate, there is definitely a lot of give and take, and we are recognizing that "compromise" is going to be the key word. However, it is very exciting and tons of fun to look for a place we can call home! We feel incredibly blessed to be in a place where we can  buy our first home and put down some roots as we prepare to start our family!! We are so excited to see what God has in store for us and are excited that you are joining us along the way!

The Ones That Got Away...

As I've alluded to in previous posts, Ashley came down from Nashville this weekend. (She's still working in Nashville while I start my new job here. We're officially moving to Atlanta this weekend.) It was a fantastic weekend for several reasons:

1) My little sis had her senior prom and we attended the picture party - oh how she's grown into a lovely young lady. Not sure I'm ready to send her off to college. Then again, she may be thinking she's not ready to be an aunt... (although I'm fairly certain "aunt" is a title she is very much looking forward to owning).

2) Following the treacherous storms on Friday night, the weekend weather was BEAUTIFUL!! I was able to spend some great time fishing! This is first part of the weekend where I experience "The one that got away..." I had the biggest bass of my fishing career on the line. I fought him to the boat. Realized how HUGE he was - our best guess was at least 8lbs. And as I reached down to pull him from the water he made a sudden attempt to swim back down into the depths and snapped the line! I was beside myself!! I couldn't believe I'd made such an amateur mistake. I had nightmares about it. I will not soon forget that fish! I will catch that fish!

3) This final aspect of my fantastic weekend could likely be an entirely separate blog post... in fact perhaps I will do just that. Well, here's a quick overview. So we began our house hunting this weekend with Ashley in town. We have an amazing Realtor - Bobby Lyerly. He picked out some GREAT homes to show us without even getting much preliminary input from us!! Of the eight homes we saw on Saturday, there were three that really stuck out to us. Ashley was ready to put an offer on one of them after our first walk-through. Unfortunately we found out it had come under contract earlier that day. This was our first lesson in house hunting: great homes will go very fast when they are in a great location and have a great price. This was the first "One that got away..." See below:

The second house that we really liked - well, I fell in love with it quicker than Ashley... she was still set on the above home - was another great home at a great price in a great location. It had the most room plus an unfinished basement w/ unlimited potential! But, it also had just gone under contract earlier that morning and so we had to move on yet again. Check it out below:

But all is not lost!! We found one other on Saturday in the same neighborhood as the above home that we love! To read more about it, check out the next post!! I'll provide a full report!

Stay tuned! This promises to be an exciting adventure!

Welcome to Atlanta

In honor of the recent relocation and the title of the blog, please enjoy below:

So it's been a CRAZY last couple of days!! I've officially started my new job -- woohoo!! I am reeling with information overload right now. Training has been intense, but I am so excited to get things rolling!! My new co-workers are so great and have been very welcoming! Part of the new hire introduction/training involves taking the new hires (me) out to lunch each day at some really fun and unique Roswell eateries. On Monday we went to this great Mexican restaurant called Ceviche. I had some delicious fish tacos! On Tuesday we went to a local Thai place called Rice. I can't say that I've eaten much Thai food in the past, but this may now be one of my new favorite places! I can't wait to take Ashley once she gets down here. Today we had a client presenting on-site so lunch was catered in by Willy's. It's basically like Moe's, Qdoba, and Chipotle -- a make-your-own burrito place. It was delicious!! So needless to say, I can't wait to see where lunch will be tomorrow and Friday!

It's definitely been tough to be apart from Ashley! Especially right now as she's progressing along in her pregnancy. Just the other night we were chatting on the phone. She put the phone down near her belly and the baby started kicking/moving like crazy! So that was awesome to know that our little one recognizes my voice (at least I like to tell myself he/she does...). But it was also really tough not to be with Ashley for that moment and get to actually feel the kicks/movements myself! Soon enough I guess - she's coming down on Friday. I cannot wait!!

Well that's it for me tonight. I'm exhausted!! Gotta a long day tomorrow. Meeting with possible lender in the morning before work and office kickball down at Piedmont Park tomorrow after work!! Should be another great day!

Peace!

To New Beginnings

WOW!! What a BEAUTIFUL Friday! Not feeling a whole lot of motivation at work today... Really just wishing I was outside enjoying this amazing spring day!! Planning a picnic dinner with Ash tonight so that'll be perfect!!

The title of this blog has two meanings today... the first involves the new life that our dear friends Todd and Julianne Feenstra welcomed into the world last night -- James David Feenstra. The little guy weighed in at 11lbs 2oz and 23.5" long!! WAY TO GO MOM!! Ashley and I were fortunate enough to be at the hospital to welcome James! He is precious! And Julianne is a champ!! She endured 14+ hrs of labor and remained positive throughout. I know Ashley said she was truly inspired by Julianne -- it's hard not to be inspired! Here's the beautiful family with their new little (actually rather big) bundle of joy!! We're so excited for them!

And the second meaning of today's blog title relates to our new beginning. That's right - there are some changes coming for the Joneses! And I'm not just talking about the baby... We're moving to Atlanta and I am starting a new job!! We are so excited for this new adventure. Although right now it feels a bit overwhelming, we are trusting that the Lord will provide.

We have known for a couple weeks now that this was taking place, but I was waiting until I wrapped up my current job before "going public." Today is my last day working for ServiceSource. It's been a great experience and has definitely prepared me for my next role. I have made some wonderful friends and was reminded of how special my coworkers are today when they took me to lunch to celebrate my departure. They were also so sweet to bless Ashley and me with a wonderful baby gift and sweet words of encouragement as we embark on this next phase of our lives!! So if any of you are reading this - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I will miss you!

I start my new job Monday at Leader Enterprises as an Account Coordinator on their marketing team. I am so pumped to get going in this new role and look forward to all that I will learn and accomplish! But as you can imagine, there is a LOT more involved than just driving down to ATL and heading to work Monday morning. Ashley is planning to work a couple more weeks here in Nashville as our lease is through the end of the month. This is both a negative and positive - negative: Ashley and I will be apart for several days; positive: this allows us to take our time getting things packed and moved.

Our initial plan is to live with Ashley's parents as we look for a permanent place to live. We are excited because we plan to look to buy our first home!! We're currently in the mortgage pre-approval process, but are excited to get to town and start working with our realtor, Bobby Lyerly. He's a great family friend and we both grew up with his son, Reece, back in Roswell, GA.

So, obviously there is way more to share and much more to come!! But we just wanted to give a quick update. I think this is a perfect example of how our blog accurately reflects our lives - we are the Joneses trying to keep up!!

We hope you'll tag along as we shift into overdrive and plunge headfirst into God's great adventure for our lives!! Here's to what's on the horizon!

And We're Having a.......???

Most Fridays I wake up thinking: "Ok, just get through today and it's the weekend." However, today was different! I awoke with a sense of anticipation and excitement!! (Okay, so if you ask Ashley, she might tell you that I hit snooze a couple times and laid around in bed until the last possible minute -- and she'd be right). But that was not because I was not excited. I just hate getting out of our warm, soft, comfy bed -- any and every day!

Why was I excited? Well today we had our 20 week ultrasound and got to see our little bundle of joy again! This day couldn't have come sooner! We both have been looking forward to the chance to see our baby's growth and development again. The last time we saw him/her was about 12 weeks ago. Also, it was great for Ashley to see that our baby is doing well and growing strong inside her belly. She's been worrying lately that there might be issues. Her worries stem primarily from the fact that her belly hasn't grown as much as she anticipated it would grow by this point, and she was concerned about the baby's development. But all our pregnant friends tell her not to worry -- the day will come when she'll wish her belly weren't so ginormous.

Overall the ultrasound went well! Our ultrasound tech was not the nicest woman. She didn't really have much to say, and didn't really take the time to let us watch our little baby move around and/or relax in mommy's belly. She was all business -- taking measurements and retrieving the vital info she needed to pass along to our midwife. But that's okay. We did get a DVD of the ultrasound and I recorded the whole visit as well, so hopefully we'll have some video to share soon!! Stay tuned!

In a sense, this was a major milestone for us too! This was the appointment where we had the option to find out the gender... And if you recall my previous post laying out our differing opinions, Ashley prevailed and we are waiting until that little baby's real world debut to find out if it's a boy or girl! The ultrasound tech made a few remarks that kind of make me think we're having a boy... And Ashley's intuition has led her to believe it's a boy... We shall see. So now that we know the baby is developing well and appears to be healthy, my sense of anticipation and anxiety is now directed toward that amazing day when we get to meet our firstborn face to face!! What a day that will be!!